The latest edition of the plant world’s most celebrated gardening bible, the RHS Plant Finder, was released on 12 April 2010, offering gardeners the most comprehensive directory of plants available to buy from UK  nurseries.

The 2010 version lists more than 70,000 plants, including 3,800 plants listed in the book for the first time this year. The book, which dates back to 1987, not only offers gardeners a possible shopping list of horticultural delights, but has tracked trends across the years.

When first launched it contained only 22,000 entries, in part a reflection of the narrower range of plants that were available then to the gardener. Since then, the number of entries in genera such as Corydalis (fumitory), Digitalis (foxglove), Hamamelis, Lavandula (lavender), Pulmonaria (lungwort) and Salvia (sage) – to name but a few – has grown hugely and this year’s book is no exception, with 400 daylilies (Hemerocallis) and 200 irises being listed for the first time. The top ten new entries demonstrate an interest in diversity of colour and texture in foliage as well as in flowers, including four new Heuchera cultivars, two new Clematis, and two new Brunnera (Siberian bugloss).

The compilation of the RHS Plant Finder is a massive enterprise. Each September, both current and new nurseries are asked about changes and additions to their entries. The RHS botanical team then begins the meticulous task of checking the accuracy of names submitted. Book compiler Judith Merrick and her colleagues manage and collate the huge database of plants ready to export and proof-read – no small task – the new edition and subsequent online version.

So if you’re looking for a plant for a new parent (Narcissus ‘New-Baby’) or a new type of coneflower to add to your wildlife border (Echinacea ‘Hot Summer’), then the RHS Plant Finder is a must-have.

Editor, Third Age.