The recent heatwave has produced problems this year for the country’s growers with crops flowering and finishing earlier than expected. Despite this William Dyson, curator at Great Comp Garden in Platt Sevenoaks, was awarded a coveted Silver-Gilt medal by the RHS for his salvia exhibit at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show yesterday.

William, a star in his own right in the salvia world, nurtured the award winning salvia plants at his nursery at Great Comp Garden in Platt.

William said: “We are delighted with our medal, especially as we had to do a last minute change to our design; the recent heatwave put our main display plants forward by two weeks which meant that at least 75% of them had to stay on the nursery.”

Despite the heatwave conditions William Dyson was able to offer new salvia varieties for 2017 including: ‘Salvia Little Azur’, ‘Salvia Pink Lace’, ‘Salvia Blue Merced’, ‘Salvia Crazy Dolls’ and ‘Salvia Passadena’.

Image: Salvia ‘Fairy Queen’ from Dyson’s Salvias