As well as over eighty new plants at Chelsea, this year sees the arrival of a couple of old timers - one over a hundred years old.
Cayeux Iris from France will have four impressive new introductions at the Show but also on display will be Iris ‘Ma Mie', originally introduced in 1906. Click on the picture to see how lovely it is.
The four newcomers were raised by Richard Cayeux, ‘Ma Mie' was bred by his great-grandfather, Ferdinand Cayeux who founded the company. ‘Ma Mie' is a vigorous prolific Plicata type, white with pretty purple-blue stitching on the falls and slightly richer edging in the standards. The flower is endearingly old fashioned in its shape and still well worth growing after all these years.
Iris ‘Ma Mie' is available from Cayeux's British agent, Viv Marsh Postal Plants.
The origins of Dianthus ‘Bailey's Celebration' are much more recent. 
In the 1990s this prettily patterned pink was found by Stef Bailey, himself a well known Chelsea exhibitor, as a sport on ‘Anniversary' which was raised by his father Stephen Bailey. More recently, Whetman Pinks listed it but had to withdraw it from sale by as it had a tendency to revert to white, losing its attractive raspberry markings. However, at its best this is not only an attractive flower but it also has a lovely perfume and the plants have persistent grey-green foliage and good garden performance.
So Whetman Pinks set about fixing the problem and they finally selected from amongst their stocks a form that did not revert and retains its attractive colouring. This is the plant that will be re-launched at Chelsea this week.
Dianthus ‘Bailey's Celebration' is available from Whetman Pinks.
Check my coverage of most of the new plants launched at this week's Chelsea Flower Show here .