Top 10 new plants for 2020

Top 10 New Plants for 2020

Here at Thompson & Morgan we pride ourselves in being the first to market with the best new plant innovations for UK gardens.

Top 10 New Plants for 2020

Here at Thompson & Morgan we pride ourselves in being the first to market with the best new plant innovations for UK gardens.

Our product developers and plant hunters scour nursery fields and glasshouses around the world in the hunt for the next big thing for your garden. If we can't find what we're looking for on our travels, we look to create the next big thing ourselves with our own breeding work.

Next season is set to be another great year for our new launches and we again have our hopes pinned on another win in the Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2020. Our previous winners include Hydrangea Runaway Bride and Foxglove 'Illumination Pink', both of which remain firm customer favourites.

But what will be your favourites of 2020. Here we reveal 10 of the best plant introductions launched in the Thompson & Morgan 2020 Spring Catalogue. All plants are now available for order, just follow the links below.

Opinions are split here on the nursery, making it hard for us to choose a stand out winner, but we'd love to hear your thoughts - Let us know which ones you'll be adding to the garden in 2020 via our Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram.


Helichrysum Granvia Gold

1. Six months of vibrant garden colour -
NEW Helichrysum 'Granvia Gold'

- Large and long-lasting flowers
- A unique and 'crispy' structure
- Strong garden performance

We've really struck gold with Granvia® Gold! It has remarkable big flowers in an intense bright yellow colour with a centre that turns orange with pollen as the flowers age. The unique structure of the papery, 'crispy' petals will grab your attention straight away. It's easy to grow, blooms early and is long-lasting. Here's a tip - the scented flowers can be harvested to use as perfectly dried flowers or fresh potpourri.

HHA.60cm (24in). Flowers: May-Sept. Sun. Pots and borders.


Sollya Ultra Blue

2. The world's brightest blue sollya -
NEW Sollya 'Ultra Blue'

- An unusual climber with masses of intensely blue, bell-like flowers
- Improved version of a best seller
- Mail order exclusive

Sollya heterophylla is an attractive and abundant climber, flowering freely from June to October in a sheltered, warm and sunny position. But we've taken things further. 'Ultra Blue' produces flowers that are larger and of a deeper, more luminous blue than the typical variety. Grown in a large pot, this better branched variety will decorate a terrace or patio during the warmer months and can be over-wintered under glass or in a conservatory.

HCl. 2m (6ft, 6in). Flowers: June-Oct. Sun/Part shade. Borders and pots.


Begonia Dreams Garden 'Maca' Duo

3. Masses of summer colour right into autumn -
NEW Begonia Dreams Garden 'Maca' Duo

- Award winning - FleuroStar winner
- Stunning bright blooms with vibrant yellow stamens
- Very floriferous from May to frosts

Begonia MacaRouge' and 'MacaRose' are the perfect planting partners for patio pots and summer borders. These exclusive MacaRouge and MacaRose are prize-winning upright begonias that promise to illuminate patios and beds all summer long. Plants are vigorous, low maintenance and extremely floriferous, performing as well in containers as in the ground, whilst the striking yellow central stamens provide a nice contrast to the brightly coloured petals and the attractive dark foliage.

HHA. 35cm (14in). Flowers: May-Oct. Sun/Part shade. Pots and borders.


Verbena Royal Dreams

4. T&M own breeding -
NEW Verbena 'Royal Dreams'

- Exclusively available from T&M
- Unique mini verbena for your patio
- Tight clusters of pale purple flowers on short, compact stems

A fabulous hardy dwarf verbena boasting tight clusters of floating purple flowers on short stems that reach only half the height of traditional verbena. Perfectly proportioned for the front of borders and patio pots, the uniform plants create an open airy habit, whilst the gently moving flower stems attract bees and butterflies throughout the flowering period from June to October.

HP. 60cm (24in). Flowers: June-Oct. Full sun. Borders and pots.


Ipomoea SunPuma 'Purple Princess'

5. Striking climbing colour for walls, fences, trellis and... hanging baskets! -
NEW Ipomoea SunPuma 'Purple Princess'

- A touch of luxury
- Strong outdoor performance
- Unusual large purple

SunPuma 'Purple Princess' is a spectacular early-flowering ipomoea specimen with amazingly dark, purple green leaves and lilac coloured flowers. The abundant blooms are unusually large for an ipomoea and its summer-long flowering period is impressive! Vigorous stems make it suitable for hanging baskets or as a climbing plant with a support - it'll look fabulous clambering over an obelisk or trellis. Due to its size, impressive outdoor performance and the colour of its foliage and flowers, 'SunPuma Purple' is a favourite of garden designers and landscapers

HHA.100cm (39in). Flowers: Jun-Oct. Sun. Borders, pots and baskets.


