T&M is thrilled to announce that Agapanthus ‘Black Jack’ has been crowned the RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year 2023
When four of our entries were shortlisted, we hardly dared to hope that one of these would take the winning spot. We are immensely proud to have scooped a hat trick with Agapanthus ‘Black Jack’ exhibited by Sparsholt College and supplied by Thompson & Morgan taking the top spot. Closely followed by Hydrangea ‘Euphoria Pink’ and Weigela ‘Camouflage’ both exhibited by Stonebarn Landscapes and supplied by Thompson & Morgan taking the runner up and third place spots respectively.
RHS Plant of the Year 2023 Winner
Agapanthus ‘Black Jack’
Larger and longer-lasting blooms produced in profusion!
‘Black Jack’ offers bigger flowers and more blooms through the season. This amazing Agapanthus produces 10 times as many florets per flowerhead for a flowering season twice as long as its competitors.
The “must have” Agapanthus for a striking display
Easy to grow and heat tolerant, ‘Black Jack’ boasts strong vigour and a striking presence in borders and containers. Large flowerheads are filled with black buds that open to deep black-purple striped blooms – these fade to deep purple and take on a dazzling metallic sheen with age.
A unique variety from 20 years of breeding
De Wet Plant Breeders, South Africa, set out to produce disease resistant, vigorous, heat-tolerant and multi-flowering cultivars and a black cultivar was always high on the wish list. 17 years into the program, they finally got “the one”! ‘Black Jack’ is a unique Agapanthus that’s the result of years of dedicated hybridised breeding.
Agapanthus ‘Black Jack’
Flowers: July to September
Height: 80cm. Spread: 70cm
Exhibited in partnership with Mr. Nagasaki T. from Japan representing Osco Garden BV, Aalsmeer/Netherlands.
The first Hydrangea serrata that’s all about stunning foliage AND flowers!
The striking tricolour foliage of this handsome Hydrangea flushes vibrant pink, white and green each spring. As the pink fades, unique lacecap-style blooms burst from pale pink buds into two-tone red flowers with pale centres.
Ideal for pots, containers & borders
This easy to grow shrub is ideal for moisture-retentive but well drained soil in sun or shade and is hardy down to -20C.
Flowers: July to September
Height: 80cm. Spread: 70cm
The latest in Hydrangea breeding
Hydrangea serrata ‘Euphoria Pink’ was discovered in a long-term Japanese breeding programme with rooted cuttings sent to Osco Garden BV in Aalsmeer, The Netherlands. Van Son & Koot Nursery BV from Kaatsheuvel / Netherlands rooted cuttings under license and prepared the plants for The Chelsea Flower Show.
‘Camouflage’ is a stunning compact Weigela with variegated bright green and dark black/green foliage. These petite plants become smothered with bright ruby-red funnel-shaped flowers borne on aching stems in May and June, attracting pollinators to the garden.
Sensational for small spaces
Weigela ‘Camouflage’ is a deciduous, low-maintenance, fully hardy shrub that’s perfect for small gardens and container growing. Grow in a sunny or semi-shaded position, in any well-drained soil.
From T&M’s own breeding programme
T&M’s Weigela breeding programme began in 2008 with the aim of producing compact plants with fabulous, coloured foliage, which are ideal for any size of garden. The programme continued until 2018, when selections were made from stock in the field and ‘Camouflage’ is the first in a series with variegated foliage.
Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
Announcing our Plant of the Year nominees for The RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022
World-renowned, inspirational and quintessentially British, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show is an unforgettable experience for gardening enthusiasts and the jewel in the crown for growers hoping to win the prestigious Plant of the Year 2022 award with their new introductions.
We have submitted four fabulous flower plants as our nominees for the RHS Chelsea 2022 Plant of the Year award – the best varieties for a floriferous display of long-lasting colour, with outstanding performance in the garden.
Four fabulous flowers for a glorious garden!
Azalea ‘Starstyle Pink’
Yes, this really is an Azalea!
This distinctive little Azalea is delightfully different, fun and exciting, making it ideal for modern gardens.
The result of 23 years of breeding, Azalea ‘Starstyle Pink’ is a unique new variety with compact growth, profuse unusual flowers twice a year, plus highly decorative lush evergreen foliage. Height and spread: 50cm.
Fabulous flower power
Enjoy masses of distinctive hot pink, star-shaped flowers blooming profusely in spring and again in autumn, set against long, narrow, pointed evergreen leaves.
