Salvia Love & Wishes from Darby Nursery Stock & Kernock Park Plants has been crowned best in show at the New Plant Awards on the opening morning of the HTA National Plant Show which took place yesterday and today (23 and 24 June) at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.
Judging Panel member and RHS Director, Jim Gardiner, comments, “All the judges were unanimously in favour of this plant, not only winning Best in Category, but also Best in Show.
Salvia Love & Wishes is a great performer in the garden, either in a container or in a sunny position in the garden.
It flowers continuously from May to September, which can be extended depending on weather conditions. The flower spikes extend beyond the foliage with the initial point of interest being the dark plum colours calyces, shortly followed by the beautiful long lasting claret coloured flowers.”
This year’s awards, sponsored by RHS, attracted over 90 entries across five categories. The gold medal winners and Best in Category plants are…..
Annuals
Gold
- Benary – Begonia tuberous Nonstop Joy
- Ball Colegrave Ltd – Osteospermum ‘3D’ series
- Cobbins Nursery – Gerbera Garvinea Sweet Surprise
- Cobbins Nursery – Patio Gerbera Volcanoes
- Channel Island Plants (UK) Ltd – Nemesia French Connection Bonnet
- Channel Island Plants (UK) Ltd – Bidens Beedance Painted Red
Best in Category
- Channel Island Plants (UK) Ltd – Bidens Beedance Painted Red
Herbaceous Perennials
Gold
- Fairweather’s – Scabiosa Kudo
- Profitplant UK – Itoh Peony
- Darby Nursery Stock & Kernock Park Plants – Salvia Love & Wishes
- Darby Nursery Stock – Geranium Pink Pouffe
Best in Category
- Darby Nursery Stock & Kernock Park Plants – Salvia Love & Wishes
Houseplants
Gold
- Profitplants UK – Little Kolibri Orchids Victoria Falls
- Garden Centre Fresh – Phalaenopsis Formidablo N-17 XXL
Best in Category
- Profitplants UK – Little Kolibri Orchids Victoria Falls
Shrubs and Climbers
Gold
- Whartons Nurseries Ltd – Rose “Eye of the Tiger”
- Hilliers Nurseries – Cotinus ‘Candy Floss’
- The Bransford Webbs Plant Company – Hebe Marshmallow
- The Bransford Webbs Plant Company – Hebe Sangria Sensation
- The Bransford Webbs Plant Company – Hebe Pink Fizz
- John Richards Nurseries Ltd – Clematis macropetala ‘Elgar’
- Javado UK – Viburnum f.tomentosum plicatum Kilimanjaro Sunrise
- Javado UK – Hydrangea Deep Purple Dance
- Javado UK – Hydrangea macr. Rendez-Vous’ French Cancan’
- Farplants Sales Ltd – Hibiscus Rose Moon
Best in Category
- Javado UK – Hydrangea macr. Rendez-Vous’ French Cancan’
Trees and Conifers
Silver
- Frank P Matthews Ltd – Cherry Stardust
Best in Category
- Frank P Matthews Ltd – Cherry Stardust
A full list of medal winners is available at http://www.the-hta.org.uk/file.php?fileid=2851
The New Plant Award judges were HTA President Stan Green, Jim Gardiner and Mark Heath from RHS, Marc Rosenberg from Amateur Gardening and Colin Dale from Notcutts.
All New Plant Award entries can be viewed at the show and visitors too can have their say by taking part in the Visitor Vote Awards, sponsored by Floramedia. The winner of the Visitor Vote Award will be announced at 3.30pm on Wednesday 24 June.
