Shortlist announced for Four Oaks Trade Show new plant awards UPDATED

The Four Oaks new plants awards will be presented at the annual trade show at Lower Withington, Cheshire on 2 September.

11 August 2025

Annuals, bedding, container and basket plants

Deroose Plants: Colocasia ‘Phantom’ (COPHANTO). A captivating, dark-hued plant. The striking dark foliage is especially eye-catching, with each leaf appearing almost black, yet often taking on a greyish tone depending on the light. The texture of the leaves is truly unique, resembling soft black felt. The dark-black stems enhance its dramatic appearance.

Ball Colegrave: Impatiens Solarscape series. New interspecific Impatiens with the look and performance of a vegetative variety, but royalty free. High-impact colour display for all aspects. Great bounce back performance from drought. Glowing colour in vibrant, tropical hues, suitable for multiple applications — pots, packs, bedding, baskets and containers.

Ball Colegrave: Dahlia Gardenetta ‘Velvet Crush’. An indulgent and standout addition to a growing series called Gardenetta. Large double blooms display an intense bicolour in rich pink to burgundy shades above complementary dramatic, deep, dark foliage. Full flowers deliver maximum impulse at retail and equally non-stop flower and fantastic garden performance all through summer until the first frosts. Strong, upright growth ensures a stunning display for borders and patio containers. Excellent heat, cool and wet weather tolerance, as well as good resistance to powdery mildew. This variety has been trialled extensively. In short, the primary features are the striking colour and form.

Ball Colegrave: Calibrachoa Cabaret ‘Special Red Velvet’. A standout novelty colour addition with added character. Red Velvet presents luxe, velvety red flowers with an almost black-coloured throat creating a sense of warmth and intrigue. Cabaret® Special are 20% bigger than other Cabaret® Calibrachoa, with large, cascading blooms and vigorous, mounded habit making it a superbly strong item for baskets and containers.

Ball Colegrave: Ageratum ‘Monarch Magic’. An irresistible Ageratum with long-lasting flowers in a glorious warming blue shade. Medium-vigour plants, bigger than any other Ageratum, display a spreading habit, ideal for basket use, patio containers or landscape. An outstanding plant adored by pollinators, especially butterflies.

Selecta One: Dianthus Whetman Cocktails ‘Coconut Daiquiri’. Whetman Cocktails have included successful Dianthus varieties within the Whetman Pinks for many years and are a valuable enrichment for Selecta’s One in Dianthus range. Coconut Daiquiri is the latest to join the series. Single pure-white flowers with a sharply delineated burgundy-red inner ring are held aloft on strong stems. Fully hardy, the blue-green tufts of compact foliage are tolerant of dry conditions. Lovely in tubs or bedding out in full sun. Long flowering period of sweetly scented blooms that are great for cutting. Bred by Laetitia Moucheboeuf, Coconut Daiquiri highlights the exceptional breeding tradition of the renowned Whetman Pinks collection.

Kernock Park Plants: Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’. Dr Seuss fans will know the Truffula tree from The Lorax. The flowers of Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’ look remarkably like those in the madcap story. A multi-award-winning variety in the USA, this beauty makes spreading mounds of attractive green foliage, dressed with numerous bright-pink flowers by the end of summer. A true summer sizzler, basking in higher temperatures, but also growing well in the cooler periods of May and June. Great for containers, baskets, raised beds and borders, the beautiful pink flowers make a display you will return to again and again.

Suntory Flowers Europe: Bidens ‘Beedance Red’. A compact, mound-forming Bidens, perfect for pots, containers or baskets either as mono planted or mixing with others. With sweet-smelling orange-red petals with a yellow halo centre. Early to flower from spring to the frosts in late autumn. This easy-to-grow Bidens is perfect for the consumer.

Suntory Flowers Europe: Scaevola Surdiva ‘Super Purple’. “Super purple” describes this perfectly. Stunning purple fan-shaped flowers with a creamy yellow centre cover the arching stems that trail all the way down this plant. Compact and early to flower, always showing colour, this new colour is perfect for patio pots, baskets and containers. It will flower from mid-spring to the frosts and still look great in the autumn. A great plant to use on its own or together with others in a mixed container.