Rudbeckia Enchanted Embers

6. T&M own breeding -
NEW Rudbeckia 'Enchanted Embers'

- World exclusive from T&M breeding
- Bee & butterfly friendly
- Colour-changing blooms

What is better than vibrant colour all summer to the first hard frosts? Changing colour all summer to the first frosts. T&M breeding has produced these stunning double rudbeckias that change colour as the season progresses and ass the flowers age. An unusual open habit in the centre ensures these double blooms are a real draw for bees and butterflies and other pollinators!

HA. 45cm (18in). Flowers: June-Nov. Sun/Part shade. Borders and pots.


Busy Lizzie Beacon

7. Best garden performance in our trials -
NEW Busy Lizzie 'Beacon'

- Strong and disease resistant impatiens walleriana for outstanding garden performance
- Flowering continuously in vibrant colours until the first frosts
- Perfect for flower beds, garden borders and your patio planters

Since 2011, few gardeners have dared to grow traditional Impatiens walleriana. Now Busy Lizzies are back - and this time they have high resistance to downy mildew. These well branched, free flowering annuals come from the latest breeding in disease free impatiens. Busy Lizzie 'Beacon' offers the same growth habit, without risk of plant collapse cutting your display short. Plant them in beds, borders, window boxes, baskets and containers - the possibilities are endless

HHA. 30-40cm (12-16in). Flowers: Jun-Oct. Sun/Part shade. Beds, borders and pots.


Petunia Surfinia Star Burgundy

8. Special anniversary introduction -
NEW Petunia Surfinia 'Star Burgundy'

- Burgundy flowers with yellow stars
- Strong growth and ideal for trailing from tall planters and baskets
- Exclusively available from T&M

Surfinia burst onto the gardening scene 30 years ago! They've been extremely popular ever since, providing gardeners with fool-proof summer colour thanks to their vigorous growth and amazing cascading habit, culminating in thousands of colourful flowers for several months. We're marking their success with this special anniversary introduction of a brand new variety exclusive to T&M: Surfinia 'Star Burgundy' is a lovely colour selection, whilst also boasting the fabulous vigour and superb weather resistance we've come to expect from the Surfinia name. Perfect for carpeting beds and borders or trailing from hanging baskets and window boxes.

HHA. Tr. 60-90cm (24-36in). Flowers: Jul-Oct. Sun/Part shade. Baskets and containers.


Sweet Potato Edible and Ornamental Trio

9. Pretty and tasty -
NEW Sweet Potato Edible and Ornamental Trio

- Colourful and tasty sweet potatoes
- High in antioxidants
- Heavy cropping for great results

Compact varieties are perfect for growing in large patio pots. Our photos show how pretty these ornamental sweet potatoes are, but you'll have to taste them to believe their flavour. Heavy yields mean you'll be surprised at harvest time too. Perfect additions to sunny borders, their compact growth makes them ideal for large patio pots too. The trio includes Tahiti, Tatakoto and Makatea.

TT. 20cm (8in). Harvest: Sept-Oct. Full sun.


Winter Squash Potatoes Duo

10. Low in carbs and high in fibre -
NEW Winter Squash Potatoes Duo

- Tastes just like potatoes!
- One gives the baked potato flavour
- The other taste just like mash!

A real treat for flavour fans. Two unique squashes with unique flavours and good sources of iron and potassium. Our orange skin introduction, 'Baked Potato', offers a flavour than needs no explaining, making it a delicious alternative to traditional baked potatoes. Our pale skinned 'Mashed Potato' offers a second potato flavour and a fluffy mashed texture when baked. These high fibre veggies can also be roasted or used in warming soups for a low carb and calorie alternative to traditional spuds.

HHA. 70cm (28in). Harvest: Jun-Aug. Full sun. Kitchen garden.

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Kris Collins T&M horticulturalist

Written by: Kris Collins

Kris Collins works as Thompson & Morgan's quality control manager/nursery manager, making sure all your plants leave the nursery in top condition. He trained in London's Royal Parks and has spent more than a decade writing for UK gardening publications before joining the team at Thompson & Morgan.

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