Thompson & Morgan Gardening Blog

T&M Nominees Shortlisted For RHS Chelsea Flower Show ‘Plant of the Year’ Award 2021!

T&M is delighted to announce that four of their flower introductions have been shortlisted for the illustrious RHS Chelsea Flower Show ‘Plant of the Year’ Award 2021.

This much sought-after award recognises innovation, appeal, excellence and impact in plant breeding, so we are proud to have so many plants shortlist this year. The finalists and winners will be announced on 20th September and we wish the best of luck to our fellow shortlisted companies.

Camellia ‘1001 Summer Nights’ Jasmine

A world exclusive, summer-flowering Camellia!

World exclusive Camellia ‘1001 Summer Nights’ Jasmine opens the door to the never seen before, putting on a spectacular summer show to provide a midsummer day’s dream garden! Its ruffled, rosette blooms are borne continually from May to October.

A breath-taking breakthrough in Camellia breeding!

This introduction is a ground-breaking new summer flowering variety from T&M that leaves traditional spring-flowering Camellias far behind!

This handsome evergreen was bred in China by Mr. Gao Jiyin, who has worked with camellia for over 50 years, with his colleagues Mr. Zhao Qiangmin and Mr. Liu Xinkai.

An interspecific cross between Camellia azalea and Camellia reticulata, ‘1001 Summer Nights’ Jasmine takes the very best from both parents – a long flowering period, glossy dark leaves from C. Azalea and the large showy blooms of C. reticulata

Meets the demands of modern gardeners

Camellia ‘1001 Summer Nights’ Jasmine is neat and compact, making it ideal for planting in patio containers. Thriving in sun or part-shade, it makes a useful shrub for providing year-round interest and colour in the garden.

Peter Freeman, Thompson & Morgan’s Product Development Manager, said:
‘I was really taken aback by this breakthrough; plants were covered in flower right through the summer!’

Available as:
1 x 10.5cm potted camellia plant (KB6245)
2 x 10.5cm potted camellia plants (KB6246)
1 x 1.6 litre potted camellia plant (KB6247)
2 x 1.6 litre potted camellia plants (KB6248)

Fig (Ficus) ‘Little Miss Figgy’

The hardy Fig for gardens of every size!

This compact, hardy introduction allows anyone to grow their own figs in the smallest of spaces. Little skill or experience is needed to produce a bumper crop from ‘Little Miss Figgy’ every autumn – in warmer years, gardeners will benefit from a second crop in the spring too.

What’s in a name? Everything!

Ficus ‘Little Miss Figgy’ is a very compact, dwarf Fig that grows to a maximum height and spread of about 90cm – perfect for gardens or a patio pot. It boasts deeply lobed, dark green foliage and short internodes, and produces lots of large, sweet, burgundy-coloured fruits along the branches. ‘Little Miss Figgy’ is drought tolerant and likes a place in full sun but also tolerates semi-shade.

Available as:
1 x 9cm potted fig plant (KB2925)
2 x 9cm potted fig plants (KB5859)

Sedum ‘Sunsparkler Dream Dazzler’

A dream come true!

Sedum ‘Sunsparkler® Dream Dazzler’ is a beautiful and easy plant to grow, which is disease resistant. Its colours will dazzle you and are different depending on their spot: in the sun the foliage is dark purple with bright pink edges, in the semi-shade the foliage is light purple with bright pink edges and in the shade the foliage is blue-green with white and pink edges. ‘Dream Dazzler’ also forms pretty bright-pink blooms in summer, attracting a lot of bees.

‘Sunsparkler® Dream Dazzler’ prefers a sunny spot in your plot, where this compact plant will delight you with its fabulous foliage that does not fall open. Ideal grown as groundcover, as mass planting, in the rock garden or in a perennial border.

Available as:
1 jumbo plug plant (KB8623)
3 jumbo plug plants (KB8624)
1 x 2 litre potted sedum plant (KC4548)
3 x 2 litre potted sedum plants (KC4551)

Sweet Pea ‘Three Times as Sweet’

A modern edge to a timeless garden favourite

Straight from T&M’s own breeding by Charles Valin, Sweet Pea ‘Three Times As Sweet’ is the first cultivated, Modern Grandiflora tri-colour Stripe variety available.

Bred from Lathyrus odoratus x Lathyrus belinensis cross and thus Lathyrus x hammettii hybrid, the unique marbled blooms blend lavender-blue, burgundy and white, further enhanced by a strong picotee edge. This creates a truly eye-catching display in a vibrant colour combination and strong fragrance not seen in the genus before.

Deliciously fragrant

Offering plenty of the distinctive fragrance that only Sweet Peas can deliver, ‘Three Times as Sweet’ is perfect for cutting for sweetly scented posies. Grow this climbing annual against a trellis or over an obelisk for a sensational summer display. With regular cutting, gardeners can expect 3 months of easy summer colour.

Available as:
3 sweet pea premium multisown plugs (15 plants) (KB7701)
6 sweet pea premium multisown plugs (30 plants) (KB7702)

All varieties featured above are available to buy online at https://www.thompson-morgan.com/virtual-chelsea-2021

Thompson & Morgan

The Thompson & Morgan horticultural team produces a wealth of content around gardening and food production. 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.

www.thompson-morgan.com