Great looks & behaviour
This compact and versatile evergreen is perfect for patio pots, borders, conservatories or even inside the house thanks to its good heat and cold tolerance.
A low maintenance marvel
‘Starstyle Pink’ is low maintenance, fully hardy and perfect for adding a pop of colour wherever it is needed in the garden.
Weigela ‘Magic Carpet’ is the outstanding outcome of a 10-year breeding programme to produce compact plants with vivid foliage, plus an abundance of flowers. It will delight you with its pretty pink flowers and fabulous colour changing foliage. Height: 60cm. Spread: 46cm.
A Weigela with the wow factor
Compact ‘Magic Carpet’ will whisk you away with a profusion of pink, funnel-shaped flowers on arching stems in May and June, bridging the gap between spring and summer and offering early support for pollinators.
First of a kind foliage
The fabulous colour changing foliage of this pretty plant transitions from apricot orange to golden yellow as the seasons change, giving months of interest even as the blooms fade.
A versatile variety for the garden or patio
‘Magic Carpet’ is the perfect choice for containers and will also look amazing as mass landscape planting, brightening beds and borders with a carpet of colour.
Intense by name, intense by nature, its non-fading, vivid pink blooms and extreme flower power will astound you!
This compact hardy perennial has the flower power to stand alongside annual summer bedding, while offering much more versatility and a longer season of interest. Height: 25cm. Spread: 50cm.
Glowing ground cover with neon pink blooms
More vivid than other pink varieties, masses of stunning, neon bright, single blooms sit perched on short stems, attracting butterflies and bees from June to September.
Hardy and versatile
Versatile, vigorous and with a trouble-free growth habit, this hardy geranium is ideal for mass planting as ground cover, borders and all types of containers, so you can enjoy these beautiful blooms wherever you wish in the garden.
Colour changing foliage for added autumnal interest
The fragrant semi-evergreen foliage turns red in autumn as an added bonus.
A seedling selection from a crossing of Salvia nemorosa and Salvia pratensis, the ravishing result is a compact and extremely hardy perennial with big, bold blooms.
These compact, tidy plants boast a long flowering season, a wide range of garden uses and true winter hardiness making Salvia ‘A Little Bit’ the obvious option for gardeners looking to add impact to their planting schemes. Height: 25cm. Spread: 30cm.
Giant deep purple flowers
Salvia ‘A Little Bit’ is a hardy cultivar of Salvia nemorosa but with much larger, showy, deep violet-blue flower spikes of Salvia pratensis.
Colourful and compact
The beautiful blooms are held on a tidy, low and compact plant reaching just 25cm high – perfectly proportioned for smaller borders and a fabulous focal point in a patio planter.
Long flowering and low maintenance
Successive flower spikes are produced below the first main spike, making ‘A Little Bit’ an especially long-flowering perennial. These pretty plants are easy to grow, winter hardy and an important food source for pollinators.
Since the first seed catalogue was published in 1855, Thompson & Morgan has grown to become one of the UK’s largest Mail Order Seed and Plant companies. Through the publication of our catalogues and the operation of our award-winning website, Thompson & Morgan is able to provide home gardeners with the very best quality products money can buy.
Following our success at RHS Chelsea Flower Show last year, we are proud to present our entries for Plant of the Year 2019.
Clematis ‘Kokonoe’, Nepeta ‘Neptune’ and Ajuga ‘Princess Nadia’
Clematis ‘Kokonoe’ – Uniquely changing flower shape; flowers open as single blooms and develop into flamboyant doubles. Nepeta ‘Neptune’ – Abundant flowers ‘re-bloom’ on a compact, bushy habit; the firm foliage is perfect for making tea. Ajuga ‘Princess Nadia’ – Brings together the best evergreen, variegated foliage and flower spikes of the genus. Year-round interest.
Agapanthus ‘Fireworks’, Buddleja ‘Butterfly Towers’ and Osteospermum ‘Purple Sun’
Agapanthus ‘Fireworks’ – The best bicolour agapanthus, offering bigger blooms, better colour and more stems per plant than previous bicolour cultivars. Buddleja ‘Butterfly Towers’ – Grows up, rather than out, so it suits even the smallest garden without taking over. Thrives in containers; long-lasting; makes a great flowering hedge. Osteospermum ‘Purple Sun’ – Previously unseen colour combination of orange and pink. The pink-purple centre spreads outwards as the season progresses.