Beekenkamp Plants: Calibrachoa ‘Oasis Purple Sapphire’. In a world full of chaos and constant stimulation, finding a place to unwind is no longer a luxury, it is necessary. Calibrachoa Oasis, with its vibrant blooms, transforms any outdoor space into a serene retreat. Whether in hanging baskets, pots or the ground, these purple, trumpet-shaped flowers invite you to savour life’s small joys. They offer a peaceful escape from daily stress, providing mindful moments to recharge your spirit. Not only does Calibrachoa Oasis provide a peaceful retreat for you, but it also attracts a wide range of biodiversity, including bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Beekenkamp Plants: LaBella Dahlia Grande ‘Chocolate Amber’. A stunning new dark-leafed dahlia series that is as captivating as its name suggests. The deep, dark foliage reminded us of the luxurious allure of chocolate — and just like chocolate, these dahlias are impossible to resist. Available for the popular LaBella Grande size, 14-17cm (6-8 inch) pots. LaBella Dahlia Grande Chocolate is easy to grow and can be beautifully combined with other varieties from the Grande Series. What truly sets it apart are its unique amber double flowers, featuring beautiful bicolour tones. Available in four colours, the flowers stand out even more against the dark leaves.

Herbaceous perennials

Plantline UK: Catharanthus ‘Soirée’. This summer special is a proper eye-catcher in any garden. It flowers from May to October, and in this process it keeps refreshing its flowers. Its richness of flowers and compact growth, combined with the great variety of different colours, makes this plant suitable in both standard borders or in decorative pots. This strong and easy plant is very resistant to drought and heat, which makes it an addition to your garden without a lot of maintenance.

Newey: Rudbeckia hirta ‘Kick Start Kissing’. New breeding from our partners at Vitroflora, this new Rudbeckia is extra-early flowering from July through to October. Designed for both two- and three-litre production, this is a compact multi-flowering addition to the range, with its distinct central markings to the many flowers giving a centre of deep bronze surrounded by a bright golden halo.

Newey: Brunnera macrophylla ‘Little Heart’. New compact breeding of the classic, suitable for patio pots and container planting as well as small borders. A garden classic now bred for patio pots and smaller garden planting, this clump-forming perennial with silver heart-shaped leaves is a great addition to any production plan or garden.

Ball Colegrave: Gerbera Garvinea ‘Sweet Treat’. Full of sweetness, with a lot of flowers in the first flush. Large and repeat-flowering, disease-resistant form, producing many bright, semi-double, rich-pink flowers with marked white centre. Specially bred and selected for their garden performance, with great weather tolerance, that will colour gardens from early spring until first frost. The one and only true garden Gerbera that will come back as a perennial in the garden. Garvinea suits landscaping, terrace, balcony, border or pot situations.

Ball Colegrave: Geranium ‘Purple Glow’. A beautiful and luminous Geranium sanguineum. Compact, mounding plants become smothered by a profusion of glowing and long-lasting, dark purple flowers. Long flowering period, with colour from spring until autumn.

Ball Colegrave: Armeria Dreameria ‘Vivid Dreams’. A traditionally popular “thrift”, ‘Vivid Dreams’ is a stunning introduction to the Dreameria series. Easy-to-grow, no-fuss garden plant that forms shapely mounds of dark-green foliage and above, tight globes of beautiful, large, violet-coloured flowers. Creates a sensational display and carpets the floor in a tidy habit, perfect for patio containers, garden borders and landscape projects. Exceptional repeat-flowering performance.

Ball Colegrave: Anemone Emmy ‘Double Deep Rose’. Anemone hupehensis that flowers in the first year. Excellent floriferous plant with double pink flowers that are as bright and vivid as Anemone Emmy ‘Deep Rose’, flowering long into autumn over a stunning compact mid-green foliage, perfect for those who enjoy some late-season blooms to pots and borders. Fantastic pollinator and best in partial shade borders.

Kernock Park Plants: Salvia Melba Magic 'Peach'. This sumptuous selection is sure to make an impression in containers on the patio and in borders, with its wonderfully compact habit and robust flowering stems. Flowers blush out from a deeper pink centre, with beautiful peachy hues towards the margins. So sweet. So magical. Alpha Plants: Salvia Melba Magic ‘Peach’ (joint entry). The first in an exciting new series, bred to be of good upright habit and rich two-tone flowers of salmon pink with deep-peach contrasting throats carried on multi-floriferous stems that instantly demand your attention. A long-flowering period throughout the summer and into the autumn (50x45cm).

