We've been spoilt for choice when it comes to plants for our garden
As a plant conservation charity, we're lucky enough to work with lots of passionate plantspeople who've all been keen to get involved.
Our full plant list will be published here on press day (18 May).
William Murray and Kate Campbell of the Planting Design Collective at New Wood Trees in Devon
Sienna Hosta Nursery Manager Ollie
Most of the plants have been grown by How Green in Kent, a family-run nursery committed to sustainability including growing peat-free. They've also been taking care of plants provided by National Collection holders, getting them 'Chelsea ready' (see below).
Many of the trees have been sourced from New Wood Trees in Devon. Big Hedge Co. have kindly lent us hedges to frame the garden and Sienna Hosta have lent us some fantastic hostas, including large and giant leaved varieties that are also in the National Collection held by the King's Foundation at Highgrove.
National Collection holders taking part
Philip Oostenbrink
Julian Reed
Philip Oostenbrink's lent us some unusual Aspidistra as well as Boehmeria, a member of the nettle family. He's recently been in Japan researching plants from his National Collections.
Julian Reed's kindly provided plants from two of his Collections of hardy ferns: Polypodium and Polystichum.
Maria Heffer
Sue Martin
Maria Heffer was looking for something different for her flower arrangements when she came across Geum and it led to a National Collection. She's learnt a lot from Sue Martin, who's had her National Collection of Geum for 20 years. They both highly recommend Geum 'Tales of Hex', a key plant in the Missing Collector garden.
David Simpson
Mandy Bradshaw
Nicholas Guntrip-Hook
Hardy Tradescantia aren't nearly as well know as the houseplant variety. David Simpson wants to change that and has provided some beautiful cultivars from his National Collection of Tradescantia Andersoniana Group and Tradescantia virginiana. View a list of plants in David's Tradescantia National Collection.
Thalictrum petaloideum ‘Ghent Ebony’ is another key plant in the garden and a newer cultivar, bred by the Thalictrum expert Sandrine Delabroye, with fern-like deep purple, almost black foliage and contrasting white flowers. It's one of many favourites looked after by Nicholas Guntrip-Hook in his Collection. View a list of plants in Nicholas's Thalictrum National Collection.
Barry Clarke
Jonathan Hogarth
Beth Otway
Botanist Barry Clarke has provided some Rubus with interesting foliage. Rubus is more commonly known as blackberry, raspberry and brambles and there are around 1,000 different species.
Jonathan Hogarth of Hogarth Hostas collects small and miniature Hosta. If you're at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, you can find out more from Barry and Jonathan about their National Collections in the Great Pavilion.
Daniel Myhill
Mary Baker
Daniel Myhill cares for his National Collection of Rosa persica in his garden. His passion for roses has turned into a new career in breeding with David Austin.
Mary and Terry Baker developed their National Collection of Digitalis (foxgloves) alongside their business, The Botanical Nursery, so who better to ask for advice? Now retired, Mary will be doing a display in the Plant Heritage zone of the Great Pavilion.
Staphylea cochica
Forestry England
Hugh Povey
Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, has five National Collections. Curator Dan Crowley recommended some lovely trees and shrubs for our garden, including Staphylea colchica (ivory flowered bladdernut) which we sourced from Birchwood.
The beautiful Cercis canadensis subsp. texensis 'Oklahoma' for our garden was recommended by National Collection holder Hugh Povey and sourced from Collendoorn
And that's not all!
James Bennett is the third generation of his family growing water lilies and they have over 350 varieties in their National Collection, held at Bennetts Water Gardens.
Alec White and the team at Primrose Hall Peonies are kindly lending us plants for the Missing Collector garden from their National Collection of Intersectional (Itoh) hybrids.
David Carver of Buckland Cottage Gardens already has a National Collection of Hyacinthella and is lending us Rhodohypoxis that may well become a new Collection in future.
Several other National Collection holders have provided advice. It truly is a team effort.
Find out more about the National Collections
You can search the National Collections here and find out about starting your own National Collection here. If you prefer to look after just one or a few rare plants, why not become a Plant Guardian? And if you prefer to listen, here's a podcast where you can hear our amazing volunteers talking about why they collect plants with our trustee Sally Flatman.
Help us keep the National Collections safe for the future by supporting our work.