AN AWARD-WINNING Dawlish nursery is celebrating being shortlisted for Plant of the Year at Chelsea Flower Show again this year.

Ashcombe-based Whetman Pinks will be showcasing their new dianthus Electric Dreams as part of the London Fire Brigade exhibit stand in the Great Pavilion.

Bred exclusively at the nursery, the plant has taken six years and a further three years of planting and propagation to bring to market.

A spokesman for the Ashcombe team said: ‘After six years of hard work it is wonderful to be shortlisted as such a prestigious event.’

This is not the first time Whetmans have exhibited and been successful at Chelsea.

Previously, the world-leading propagators of dianthus, founded in 1936, has been in the running for, and came runner up, in plant of the year at the prestigious flower show.

Whetmans will also be launching the new variety with a ‘record-breaking’ one million plugs already sold exclusively to DIY chain B&Q.

Electric Dreams is a hardy perennial selected for its sustainability and intense flower power.

The flowers open with a vivid dash of pink petals and open further with varying shades of pink.

It has a scent and is attractive to bees and butterflies while it is versatile to use in small spaces, containers, patio pots or in borders.

The London Fire Brigade’s ‘planet-friendly’ garden, in the Great Pavilion, which highlights how permeable paving and extra planting can reduce the risk of flooding.

Chelsea Flower Show opens on Tuesday May 24 and runs until May 28.