Kernock Park Plants: Parahebe ‘Blue Avalanche’. Very pretty lilac-blue flowers emerge from purplish buds, before fading to wonderful lilac-white and finally white. The combination of three ages of flower is intoxicating. Handsome narrow foliage with purple-flushed serrated margins and a central vein on leaf reverse. Stems and petioles are deep purple-brown.

Kernock Park Plants: Miscanthus ‘Lady In Red’. This wonderful cultivar is properly standout among a genus of lovely cultivars and species that perform perfectly in so many garden situations, including front and back of borders and large pots. With stunning red autumn foliage colours, contrasting perfectly with tawny-white plumes of flowers, this variety is sure to impress everywhere.

Kernock Park Plants: Agastache ‘Pink Pearl’. Different to previous Agastache that were often shy to flower. This beauty has large, dense blooms that cover the entire plant. Pastel-pink to peach two-toned flowers are eye-catching in the mid-to-front garden border. Also looks stunning in the container, with long flowering time from spring to autumn.

Kernock Park Plants: Achillea millefolium Color Burst Rose. Sister seedling to Color Burst Red, selected for outstanding flower power and compact habit, making it a first-rate plant for containers and front of border. Vivid rose-pink blooms sit neatly atop fine feathery foliage. A cottage garden classic in the making.

Kernock Park Plants: Achillea millefolium Color Burst Red. An amazing new Achillea selected for stunning flower colour and very compact habit, making for outstanding container performance. Vivid, plentiful blooms sit neatly atop fine feathery foliage. A cottage garden classic that is ideal for small modern gardens and container culture.

Fairweathers: Hosta ‘Party Streamers’. The result of an extensive Hosta breeding programme that started in the USA in 1993. It is a dramatic departure from all the other round and heart-shaped Hosta leaves. ‘Party Streamers’ lives up to its name with distinctive narrow lime-green foliage that is wiggly with attractive ruffled margins. The unique leaf shape allows more tolerance to environmental and pest damage, with the narrow leaves reducing the likelihood of slug and snail attack. Good in pots or the herbaceous border. Happiest with some shade. Fully hardy.

Alpha Plants: Senecio polyodon ‘Vivid Violet’ (‘WILLOTI’). An an exciting new Senecio with striking variegated foliage and vivid violet flowers carried neatly above the foliage. This is a good clump-forming perennial giving a striking foliage display, even when not in flower, over a long period in borders or patio containers.

Alpha Plants: Salvia Sunkiss ‘Berry Blast’. A very attractive Salvia to complement ‘Amistad’ with a rich-pink/purple colour and compact habit that will make this plant very useful and popular. Long flowering period until first severe frosts. Does best in full sun, but will take light shade for part of the day. Likes a good well-drained soil. Attracts bees and other insects (80x60cm).

Houseplants (including succulents)

PlantLine UK: Philodendron ‘Summer Glory’. The leaves are one of the most striking features of this plant. They are large, heart shaped and have a smooth, almost leathery surface that shines in the light. The coloration of the leaves is particularly fascinating. Young leaves appear in a warm, copper-red or bronze tone, which gradually changes to a deep, rich green over time. This colour change gives the plant a dynamic and lively appearance, as several leaves in different stages of development can be seen on the plant at the same time. This hybrid cross is an absolute winner.

PlantLine UK: Adelonema crinipes. This exotic houseplant is a proper eye-catcher. The elongated, pointed leaves feature a bright-yellow central vein, creating a beautiful contrast. Velvety, dark-green leaves give it a tropical character without taking up much space. This variety is still scarcely available in Europe — ideal for plant collectors.

PlantLine UK: Haworthia cymbiformis ‘White Tiger’. A stunning new succulent cultivar known for its compact rosette form and striking variegated foliage. The thick, fleshy leaves are pale green to silvery white, adorned with bold white striping and translucent tips, giving the plant a distinctive “tiger stripe” appearance. Its slow-growing nature and tolerance of low light make it ideal for desks, shelves and windowsills. This cultivar remains tidy and elegant, requiring very little maintenance and only infrequent watering. ‘White Tiger’ distinguishes itself from traditional Haworthia cymbiformis with its rare and eye-catching white variegation, making it a collector’s item.

