Queen's Jubilee and London 2012 celebration planting

Putting on a show

To ensure that your celebratory displays look at their best this summer, it is worth planning ahead and following our advice below.

When and which plants to buy...

• For early June Jubilee celebrations, these are the two best options. 1) Buy plants are best bought as plugs (small plantlets) in February and grow in a heated greenhouse. 2) Buy larger plants in 7-9cm (2½-3¼in) pots in March and April to grow on in a frost-free greenhouse. Unfortunately seed raised plants are unlikely to grow and bloom well until July
• For London 2012 celebrations, you can use the two options for the Jubilee celebrations. In addition, you can raise plants from seed in February, March and April. These plants should flower from the end of June or early July, as long as the growing conditions are favourable

Where to buy plants and seed...

Plants and plugs: RHS Plant Centres and garden centres around the UK are stocking celebratory plants and plugs, from colour-themed bedding to hardy plants with commemorative names. Visit your local garden centres and nurseries to find out what is on offer, or seek specific plants through the RHS Plant Finder (due to rapid turnover in bedding plant cultivars, not all will be listed). Additionally, mail order suppliers are a useful source (try the seed companies listed below).

Seed: These can be readily bought from garden centres. However, for the widest selection, buy direct from the seed suppliers. Companies include Dobies, Mr Fothergills, Thompson & Morgan, Suttons Seed and Unwins (these and others can be found using an internet search).

Growing on your plants for a Jubilee display

As the Jubilee celebrations are only just after the last frosts in most areas, the plants need to be grown on in the protection of a heated greenhouse, conservatory, windowsill to flowering size. This will ensure you can plant out an almost-instant display, rather than having to wait for a month-or-so for it to grow and mature.

When you buy your plants between February and March, here is how to grow them on:

• Unpack your small plants and plugs as soon as possible and, using a multipurpose compost, pot them into 7-9cm (2½-3¼in) containers. Plants bought in pots of this size will not need repotting
• For plugs and repotted plants, water to keep the compost just moist until the plugs have rooted through. It’s very easy to overwater in the early stages
• Once well established, water well and regularly
• Hanging baskets can be planted up directly with plugs, but take care not to over plant. Space the plants out to give them room to grow
• For containers and window boxes, use multi-purpose compost and consider adding a controlled-release fertiliser to keep plants fed throughout the summer
• Keep plants in frost-free conditions, a temperature of at least 15°C (59°F)
• Acclimatise your new plants gradually to outdoor conditions by hardening off (see How to harden off plants below)
• Finally, plant out, but only after the threat of frost has passed (see When to plant out below)

For further informations, see our bedding plants and displays and container: planting up profiles.

How to harden off plants...

If there are no specialist facilities available (such as a cold frame), place plants in a sheltered position in front of a south-facing wall or hedge and cover with two layers of fleece to prevent sun scorch and temperature shock.

• For the first week, leave outside during the day, but bring in at night
• In the second week, reduce to one layer of fleece. During this time, remove the fleece during the day. If the weather is suitable (mild nights above 7°C), leave the plants outside at night but ensure they are covered. Towards the end of the second week, leave them uncovered
• Covering with an old curtain or extra fleece can protect from sudden, sharp night frosts that occasionally occur in late spring

For more detail, see our hardening off tender plants profile.

When to plant out...

Most bedding plants are tender and must be planted out after the last frosts have passed. Typically, the last frosts are:

• mid-May in south-west England and London
• late May in southern England, the Midlands and Wales
• early June in northern England
• early-mid June in Scotland 

It is worth checking with local, experienced gardeners and the long-range weather forecast before you plant.

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Clematis Rebecca (‘Evipo016’)

Begonia Million Kisses Series DEVOTION ('Yadev')

Lobelia × speciosa Kompliment Series

Petunia Cascadias Yellow Eye = 'Dancasye' (Cascadias)

Penstemon 'White Bedder'

Osteospermum 'Lady Leitrim'

Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna'

Lobelia × speciosa 'Vedrariensis'

Lobelia erinus Waterfall Blue Ice (Waterfall Series)

Agapanthus 'Northern Star'

Rosa Jubilee Celebration = 'Aushunter'

Choosing bedding and container plants

Patriotic displays of red, white and blue-flowered plants are traditional favourites for British celebrations. Below is a selection of plants recommended by the RHS and the Horticultural Trades Association, who have been working together to promote the brightest and best to garden centres and nurseries for the summer celebrations.

* 'blue' plants include shades of mauve and purple, as there are few true-blue flowers.

