Hydrangea Miss Saori – RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2014. Available for sale now, buy yours here.
The most prestige horticultural event is in full swing and there is no doubt that the winner of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year 2014 has taken over gardening headlines. There were a few favourites in the line up this year including our very own Gerbera ‘Sweet Glow’ which won 3rd place. We knew we had challenge on our hands and so did our very own gardening expert Michael Perry who tweeted:
Hydrangea ‘Miss Saori’ made its world debut at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014; it wowed the judges and become Plant of the year! Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Miss Saori’ was bred in Kyoto, Japan, by Ryoji Irie, a young plantsman who also named the hydrangea after his wife. Who said romance was dead?
‘Miss Saori’ boasts striking double flowers with deep rose edging contrasting the white centres, and it is with no surprise that this is incredible hydrangea won the vote. These blooms are long-lasting and flowers in June and on first year wood. These plants thrive in a full sun or semi-shade and are perfect for both borders and container growing. We also adore Miss Saori’s sister line Hydrangea ‘Love’, which also boasts magnificent blooms in candy pink! Easy to grow and will fill a space in your garden for years to come.
Find more award winning hydrangeas alongside our best growers resources and planting tips at our hydrangea hub page.
Terri works in the e-commerce marketing department assisting the busy web team. Terri manages our blog and social media pages here at Thompson & Morgan and is dedicated to providing useful advice to our gardeners. Terri is new to gardening and keen to develop her horticultural knowledge.
I have just learned about Miss Saori (or is it Saroi?). I’ve seen some with dark, almost red, pink and some that are light pink. Does this plant start out one shade and fade or brighten to the other shade? I love the very light pink, if it is just an initial or ending color, how long does the light pink color last?
Hi I have A Runaway Bride but at the moment it looks like sticks in a pot.
Shouldn’t it have leaves by now?
Hello
It’s still very early for foliage. Take a look at other deciduous trees and shrubs and you will see that very few have produced new growth yet. You should start to see the new buds beginning to swell in the next month, depending on how warm the weather is.
All the best
Sue
Thank you Sue
Hi, I bought Miss Saori, for my father. Started off in a pot, and then moved to the front of the property in ericaceous soil, with much more room to spread out.Not looking good, flowers have now died and have gone brown. Do I remove them, or not? Could there be an underlying problem?
Hello
The flowers will gradually fade and go brown at this time of the year. You can remove them now if you like, but a lot of people leave them in place until the spring as the old flower heads provide some garden interest over the winter months. The plant should settle in over the winter and get growing again next spring. Hydrangeas cope well on acid soils so don’t worry about that.
All the best
Sue
There are so many wonderful hydrangea macrophylla. But is there any reason to think that “Miss Saori” is hardier than any of the others? For those of us in Z5 and “colder” it takes too long and there are too few blooms when one has to rely on only the new wood for those wonderful colored mop head flowers.
Hi, thank you for your comment. There is no reason to suggest that ‘Miss Saori’ is hardier than other varieties of Macrophylla. If you struggle growing other varieties of Hydrangea Macrophylla then this variety is likely to give you the same difficulty. Kindest regards, Terri
Can miss saori be planted in a pot if so what is the best soil to use. Thanks
Hi Dave, thank you for your comment. Yes Miss Saori can be planted in a pot just make sure you use a good soil-based compost such as John Inns 3. This variety does change colour depending on your garden soil type also blue in acidic soil and pink alkaline. Hope that helps, Terri
Thanks Terri
What is the height and spread ?
Hi Lynn. The height and spread is 100cm (39″). Hope that helps! Terri
I have just received miss saori, but disappointed it is so small. I am 75 & worried I will not see it bloom!!
Hi Mr Parkes,
Thank you for your comment . I am sorry to hear that your Hydrangea is smaller than expected, however as we are young plants specialist we send the majority of our goods when they are in a very early stage of growth. This will ensure they are in prime condition for transit and will reduce any risk of damage to the plants. We feel confident that once grown on as instructed in the cultural information provided you will be delighted with the resulting display. If your Hydrangea does not develop as you would expect, please get in touch with our customer care team who will be happy to help.
Terri
I love thenew Hydrangeas wonderful achievement Love to have them in my arboretum
Miss Saori & Hydrangea Love are incredibly beautiful. Will they grow from seed & will T&M be selling them. I am already on your email list
Thank you