Chlorophytum ‘Starlight’ and Clematis ‘Little Lemons’
Chlorophytum ‘Starlight’ – Hardy Spider Plant with the architectural appeal of an ornamental grass and the flowering performance of a bedding plant. Attractive variegated foliage and pretty white flowers. Fabulous in patio pots. Clematis ‘Little Lemons’ – Very unusual long-flowering, dwarf clematis. Excellent in pots and hanging baskets.
The garden, which is in the Discovery area of the Great Pavilion (Stand GPA154), offers a visually inspiring insight into the processes of plant breeding and explains techniques used to bring about improvements in plant species. Students at Sparsholt College have been involved in the design of the garden and have nurtured the plants that will be featured on the garden to illustrate various key milestones in plant breeding over the years.
T&M has long been at the forefront of plant breeding and can put its name to a number of key breeding breakthroughs over the years, such as Foxglove or Digitalis ‘Illumination Pink’ which won RHS Chelsea Plant of the Year in 2012 and which will feature on the Behind the Genes garden. Also appearing at RHS Chelsea 2019 is last year’s Plant of the Year winner, Hydrangea hybrid Runaway Bride® ‘Snow White’, and the amazing sunflower, Helianthus SunBelievable™ ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ which was placed third.
Part of the focus this year is also on our trainee manager, Lance Russell, who as an alumni of Sparsholt College, and now working at the forefront of the gardening industry, is the epitome of the new generation of inspiring and social media-savvy young gardeners. Lance is fronting our recent increase in film content on our website and YouTube channel and is set for a stellar career in horticulture. Lance can be seen in Thompson & Morgan’s video ‘Journey to Chelsea’.
Sonia works at Thompson & Morgan in the role of press and communications officer. She is a self-proclaimed ‘reluctant’ gardener and is generally amazed if anything flourishes in her garden. Sonia has a ‘hands off’ approach to gardening and believes that this helps to encourage bees, butterflies and other wildlife. (That’s her excuse anyway!)
It’s a very exciting time of year. RHS Chelsea Flower Show preparations are in full swing and the countdown is on.
This year, Thompson & Morgan is teaming up with Sparsholt College who are creating a ‘Behind the Genes’ show garden which is diving into the science behind plant breeding and genetics to offer an insight into the development of plant breeding and selection.
T&M breeding is recognised around the globe and it’s a great opportunity to showcase some of this in the garden which has been designed by Sparsholt’s Chris Bird in The Discovery Zone inside the famous Great Pavilion. The garden will feature plants such as Hydrangea ‘Runaway Bride’, one of the most floriferous and vigorous hydrangeas which won first place in last year’s Plant of the Year competition and plants from our very own breeding programme, such as Helianthus ‘SunBelievable™ Brown Eyed Girl’ which won 3rd place in last year’s competition. This is the world’s first multi branching sunflowers which puts out over 1,000 flowers during the growing season.
Hydrangea ‘Runaway Bride’, Lance with Peter Seabrook and Helianthus ‘SunBelievable™ Brown Eyed Girl’
My first trip to Chelsea was back in 2014 as a student at Sparsholt when we brought home the gold medal for ‘The Paper Chase’ garden and it’s great to be going back again this year with both my college and Thompson & Morgan to work on this very exciting project.
It’s a real honour to be a part of this project which aims to encourage the next generation of horticulturalists whilst promoting the opportunities that I’ve enjoyed – particularly at such a prestigious horticultural event! I’m hoping that by being involved in this garden, current Sparsholt students will be able to see the career options that await them.
A very busy few weeks lie ahead; preparing plants for Chelsea comes with its challenges. I find it’s almost like tricking nature, as you have to learn to sweet-talk plants to make them look beautiful on the day! Various methods are used to encourage plant growth, and in some cases, it’s necessary to ‘hold the plants back’.
Of course, the weather has a big impact on how well plants progress and as with all years, each season is different and no one can predict the weather.
Peter Freeman, our New Product Development Manager, has been working miracles and we have got some very exciting Plant of the Year entries that are being nurtured as I write, including a really striking, brand new clematis which has flowers that change shape throughout the season. Clematis ‘Kokonoe’ starts with warm purple single flowers which change into fully double pom-poms blooms as they develop to create a truly luxurious display!
We are also really excited to be joined by plant hunter Peter van Rijssen, who manages the trials for a worldwide portfolio of new plants and an avid promoter on social media of plants and new genetics.
