Best in show: The Daily Telegraph garden

Can't - or won't - brave the crowds at Chelsea Flower Show? Here's a rundown of the latest trends which have emerged over the past few days.

The British are obsessed with plants. Most people garden at least an hour a week, whether tending a few pots, a roof terrace or a backyard. Garden centres have overtaken home improvement stores in popularity; DIY giants Homebase and B&Q now stock plants and decking.

But gardening is, for most, nine-tenths enthusiasm. So what tips can keen amateurs pick up from the experts in SW3, about the latest trends?

1. Plant a purple haze. And plum, blue, magenta and red. "There's been a move away from soft, cottage garden colours and planting, and colour is very vibrant," says Beryl Hislop, of North One Garden Centre in Islington, London. Irises, alliums (the purple globes in foreground above) and salvias dominate, contrasted with splashes of white from foxgloves, geraniums or roses.

Green genie

2. And go green. Not just by conserving water (see below) but opting for leaves over flowers. "Green was the over-riding colour, especially in the gardens focussed on healing," says Lucy Hall, deputy editor of Gardeners' World magazine. "Flat green is boring, but you can layer evergreens and grasses to great effect. It's a good way for a garden to retain year-round interest."

3. Go doo-lally for herbs (to quote St Jamie Oliver). "A lot of gardens featured herbs as people are getting more interested in their overall health," says Ms Hall. The Cancer Research UK Garden, which aims to raise awareness of ways to reduce the risk of developing cancer, features edible herbs such as purple sage and rosemary to be part of a healthy diet.

4. The iris lost out to the rose in a BBC poll of favourite blooms, but it's star of the show at Chelsea. Ms Hall lost count of the number of gardens featuring irises. "They come in a huge range of colours, from brash and bright to cool and dark - there's even one that's chocolate scented." What's not to like? "And best of all, irises are very tolerant of dry, sunny conditions - something to think about using as it gets drier."

Gardening in a drought

5. Which segues neatly into water conservation. Many designers used drought-resistant plants such as lavenders, succulents and silver-leafed plants. "One of the roof gardens had sempervivems [a type of succulent] arranged like pictures on the walls," says Ms Hislop. While stylish water butts are in short supply, few amateur gardeners are likely to specially commission one, as one exhibitor did at great cost.

6. Garden accessory du jour is the funky watering can, preferably filled with recycled bath water. "If you have to use one, make sure it's a nice bright one - fun to use and easy to find," says Ms Hislop. But many that fit the bill colour-wise tend to be on the small side. "We had to go to Holland to get five-gallon ones."

Light height with stipa gigantea

7. Lawns may be browning (not that they won't recover), but ornamental grasses - and other spiky plants - abound. Tall grasses, such as the oaty stipa giganteum pictured right, create a see-through effect. "These are light and airy and give height without dominating the space - great for small gardens," says Ms Hall. Grasses also look good - and thrive - in containers, handy for those with limited outdoor space.

8. Salvage something old. Driftwood, an old mill wheel, rusty metal and an old dry-stone wall all made it into Chelsea gardens. "Recycling is a huge trend in gardening, whether its water or materials," says Ms Hall. "Use natural materials or salvage something industrial - even using an old bucket as a planter brings a sense of timelessness to a new garden."

Fashion designer Paul Smith sniffs

9. A scent by any other name smells as sweet, but the holy grail of horticulture is a scented cut rose. Now, after 14 years and �3m worth of research, David Austin Roses has produced a series of new varieties - all with a heady scent. "Roses appeared in many of the gardens - a welcome comeback and a soft, romantic contrast to all the bold, upright plants," says Ms Hislop.

10. Keen to buck fashion? Look to the past for inspiration. In a show dominated by contemporary - though rarely minimalist - schemes, just two gardens had historical themes. It worked for TV gardener Chris Beardshaw - his garden celebrating the collaboration between 1920s designers Thomas Mawson and Gertrude Jekyll at Boveridge House, Dorset, won gold.

Add your comments on this story, using the form below.

Without knowing it I have 9 out of 10 in my garden - but no roses, too many of all the other things I suppose - esp LOTS of iris.
Gay Richardson, Polruan, Cornwall

A tip for anyone considering recycling old railway sleepers: don't drop them on your foot - it's not big or clever and hurts like...
Ross, Essex, UK

The grass sculpture is lovely. So creative! I may have to try my hand at something like that.
Jennifer, Saline, Michigan, US

Re "stylish water butts are in short supply" - we have a water butt in our garden which means we hardly have to use the hosepipe for much of the year. The black/green variety can be covered up if you are that bothered about the look of them and they're quite inexpensive to buy.
Ruth, Cambridge, UK

Regarding point 7: exactly where in the country are lawns browning, given the amount of rain we are all getting?
Fiona, Edinburgh

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