What we learned from Chelsea Flower Show

Ferns, ferns, and more ferns - Paul Martin uses a host of them in his show garden. Dryopteris erythrosora, Matteuccia struthiopteris, Blechnum tabulare, Dicksonia antartica, all of them sourced from Kerry-based specialist nurseryman Billy Alexander (kellsgardens.ie), add architectural foliage interest and a gentle lushness to Martin's planting scheme. The Devon-based nursery Bowdens (bowdenhostas.com) also uses ferns as the centrepiece of its huge Chelsea Pavilion display, an ode to plant hunters.

Lavender-blue flowering Geranium pyrenaicum "Bill Wallis" features strongly in the foreground planting of the brilliant gold-medal-winning garden of British designer Cleve West, as well as on the award-winning stand of Hardy Plants Nursery (hardys-plants.co.uk). Known for its tendency to liberally self-seed, this low-growing perennial cranesbill's dainty appearance belies the fact that it's as tough as old boots. (Also available as seed from specialplantsnursery.com.)

Dibley Nursery's display of leafy begonias, with their exotically colourful foliage in shades of silver, emerald and amethyst, has visitors to the show reaching for their cameras (see dibleys.com). So, too, does Ashwood Nursery's drop-dead gorgeous display of hepaticas, which are making their debut appearance at Chelsea, having spent the spring months in a special chilling unit to delay the appearance of their spring flowers (see ashwoodnurseries.com).

Annual flowers feature in many of Chelsea's show gardens this year, but the one grabbing the lion's share of attention is the annual lupin (Lupinus pilosus) that Hugo Bugg uses in his main-avenue show garden for RBC. There, he has paired its striking peacock-blue flower spikes with the highly ornamental, barley-like flowers of the shortlived perennial grass, Hordeum jubatum, for a match made in heaven (hortusloci.co.uk, or seed from specialplants.net).

Bold and beautiful chrysanthemums like the ones your grandfather used to grow are firmly back in vogue, as proven by the gold-medal-winning display of UK-based nursery Chrsysanthemums Direct. (Available as plug plants from chrsyanthemumsdirect.co.uk.)

A sweetly scented, free-flowering, peach-coloured beauty, the English shrub rose Rosa "Roald Dahl" (or "Ausowlish") is the latest addition to a select group bred by renowned rose nurseryman David Austin (see davidaustinroses.co.uk), and takes pride of place in the nursery's Chelsea display.

The decorative clematis genus also grabbed the headlines, with Taylor Nursery's new introduction, the dainty Clematis chilsanensis "Amber" winning the RHS plant of the year award. Thorncroft Clematis (see thorncroftclematis.co.uk) are also showing a host of exceptionally garden-worthy clematis, including the unusually long-flowering C. texensis "Princess Kate" and the gorgeous C. viticella "Supernova" – this is the latter's very first Chelsea outing

Many of the gorgeous foliage plants used in the wild and wacky Garden of Potential by the young British designer Propagating Dan (in the Fresh category) were supplied by the specialist Welsh nursery Crûg Farm Plants, including the standout bronze-leaved Vietnamese birch Betula insignis subsp fansipanensis (see propagatingdan.com and crûg-farm.co.uk).

Chelsea 2016 Ideas to inspire

The OneLeg is a cleverly designed one-legged lightweight plastic stool from Danish designer Susanne Schmidt, which allows gardeners to comfortably weed by hand at ground level without having to squat down on their hunkers or get their knees wet. Apparently, it also helps to strengthen back muscles and improves flexibility; see cacoonworld.com.

The latest additions to Dutch firm Sneeboer's range of hand-forged garden tools is its long handled Terrarium tools (a miniature fork and spade), perfect for reaching into awkward corners. See sneeboer.com and irish supplier fruithillfarm.com.

There are plant pots galore at this year's Chelsea Flower Show, but few as lovely as British artisan potter Jane Slater's elegant ceramic vessels, which feature in the pretty artisan garden A Gardener's Bed, designed by her sister, florist Alison Doxy (slaterandclay.co.uk).

It may not be the most beautiful object at this year's show, but, oh, how I'd love a Hotbin, an ingeniously designed compost bin that can turn garden waste into compost in as little as 30 days. Better still, it does so without any back-wrenching, labour-intensive turning, while the compost is produced at a heat that destroys weed seeds and plant pathogens. Sadly, there's no Irish agent yet. Prices of the bins start at £185, plus delivery £73; see hotbincomposting.co.uk.

Much better-looking is the work of wood-carver Paul Thomas, who produces handsome, hand-carved oak signs to commission. Apparently, he supplies customers all over Ireland (seeoakwords.co.uk). Available in a wide range of fonts, prices start from a very reasonable £150.