Plant of the Year: Chelsea Flower Show 2019

Sedum takesimense atlantis, winner of plant of the year, Chelsea flower show 2019

It was a sport found in a nursery on the banks of Lake Michigan, but Dave Mackenzie, who specializes in plants for ground cover, recognized immediately that it was a beauty. And how.

Sedum takesimense atlantis took home top honors at the Chelsea Flower Show, and is described as an almost ideal plant:

“An attractive, easy to grow, versatile and multi-functional plant, it forms 30 cm high cushions of variegate foliage topped with yellow flowers from June to September. Plants are robust and drought resistance and blooms are attractive to insect pollinators.”

For those not up on their metric conversions, 30 centimeters is about 11 inches, so a little more than ankle high. It doesn’t require extra watering, so would look spectacular on a hillside. It would also be happy in a planter on a deck.

For those who like a little more firepower in their winners, the third-place winner might be of interest: Agapanthus Fireworks, an African lily that would have to be lifted anywhere north of Georgia. But wow. It has two-tone flowers, with a blue-purple base and white tips. It is floriferous. And it blooms from July to September.

Agapanthus Fireworks is considered a dwarf, and will grown about two feet tall, perfect for borders. For those with gardeners, and deep pockets, it would be terrific in the Hamptons since it’s deer and rabbit resistant and stands up nicely to salty air and harsh wind. And it attracts butterflies, bees and birds.

It came in third at the 2019 Chelsea Flower Show, but in my book, it’s No. 1. – Linda Lee