I love philadelphus. Although they do not bloom for very long, their profuse, heavily fragrant flowers are so gorgeous I can forgive them their dull appearance for the rest of the year. Even so, I do grow three coloured-leaf forms.

I also grow ‘Belle Etoile’ which is the the best-known of those with a purple strain at the centre of the white flowers. Even so, the overall colour is overwhelmingly white. So I was intrigued to see that there was a new, pink philadelphus and bought one last year. This spring it burst into growth. Now it is in bloom.

Called Petite Pink Perfume (or ‘P1’) it has just been voted the RHS Chelsea Flower Show plant of the year 2025. It is not often that I am so ahead of the curve! It was bred by Hiller’s plant breeder and propagator Alan Postill who recently retired after 60 years. It started life with hybrids made in 2014 and it first bloomed in 2018. It stood out for the amazing pink colour and the freedom of blooms and arching habit. It should reach about 1.2m high and wide.

Now I have had it for a year and now seen it in bloom I can confirm that the flowers really are pink. It is a real breakthrough and is as good as the hype. These photos are of my plant and not ‘altered’. The flowers are also as fragrant as you would expect. The growth is fine and twiggy and the foliage is small, reminding me of the habit of P. microphylla.

The RHS website states ‘This exquisite mock orange has scooped top spot as RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2025 securing a landslide victory with 43% of judges voting for this unique and versatile new cultivar.’ Obviously this was written by Nigel Farage who thinks that the Brexit vote was also a ‘landslide’. 43 % does not strike me as a ‘landslide’! But that is not important – this is a really good plant and fully deserves the accolade for many reasons.

I am not sure that most people who buy this will even be aware that philadelphus are usually white but they will be captivated by the perfume and colour and be delighted by the arching habit – it is recommended for growing in patio pots although I know that most will be starving in multipurpose compost after a few years. Plant it in loam-based compost please!

Another plant that I acquired last year is Viola ‘Victoria’s Blush’. I love hardy perennial violas and they do well here. I stripped this for cuttings last autumn because I immediately liked it and I now have dozens around the garden. This is the original plant this morning. I love the colour and the habit and it blooms on and on. If ever a planting combination was completely obvious, I need to plant some under the philadelphus!

Dianthus ‘Devon Wizard’ is a standby in the garden too and it has sported and I now have a few plants of a mutation which has darker (and less strident) flowers. I think the allergy that many gardeners have to magenta is more or less cured these days but I still find these flowers a bit harsh so it seemed obvious to plant the new geranium ‘Catharine Deneuve’ behind it. This is a hybrid of the strident G. psilostemon but the blooms have ragged, scrappy petals. It is completely illogical to like this because the individual blooms are far less showy than the ordinary form. But I was taken by it when I saw it and it is now in year two and is doing well. It was bred by Thierry Delabroye of heuchera fame.

And lastly the wonderful Phuopsis stylosa and Lychnis coronaria ‘Occulata’. Both were grown from seed last spring. The phuopsis produced a few flowers last year but the lychnis needs winter chill to initiate blooms. This year both are doing well although a lot of the lychnis are pure white rather than with the pink eye they should have. I can cope with this and am pleased they are not the ‘normal’ searing magenta!

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