Alan's Bio:
Alan, a 3rd generation Nurseryman has been working on the family nursery for 24 years. His experience in gardening includes, designing award winning RHS displays, maintaining gardens, big and small and growing plants commercially for garden centres and the gardeners alike.
Alan's top plants to buy in May 2025
May is a cracking time to get a wide variety of plants into the garden as the weather warms up. You can look at planting colourful border favourites that will provide a lovely display throughout the summer months. Think about choosing plants that attract pollinators like bees and butterflies to boost your garden's biodiversity.
This month's picks tick all the boxes, from Begonias for hanging baskets and containers, scented geraniums for scent and flower, to the majestic flower spikes of West Country Lupins. You'll love all the plants that feature in our must-buy plants for May 2025.
West Country Lupins
We all know and love Lupins, but West Country Lupins are not your average lupins. Bred in devon, these famed lupin breeds have created some of the most beautiful and captivating varieties, money can buy. West country lupins are renowned, for their stunning bicolour blooms, impressive disease resistance and being pollinating powerhouses, which are loved by bees and butterflies as much as they are by us. So, if you are looking for a hardy perennial plant, that brings a wow to the garden, look no further than, west country lupins.
Begonia
Begonias have long been a favourite in gardens in the UK, and with good reason. They are surprisingly low-maintenance, only needing a bit of water and the occasional feed to thrive. Our collection of Begonias really does have something for everyone, from upright varieties for borders and containers to trailing types for hanging baskets. We even have the lovely scented varieties of fragrant falls. So, if you like flowers all summer from a bedding plant that doesn't require too much work, these could be for you.
Nepeta
Nepeta is one of the understated heroes of the garden. Often known as Catmint, Nepeta may not be as showy as other perennial plants, instead of bright bold colours, with Nepeta you get gentle waves of blues, which last throughout the whole of the summer. This type of plant is what I like to call a “canvas” plant. It may not be the centrepiece of the picture, but what is a painting without a canvas. Growing 40-60cm in height, these hardy perennial plants have silver green leaves and produce lots of blue flowers. A very easy plant to care for, that will cope with everything the UK weather can throw at it. This is one of those plants that will really bring a border to life.
Salvia
If you're after plants that are both beautiful and magnets for bees and butterflies, Salvias are the perfect choice. Our collection of salvia plants is bursting with colour and interest and will add a touch of magic to your garden or containers. These perennial plants will flower all summer and continue into the autumn, and they're surprisingly easy to grow. So, whether you're looking for bright, bold colours or delicate shades, there's a salvia for you.
For such a strong-growing plant, they are surprisingly drought tolerant and, along with all of that, they are available in an array of stunning colours.
Delphinium
Delphiniums are not your average garden plant. Sometimes known as larkspur these perennial show stoppers have been gracing our gardens for centuries. The long, tall spires of flowers are available in an array of colours and suit the middle of a border, or a large container very well. Our range of Delphiniums have been carefully selected for both garden performance and stunning colour. All our plants have been propagated using a special technique, which helps you produce a stunning plant and an array of unusual colours. When it comes to show stopping plants, these delphiniums are hard to beat.
Scented Geranium
Not just your average geraniums, as the name suggests, these wonderful plants are scented too. The leaves have wonderful fragrances, ranging from refreshing lemon to pine-scented. We even have a chocolate-scented variety. Scented geraniums are a very popular plant, mainly due to their versatility; they grow well in pots on the patio, in the garden in the summer months, or even on a bright windowsill. So, if you are looking for flowers in your garden but fancy a bit of fragrance too, these are the plants for you.
Penstemon
If you're looking for a plant that is both elegant and reliable, you can't go wrong with penstemons. Our Penstemon collection at Newlands Nursery is brimming with varieties that will add a touch of elegance to your garden or containers. What makes penstemons so special is that they are easy to care for, available in an array of different colours, and will flower for a very longperiod of time. These hardy perennial plants always brighten up a garden.