Next year, Jekka is teaming up with Cleve West (designer of this year's BUPA Garden) to make a stunning outdoor garden. Naturally, herbs will feature and we will be following their story as they build up to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2009.

Nigel Slater, food writer for The Observer, was delighted to see vegetables making a big statement in the ornamental garden, and Italian chef and food writer Valentina Harris, launching the Squires Garden Centre courtyard garden, La Cucina (GPC20), was enthusiastically expressing the joys of using home-grown produce to create delicious meals.

Plants with a past
As this year's City of Culture, Liverpool City Council (GPD15) has concentrated on its rich gardening heritage by recreating Mr Roscoe's Garden. William Roscoe founded the city's Botanic Gardens and the stand should help to re-establish the botanical collection as “one of the jewels in the city's crown”. It features economic plants such as cotton, sugar cane, coffee and bananas, on which Liverpool's early wealth was founded, and has been awarded a Silver Flora medal.

Lavenders' blue
Downderry Nursery (GPF19) specialises in lavender and this year it has presented an 11th Gold-medal winning stand that features a veritable love fest with the blousy pink 'With Love' and the dark, seductive 'Night of Passion'. Both are stoechas lavenders and strictly speaking they are half-hardy. Plant them in a sunny, sheltered position in well-drained, natural to acid soil.

Fragrance for you
Nose out the fragrance of Matthewman Sweet Peas (GPH2) and get an eyeful of the wonderful colour range of these free-floating blooms. 'George Priestly' is the launch sweet pea for 2008, but the magenta 'Milly', named for Milly Dowler, is still a stunning charmer. The team have been awarded a well-deserved Gold for their efforts.

Sweet and pink
Silver Flora-winning Whetman's Pinks Ltd (GPF1) sets outs a dainty dish of pretty pinks for your delectation. Choose from 'Passion' (velvety red), 'Sugar Plum' (maroon with white margins), 'Fizzy' (lavender with a maroon eye), 'Rosebud' (deep salmon), 'Starburst' (apricot), 'Frilly' (shocking pink) and 'Bailey' Celebration' (pink stripes on white ground).

Upwardly mobile
Gold medalist Raymond Evison Ltd (GPH1) is renowned for the wonderful clematis introduced year on year at Chelsea and for innovations such as table-top clematis. This year's launch is 'Rebecca', an early large-flowered cultivar with large, bright red flowers in spring.

BARBARA SEGALL

See more from this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

See our pick of the best buys from this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show.