One of the most exciting developments on the Wisley trials in recent years has been the new opportunity for visitors to vote on their favourite plants. For a number of selected trials, voting papers and a voting box are set up alongside the trial. Just tell us your favourite, add a quick comments to... Read more..

Most trials concentrate on a particular type of plant - usually one genus like Dahlia or Dianthus . But occasionally a whole group of similar plants from a wide variety of genera is trialled together because they have useful similarity - and this year it's the annual climbers. These are invaluable... Read more..

Celosias used to thought of mainly as pot plants, and they were also favourites for decorating events at town halls and other municipal venues. But I grew celosias as summer annuals in mixed borders a few years ago and they were superb. As the summer climate improves and as more adaptable varieties are... Read more..

Alongside a new look Wisley Flower Show , starting this coming Friday morning and closing on Sunday afternoon, the RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee is running a series of three Kniphofia Open Days. Kniphofias are dramatic, colourful, sometimes statuesque perennials which are currently enjoying a revival... Read more..

One of the benefits of looking over the trials regularly through the season is that it's possible to pick up points that would be missed by simply checking the trials while they're at their most colourful. So the other day I cast my eye over the trials of pinks, three months after their peak... Read more..

We all know the old cottage garden annual Love Lies Bleeding, Amaranthus caudatus . But down on the Wisley trials field right now is a trial of these impressive and easy-to-grow annuals - with almost thirty other entries alongside that familiar favourite. They come in an amazing variety. As well as the... Read more..

The trial of annual climbers at Wisley has thrown up some stars and some disappointments. Both extremes are to be found amongst the ipomoeas. In recent years botanists have decided that, although superficially it looks very different, Mina lobata is so closely related to Ipomoea that it should be moved... Read more..

Dahlias are becoming increasingly fashionable. In particular, single-flowered and collarette dahlias are catching everyone's eye so after trialling many of them in recent years the RHS has produced a twelve page full colour bulletin entitled Open-centred Dahlias . Written by Wisley's Sue Drew... Read more..

This year's dahlia trial at Wisley has been unusually fascinating and I'll be reporting on a number of its features over the next few weeks. Picking up on recent trends, this year twenty one of the entries were grown as individual plants in pots to assess their value as container plants. Immediately... Read more..

You can now follow me on the micro-blogging service Twitter at http://twitter.com/Graham_Rice ! This will help me let you know when new posts go up here at my RHS Trials and Awards blog as well as at my RHS New Plants blog and my Transatlantic Plantsman blog . And I’ll occasionally bring you other news... Read more..