PlantLine UK: Kalanchoe daigremontiana ‘Pink Butterfly’. A striking succulent known for its vibrant pink plantlets that grow along the edges of its leaves. These tiny, vivid pink offsets give the plant a unique, butterfly-like appearance, hence its name. Unlike the typical green-leaved form of Kalanchoe daigremontiana, ‘Pink Butterfly’ stands out with its decorative pastel hues and fine leaf margins. Its visual interest lies primarily in its foliage and plantlet display, which creates a truly eye-catching presentation for houseplant collectors and garden enthusiasts alike.

Kernock Park Plants: Crassula Starlights ‘Ruby’. This drought-tolerant beauty creates tight mounds of purple-green speckled foliage, with countless ruby-red flower clusters in summer. A real stunner in mixed containers and summer gravel gardens.

Kernock Park Plants: Crassula Starlights ‘Milk’. A beautiful drought-tolerant succulent with green-to-bronze foliage, producing countless creamy white, star-shaped flower clusters in summer. Great for summer pots, rockeries and other free-draining locations.

Suntory Flowers Europe: Mandavilla Sundaville ‘Topper Red Yellow Eye’. Early to flower with masses of bright-red flowers with a luminous yellow heart smother this plant from spring to late autumn. Compact and multi branching, this new variety can be grown without the need of support. Perfect outside for the summer and autumn in pots, containers or even a hanging basket. Bring inside before the frosts come and treat as a pot/conservatory plant.

Suntory Flowers Europe: Mandavilla Sundaville ‘Verona Red’. A stunning new Sundaville with masses of large blood-red orange flowers with a light yellow centre smother this plant from late spring until the frosts arrive. A perfect plant for placing outside on the summer patio to give a real Mediterranean feel. It can also be grown as a pot plant or placed in the conservatory. Bring inside for winter before the frosts arrive.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Mangave ‘Praying Hands’. Eye-catching plant with unique, artichoke-like growth habit. A sturdy succulent for both indoor and selected outdoor use. Extremely drought resistant. Suitable for terraces, balconies, planters and patio gardens. Moderately winter hardy down to -5°C.

Shrubs, trees and climbers (including conifers)

PlantLine UK: Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Arctic Circle’. Stands out for its rare combination of structural symmetry, brilliant white lace cap blooms and consistently strong compact growth. The plant features lush, dark-green foliage and offers excellent structure and visual appeal in both container and garden settings. With strong, upright stems and long-lasting flowers, it delivers high ornamental value throughout the season. Fertile, bee-friendly flowers provide ecological value, while its elegant colour transitions — from bright white to subtle soft hues — ensure continuous seasonal interest.

Plantline UK: Vitex agnus-castus ‘Queen Bee’. A compact flowering shrub selected for its impressive upright flower spikes, rich lavender-purple blooms and refined, aromatic foliage. A magnet for pollinators, ‘Queen Bee’ is a breakthrough in the Vitex family for its shorter, more manageable size, making it suitable for smaller gardens and patios. Flowering from midsummer into early autumn, it provides bold, bee-friendly colour and fragrance when few other shrubs are in bloom.

PlantLine UK: Hydrangea arborescens ‘FlowerWOW’. Lives up to its name with breathtaking, dense, rounded blooms resembling large snowballs. These are held high on strong, weather-resistant stems that remain upright even in wind and rain. This variety produces significantly more flowers (up to three times) than comparable cultivars, often covering the foliage entirely. It also boasts improved resistance to foliar diseases and is ideal for borders, containers or as a specimen plant.

PlantLine UK: Salix sp. ‘Iceberg Alley’. A compact, hardy shrub willow with eye-catching powdery silver foliage that holds its colour throughout the growing season. Soft, fuzzy, silver catkins appear in spring before the leaves emerge, adding early interest. This cultivar has a rounded, mounding habit, making it perfect for modern landscapes, low hedges or container displays. Unlike many willows, ‘Iceberg Alley’ offers a refined, compact form that stays neat without aggressive pruning. Its brilliant silver foliage provides season-long interest, especially valued in mixed borders and urban plantings.

