5 exciting, new and different plants spotted at IPM Essen trade show

Once a year, the very best plant breeders and developers from around the world congregate in Essen, Germany, as they join the very best horticultural trade show.

IPM Essen is a show which sprawls itself across 12 large halls, and is a must for any well-respected plant hunter. But, of course, this is ‘indoor plant hunting’, and it’s an activity that is fuelled by much currywurst and frikandel.

In this blog, I have chosen the 5 most memorable new plants from my visit! Please let me know which ones are your favourites. Although, remember many of these plants aren’t yet available in garden centres or by mail order, but I’ll be sure to let you know when they are!

ONE. Primrose ‘Belarina Series’. The truly fabulous double-flowered ‘Belarina’ Primroses are the work of UK plant breeder, David Kerley. You can visit his archive of varieties here. These pompon Primroses have been around for a few years, and are available in almost every colour of rainbow. Yet somehow, David has pulled another cutie out of the bag with this bicolour variety!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO. Senecio ‘Angel Wings’. You know how good Stachys lanata feels? With the real feel of an actual lambs ear, all soft and downy. Senecio ‘Angel Wings’ has that same effect, and is a plant for growing indoors or out. The shape is architectural, and the colour just about as silver as you can get! Use it alone or in combo with some similarly hipster plants!

 

 

 

 

 

 

THREE. Albuca spiralis. Impossible to put into any category, I am sure that Albuca spiralis will be loved by all when it’s unveiled to the public! Corkscrew leaves sprout from this exotic bulb within just a few weeks of planting, and are instantly Instragrammable, especially as they hang over the pot like a fresh perm. The plant really surprises when it flowers, as an over-sized stem pushes up through the centre, and plays host to lemon-fragranced blooms, shaped like propellors!

FOUR. Ranunculus. Here are some flowers to make you salivate! The fantastic breeding of Biancheri Creations just gets better and better, with dreamy tissue-paper rosettes in a spectrum of colours. Being reproduced by micropropagation pushes the price of these varieties up, but I think they’re worth the investment for sure!

FIVE. Xerographica. This is a plant that won’t accept your excuses! It needs no pot, no soil, and almost no water- just a little spritz once a week! Use Xerographica in a way that you’ve never use a plant before, perhaps just as a casual ornament on a sideboard, or part of a centrepiece with candles. The king of the air plants!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, that’s just a very small snapshot of the most exciting, new and different plants from IPM Essen, let me know which one you can’t wait to grow…?? Leave a comment!

Read about the 5 most unusual thing at the show by clicking here!