Plant collections for Jubilee flowering

To make choosing the right plants simpler, several companies have put together patriotic plant collections. Here is a selection of those which should bloom in June:

• DT Brown is offering a blend of red, white and blue Spencer-type sweet pea plants. Highly scented, they’re due for delivery in late March. Harden off and plant outside as soon as possible after arrival
• For more fragrance, Sweet Pea Jubilee Collection is being offered by Simply Seeds and Plants, as young plants in late March
• Petunia Jubilee Mixed is being offered by Suttons. Compact in habit and reaching a height of 25-30cm (10-12in) they should be sent out as young plants in late April as young plants. Space plants 30cm (12in) apart
• A 2012 Celebration Plant Collection package has been put together by Suttons which includes Calibrachoa Superbells Red Devil (‘Uscali28’), Lobelia ‘Panthera Cobalt’ and Verbena Superbena White (‘Usbena361’), which will perform all summer long in borders, baskets and containers. Young plants will be sent out in May
• A Verbena Union Jack Collection is being offered by The Vernon Geranium Nursery
  with delivery at the end of April, so there should be time for plants to settle in and start flowering for June

Patriotic perennial plants

As well as choosing bedding plants that just last for the summer, consider perennials. They won't put on their best show this year, but will provide a celebratory legacy for many years to come. As well as borders, they can be grown in containers. Use a John Innes No. 3 compost and a container at least 45cm (18in) wide.

Clematis

Clematis can be grown in the open ground or in containers to give height in a border, to clamber up a tree, brighten a terrace or to clothe a bare fence.

Blues

• C. 'General Sikorski' – flowers June to July
• C. 'Lasurstern' AGM – flowers May to June, repeating August to September
• C. Kingfisher ('Evipo037') – flowers early summer
• C. 'MultiBlue' – flowers May, June

Reds

• C. Rebecca ('Evipo016') – May to September
• C. 'Ruby Glow' – early to late summer
• C. Vino ('Poulvo') – early summer, repeating in August

Whites

• C. 'Duchess of Edinburgh' – June to August
• C. Arctic Queen  ('Evitwo') AGM - May to June, repeating August to September
• C. Pistachio ('Evirida') – early summer to autumn

Herbaceous perennials for flowering during summer

• Agapanthus 'Northern Star' (blue)
• Leucanthemum × superbum 'Wirral Supreme' AGM (white)
• Lobelia cardinalis (red with bronze leaves)
• Lobelia × speciosa Kompliment Series (includes red, white and blue)
• Lobelia × speciosa 'Vedrariensis' (blue)
• Penstemon 'White Bedder' AGM
• Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' (blue)
• Salvia × sylvestris 'Mainacht' AGM (blue)

Celebratory shrubs

• Grevillea alpina 'Olympic Flame' (needs ericaeous/acid soil)
• Rhododendron 'Olympic Flame' (needs ericaeous/acid soil)
• Rosa Olympic Spirit ('Peaprince')
• Rosa 'Diamond Jubilee'
• Rosa Jubilee Celebration ('Aushunter')
• Skimmia ‘Olympic Flame’

The RHS Plant Finder is perfect for finding commemorative plants by key words, such as celebration, Jubilee, Diamond etc.

Going up the wall

Consider growing your Jubilee plants vertically. A range of green wall systems are available with integrated watering systems.

7 top plants for green walls jubilation

1. Begonia Million Kisses Series (red)
2. Scaevola 'Blue Wonder' (blue)
3. Begonia semperflorens Cultorum Group (red and white)
4. Lobelia erinus 'Crystal Palace' AGM (blue)
5. Verbena (red, white and blue)
6. Nemesia (white and blue)
7. Ivy-leaved pelargoniums (red and white)

To create your own wish-list for colour, and other requirements, try our Plant Selector.

Displays at RHS Garden Wisley

Top Terrace

The summer displays on the Top Terrace at RHS Garden Wisley are, once again, being designed by our second-year Trainees (the RHS’s student gardeners). The wining group’s scheme comprises of the beds being reshaped with three diagonal strips. Each bed will then have a stone urn in the middle, filled with Euphorbia and a Cordyline. The diamond-shaped parts of the beds will be edged with Senecio and planted up with Pelargonium. The edge of the bed will be planted with Lobelia in either white or blue. The other cultivars being used are:

Cordyline australis
Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’
Lobelia ‘Crystal Palace’
Lobelia ‘White Lady’
Pelargonium (red and white)
Pelargonium Maverick Quicksilver
Senecio cineraria ‘Cirrus’ (syn. Cineraria)

Walled Garden
Likewise, in the Walled Garden, tender and hardy plants are being used to create a fitting red, white and blue display. The plants include:

Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’ (dot/accent plant)
Angelonia Archangel Purple
Eucalyptus globulus (dot/accent plant)
Helichrysum petiolare
Penstemon ‘Sour Grapes’
Penstemon ‘Stapleford Gem’
Salvia splendens ‘Vista Purple’
Verbena ‘Claret’