PlantLine UK: Hydrangea hybride ‘Million Stars Sirius Blue’. Stands out because of the enormous amount of star-shaped flowers, hence the name. A flower appears on each shoot, making it a real eye-catcher as a garden plant. It comes from the breeding of Hoko and is a cross between a serrata and macrophylla. The structure of is compact and well branched. The special thing about the screen-shaped star flowers is that they are reminiscent of the graceful elegance of serrata, but the flower size and the rich flowering come from macrophylla. Because it is such a clear and unique mix of these species, it is called a Hydrangea hybride.

Newey: Abelia chinensis ‘Green Dragon’ (AKA Scentiva). Boasts gorgeous glossy green foliage that turns red in autumn. Bronze-coloured flower sepals retain ornamental value even once the large, heavily scented, pale-pink flowers eventually fall after their long flowering season. The red of the foliage becomes stronger in cool weather. Large flowers, heavily scented, very hardy.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Symphoricarpos ‘Little Berry’. Pearly white fruits with a red dusting, flowering from August with beautiful pink flowers in full sun or half shade, unusual green leaf, dry resistant and strong growing.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Groundbreaker Blush’. Very compact, low-growing, flowers for 100 days from June until November, with beautiful white/pink flowers. Very winter hardy.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Schizachyrium scoparium ‘HaHa Tonka’. A blue/green grass that is light feathered, very hardy and dry resistant.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Pennisetum advena ‘Tiny Tails’. Dark-red leaf, compact grown, beautiful pink flower, easy to take care of.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Molinia caerula ‘Banshee’^PBR. Flowering period from June until the first frost. Flower changes from purple to pink to white, dry resistant, heat resistant, wet resistant and very winter hardy.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Meteor’ (‘Hillmah’^PBR). Beautiful big yellow flowers. Autumn flowering at a time when not many plants flower. Very winter hardy. Beautiful deep-red autumn coloured leaf.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Hibiscus syriacus ‘Ruby Chiffon’. Big flowering, dark-red buds, nice purple/pink flowering colour, very winter hardy and likes to be in the full sun. Grows to 200cm.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Hibiscus syriacus ‘Purple Chiffon’. Double flowering. Flowers all summer long. Very bushy with unusual flower.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Petite Bell’. Beautiful big flowering, compact grown, perfect for a small garden.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Hydrangea hydrangeoides ‘White Wedding’. Japanese climbing hydrangea. Beautiful large florets of pure-white lace cap flowers. Very hardy, perfect for shady spots. Once established, requires little maintenance and is self-clinging to vertical surfaces.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Hydrangea anomala petiolaris ‘Golden Touch’. Climbing hydrangea with a unique colour accent of golden yellow leaves. Very winter hardy. Perfect for shady spots. Once established, requires little maintenance. Self-clinging to vertical surfaces. Can also be used as an effective ground cover.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bonfire’. Strong stems with sturdy flowers. Flowers open with lime-green tones, maturing to dark pink and red shades. Retains colour until the end of October. Up to 1.2m high. Very winter hardy.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Ficus ‘Silver Lyre’. An evergreen shrub with beautiful silver-coloured leaves. Drought tolerant. Winter hardy in mild climates, with strong growth.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Cornus alba ‘Nightfall’^PBR. Year-round attractive. Dark green leaves. Striking dark-purple foliage colour. Leaf underside has a velvety grey hue. Spectacular fall colour. Beautiful red branches in winter.

GC Stolwijk & Co: Clematis ‘Pistachio Cake’. Spectacular pastel-coloured double flowers. Fully double flowers with a soft-pink edge and green centre. Unique colour combination. Flowering period from May to July. Up to 1.8m tall.

Seiont Nurseries: Colquhounia coccinea ‘Nepalese Flame’. This fantastic new variety was selected by the late Tony Schilling, an expert on Nepalese flora who considered this selection to be the best of the best. Not only has it proved hardier, it boasts exceptional vibrancy of flower colour and floriferousness, while its flower heads are much longer than the norm. Having entrusted it to friend and grower Nick Macer, they were discussing names before Tony sadly passed away on 23 November 2022. Since named ‘Nepalese Flame’. Nick has asked Pinnacle Plants International to bring this unusual yet garden-worthy plant to market. Available to the UK and Europe exclusively through Seiont Nurseries.