These are the 20 contenders for the Chelsea Flower Show, for which the Plant of the Year 2022 shortlist has been announced. The annual award celebrates the work of breeders and nurseries in developing and growing new plant varieties – and there are some beautiful plants all competing for the accolade this year.
Courtesy of the Rhs
All 20 shortlisted plants will go on display in the Great Pavilion at RHS Chelsea from 24th to 28th May, including Rosa ELIZABETH 'Ausmajesty' by David Austin Roses and Geranium cantabrigiense 'Intense,' by first-time RHS Chelsea exhibitors Moore and Moore Plants.
Cercis canadensis' ETERNAL FLAME' was the winner in 2021, but what plant will pick up the 2022 award? The winning entry will be selected by a panel of over 100 plant experts and will be announced on the afternoon of Monday 23rd May.
In the meantime, check out the shortlist below...
Iris Fran's Gold ('Jf1')
Burncoose Nurseries/Courtesy of the Rhs
A beautiful plant for tubs and mixed containers with purple flower petals and white and yellow markings. It makes an excellent cut flower. Siberian irises are known for attracting bees as it has nectar/pollen rich flowers.
• Burncoose Nurseries
Rosa bring me sunshine ('Ausernie')
David Austin Roses /Courtesy of the Rhs
David Austin roses/ courtesy of the R
An ideal shrub for a mixed border, but it also works well in a pot. Highly disease resistant, hardy, and will tolerate shade.
• David Austin Roses
Rosa Elithabeth ('Ausmajesty') 
David Austin Roses / Courtesy of the Rhs
A versatile and shade-tolerant shrub which can be pruned lower to suit a smaller garden or given the freedom to become larger for a specimen shrub. Ideal in a border or pot, this rose is extremely hardy and disease resistant with excellent repeat flowering.
• David Austin Roses
Salvia Pink Amistad (‘Arggr17-011’)
Middleton Nurseries /Courtesy of the Rhs
Developed by Rolando Uria, a world-famous breeder from Argentina, Salvia PINK AMISTAD is a cousin of S.' Amistad', one of the most popular Salvia cultivars, which has sold over four million plants.
• Middleton Nurseries
Salvia sylvestris ‘A Little Bit’
Middleton Nurseries / Courtesy of the Rhs
Low and compact with large showy flower spikes of striking violet-blue. It makes an attractive addition in garden borders and container displays. It's easy to grow, winter hardy, and an important food source for pollinators.
• Middleton Nurseries
Aeonium' Jubilee' 
Ottershaw Cacti / Courtesy of the Rhs
Aeonium 'Jubilee', named to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, embodies all that is great about aeoniums, with strong growth and dark glossy colouring.
• Ottershaw Cacti Ferelyth' (Little Miss Series)
Alstroemeria 'June Ferelyth' (Little Miss Series)
/ Alstroemeria Select /Courtesy of the Rhs
A reliable garden hardy plant with above average disease resistance, making it easy to grow. Very low maintenance and provides good flower coverage compared to older cultivars, with repeat flowering May to September.
• Alstroemeria Select
Rosa Loyal Companion ('Beaqueen')
Peter Beales roses / Courtesy of the Rhs
Beautiful semi-double fragrant blooms providing a kaleidoscope of colours. Flowering all summer long, this compact floribunda is perfect for patios.
Heuchera ‘Alfie’ (Fox Series)
Plantagogo / Courtesy of the Rhs
Rich chocolate foliage which is slightly ruffled, with strong upright dark stems bearing white flowers tinged with pink. It's easy to grow and loved by bees.
• Plantagogo
Forsythia intermedia 'Discovery' (syn. JOHN MITCHELL)
Sparsholt college/ Courtesy of the Rhs
A fully hardy deciduous shrub with white margined green ovate leaves contrasting against deep red stems. In late February into March, the bare stems are smothered in beautiful, lightly scented pale yellow flowers.
• Sparsholt
Geranium pratense ‘Storm Cloud’ 
Sparsholt College /Courtesy of the Rhs
Deep, dusky purple, disease-resistant foliage provides a perfect foil for the semi-double blue flowers. It works well in pots or borders.
• Sparsholt College
Dianthus (Allwoodii Group) Electric Dreams ('Wp22 Elecdr')
London Fire Brigade / Courtesy of the Rhs
A hardy, compact dianthus bred for its intensity of electric pink single clove scented flowers over a neat grey-green foliage. Ideal for small outdoor spaces in peat-free pots, balconies or garden borders.
• London Fire Brigade
Armeria pseudarmeria 'Dreamland' (Dreameria Series)
Stonebarn Landscapes / Courtesy of the Rhs
Flowering for seven to eight months, its ability to cope with drought, frost and wind makes it a perfect sustainable plant for changing times.
• Stonebarn Landscapes
Brassica oleracea (Italica Group) 'Purplelicious'
Stonebarn Landscapes / Courtesy of the Rhs
Perfect for smaller gardens and new plant lovers, 'Purplelicious' looks and tastes great. It has a higher nutritional value to its green competitors, and is unique in being the only variety to keep its purple colour once cooked.
• Stonebarn Landscapes
Buddleja davidii Little Ruby ('Botex 006') (Butterfly Candy Series)
Stonebarn Landscapes / Courtesy of the Rhs
A compact flower for displays in the garden or patio all summer long. Developed to fill a gap in the Buddleja market, it replaces the alternative 'Royal Red' which can be unreliable and unsuited to smaller gardens. This is fully hardy and loved by bees and butterflies.
• Stonebarn Landscapes
Semponium 'Diamond'
Surreal Succulents /Courtesy of the Rhs
Semponium' Diamond' is a multi-headed compact succulent with emerald coloured leaves, which become tinged with a deep bright red colour during summer. The rosettes are incredibly uniform – after two to three years the central growing point explodes into a mass display of bright yellow flowers that bees and other insects love. It's easy to grow in a pot or rock garden and takes little care and maintenance.
• Surreal Succulents
Semponium' Destiny'
Surreal Succulents / Courtesy of the Rhs
Semponium' Destiny' is an intergeneric hybrid, the world's first cross between aeonium and sempervivum. This succulent is drought tolerant, hardier than aeonium, and can grow to a full-sized specimen in just three years. The deep red leaves hold their colour year-round and have a veiny appearance. It makes the perfect pot plant for a patio, courtyard or rock garden.
• Surreal Succulents
Geranium cantabrigiense 'Intense'
Hare Spring Cottage Plants /Courtesy of the Rhs
A non-fading versatile geranium with vivid pink blooms. Fragrant semi-evergreen foliage turns red in autumn as an added bonus. Mass planting makes for excellent ground cover, but it's also ideal for mixed borders and patio/balcony pots. It's bee and butterfly friendly too.
• Moore & Moore Plants
Rhododendron Starstyle Pink ('Azaare01')
Hare Spring Cottage Plants / Courtesy of the Rhs
A unique variety with masses of distinctive hot pink, star-shaped flowers on long, narrow pointed leaves in both spring and autumn. A compact and versatile evergreen that will bring a splash of colour to pots, borders, or even inside the house thanks to good heat and cold tolerance.
• Hare Spring Cottage Plants
Weigela 'Magic Carpet' (Prism Series)
Binny Plants / Courtesy of the Rhs
This compact plant offers first-of-a-kind foliage that opens apricot orange before turning to golden yellow. It is smothered with pink, funnel-shaped flowers on arching stems in May and June, offering early support for pollinators.
• Binny Plants
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