Horticulture has always been very close to my heart. I’ve had a huge passion for plants & gardening for as long as I can remember. My first memories are toddling around as child helping out my parents & grandparents in their gardens and learning to grow my own plants, scince then I have been hooked. I’m a huge fan of growing bedding plants and hanging baskets and I also love to grow my own cut flowers & vegetables. I am always trialling out something different in the garden, whether it be new varieties or different planting schemes.
I trained at Sparsholt College where I received my Horticultural Qualifications and received a gold medal for the Chelsea Flower Show in 2014. With a previous career in garden centre and wholesale horticulture, I joined Thompson & Morgan in 2018 as Trainee Manager, and now work as Head of Client Sales. I also stand on the committee for IPPS Europe and was lucky enough to travel to the USA in 2016 as the Horticultural Exchange Student.
The top of Nic’s green-roof bin store in all its glory. Image source: dogwooddays
So your flowerbeds are full, the greenhouse is overflowing, there’s no more room for pots on the patio and every vertical surface in the garden is covered in foliage. How do you find space for new plants and enjoy the thrill of a fresh challenge in the garden?
The answer? A green roof bin store. As well as screening your unsightly plastic monstrosities from view, a custom-made green-roof bin store provides the perfect place to grow attractive, scented and edible plants for instant kerb appeal and a lasting first impression. Here’s how I designed mine…
How to build a green roof bin store
Nic’s bin store was inspired by this version in the RHS Community Garden at Hampton Court. Image source: dogwooddays
Inspired by the RHS Greening the Grey Community Garden at Hampton Court Flower Show back in 2015, I fell in love with their fabulous bin store with a thyme and wild strawberry green roof.
Working with a local carpenter, I created my own version of a green roof store that would accommodate two bins and give me room to grow plants on the top and up the trellis sides. I also planned a selection of different sized holes in the side panel for solitary bees. Over the last three years these holes have been used regularly. I often see bees going in and out with their mud pellets blocking the holes.
Once the bin store was complete, I lined the top with heavy duty plastic sheeting and covered this with 20mm gravel to improve the drainage. I left a hole at the back through which the water could drain down a hose to the ground and screwed an upturned tea strainer over the hole to prevent blockages. I filled the rest of the top with a low-nutrient green roof substrate based on crushed recycled brick and green waste compost – and I was ready to plant it up.
Best plants for a green roof
Miniature succulents look stunning on a sunny ‘green roof’. Image source: dinodentist
The bin store is in full sun, so I chose plants that prefer sunny, well-drained conditions like alpines, succulents and herbs. The sunniest side is filled with lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus) and Thymus ‘Silver Queen’, salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor), French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa) and winter savoury (Satureja montana). All have thrived and they are self-seeding on the roof, so I know that the conditions are right for them. Thrift (Armeria maritima) has also done well and self-seeds all over, but perhaps the most successful planting has been the succulents. I positioned them at the front so their delicate foliage and tiny flowers are at eye-level when I pass to empty the bins or get in the car.
In the spring, Sedum ‘Cape Blanco’ and Sedum spathulifolium ‘Purpureum’ have small starry yellow flowers and Saxifraga ‘Buttercream’ adds its soft milky flowers to the mix. During the summer months, Sempervivum arachnoideum sends up pink starry blossom spikelets and I grow annual climbers up the sides of the bin store – this year the trellis has been covered in the apricot shades of Thunbergia ‘African Sunset’ mixed with the deep purple bells of Rhodochiton atrosanguineum.
More than just a screen
Holes for solitary bees have been put to good use. Image source: dogwooddays
The bin store has been a practical success, but it’s added more than just a screen to the garden. I’ve been able to include plants which struggle in the shadier conditions of the back garden and bring some miniature succulent treasures into the limelight.
Although sedum matting is a great way to cover a green roof, if you’re hankering after extra growing room I’d encourage you to be ambitious and experiment with a range of species – perhaps herbs, alpines and different succulents, or even an elevated wildflower meadow – the sky really is the limit!
Nic Wilson is a writer, garden designer and Garden Media Guilds Awards nominee (Beth Chatto Environmental Award, 2019). She enjoys growing flowers and unusual fruit, vegetables and herbs, and loves to encourage nature into the garden. She blogs at www.dogwooddays.net, and Guardian Country Diarist based in North Hertfordshire.
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