 |
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
| |
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
The Award of Garden Merit is a mark of quality awarded, since 1922, to garden plants (including trees, vegetables and decorative plants) by the United Kingdom, Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). Awards are made annually after plant trials intended to judge the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. Trials may last for one or more years, depending on the type of plant being analyzed, and may be performed at Royal Horticulture Society Garden in Wisley and other gardens or after observation of plants in specialist collections. Trial reports are made available as booklets and on the website. Awards are reviewed annually in case plants have become unavailable horticulturally, or have been superseded by better cultivars.
The award should not be confused with the Royal Horticulture Society's Award of Merit (AM), given to plants deemed "of great merit for exhibition" i.e. for show, not garden, plants. [1]
Since 1989, France has had similar awards called the Mérites de Courson, but these are drawn from a limited number of plants submitted by nurserymen to juries at the twice-yearly Journées des Plantes de Courson and awards are based solely on the opinions of the jury members as to the plants' likely performance in French gardens, rather than on extensive trials.
All-America Selections [2] is an independent non-profit organization that tests new, never-before-sold varieties for the home gardener.
Plants of Merit [3] are plants selected for their outstanding quality and dependable performance for the lower Midwest United States.
The Award of Garden Merit was reviewed in 1992, to increase its usefulness and prestige. Field trial results gained weight in the assessments and existing AGM plants were reviewed in the light of more recent experience. The AGMs were to be reviewed at 10 year intervals from 1992, but this frequency has been increased to annually. The 2012/13 review, with advice from experts such as Royal Horticultural Society's plant committees, specialist societies, Plant Heritage National Collection holders and others, resulted in many changes. Nearly 1,900 plants lost their merit awards and more than 1,400 plants gained awards; the list included 7,073 plants after the review. [4]
Plants may be added to the Royal Horticultural Society "Sunset List" for rescission for several reasons, including unavailability to gardeners, better plants becoming available, affliction by pests or diseases, or insufficient uniformity. [4]
To qualify for an Award of Garden Merit, a plant
The "Award of Garden Merit" symbol represents a cup-shaped trophy with handles. It is cited together with a hardiness rating as follows: [4]
Geranium maderense, known as giant herb-Robert or the Madeira cranesbill, is a species of flowering plant in the family Geraniaceae, native to the island of Madeira. It is sometimes confused with another Madeira endemic, Geranium palmatum.
Alstroemeria, commonly called the Peruvian lily or lily of the Incas, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Alstroemeriaceae. They are all native to South America, although some have become naturalized in the United States, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Almost all of the species are restricted to one of two distinct centers of diversity: one in central Chile, the other in eastern Brazil. Species of Alstroemeria from Chile are winter-growing plants, while those of Brazil are summer growing. All are long-lived perennials except A. graminea, a diminutive annual from the Atacama Desert of Chile.
Anemonoides ranunculoides, the yellow anemone, yellow wood anemone, or buttercup anemone, is a species of herbaceous and perennial plant that grows in forests across Europe to western Asia, and less frequently in the Mediterranean region. It is occasionally found as a garden escape.
Cyperus alternifolius, the umbrella papyrus, umbrella sedge or umbrella palm, is a grass-like plant in the large genus Cyperus of the sedge family Cyperaceae. The plant is native to West Africa, Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula, but widely distributed throughout the world. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The subspecies Cyperus alternifolius ssp. flabelliformis is also known as Cyperus involucratusRottb..
Mandevilla laxa, commonly known as Chilean jasmine, is an ornamental plant in the genus Mandevilla of family Apocynaceae.
Ipheion uniflorum is a species of flowering plant, related to the onions, placed in the allium subfamily (Allioideae) of the Amaryllidaceae. It is known by the common name springstar, or spring starflower. Along with all the species of the genus Ipheion, some sources place it in the genus Tristagma, but research published in 2010 suggested that this is not correct. It is native to Argentina and Uruguay, but is widely cultivated as an ornamental and reportedly naturalized in Great Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
Ornithogalum nutans, known as drooping star-of-Bethlehem, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to Europe and South West Asia. It is a bulbous perennial growing to 20–60 cm (8–24 in) tall by 5 cm (2 in) wide, with strap-shaped leaves and green striped, pendent grey-white flowers in spring. It is cultivated, and has naturalized, outside its native range, for example in North America. It has become extremely invasive along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Maryland. At least in North America, it is not as common as Ornithogalum umbellatum.
Geranium dalmaticum, commonly called Dalmatian cranesbill, is a species of hardy flowering herbaceous perennial plant in the genus Geranium of the family Geraniaceae. It is native to Dalmatia on the west coast of Croatia. Growing to only 10 cm (3.9 in) tall by up to 50 cm (20 in) broad, it is cultivated as a garden subject in temperate regions for its low mound of aromatic leaves and soft mauve colored flowers. The palmately lobed glossy green leaves are tinted red in the Autumn. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Cyclamen cilicium is a species of flowering perennial plant in the family Primulaceae. It is native to coniferous woodland at 700–2,000 m (2,300–6,600 ft) elevation in the Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey.
Coronilla valentina, the shrubby scorpion-vetch, scorpion vetch or bastard senna, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Coronilla of the legume family Fabaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin, and introduced into Kenya and the United States. It is an evergreen shrub growing to 80 cm (31 in) tall and wide, with pea-like foliage and fragrant, brilliant yellow flowers in spring and summer, followed by slender pods. Linnaeus observed that the flowers, remarkably fragrant in the daytime, are almost scentless at night.
Mammillaria hahniana, the old lady cactus, is a species of flowering plant in the family Cactaceae, native to central Mexico. It grows to 25 cm (10 in) tall by 50 cm (20 in) broad. The solitary spherical stems, 12 cm in diameter, are covered in white down and white spines. Reddish purple flowers are borne in spring and summer, sometimes forming a complete ring around the apex of the plant.
Epimedium × rubrum, known as red barrenwort, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the family Berberidaceae, cultivated in gardens. It is considered to be a hybrid between E. alpinum and E. grandiflorum. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it the Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
Davallia canariensis, the hare's-foot fern, is a species of fern in the family Davalliaceae. It is endemic to Macaronesia and the Iberian Peninsula. It grows well in a sunny atmosphere and amongst rocks.
The Award of Merit, or AM, is a mark of quality awarded to plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). The award was instituted in 1888, and given on the recommendation of Plant Committees to plants deemed "of great merit for exhibition" i.e. for show, not garden, plants. A higher exhibition award is the First Class Certificate (FCC) given to plants "of outstanding excellence for exhibition".
Rosa 'Cécile Brünner', also known as 'Mlle Cécile Brünner', 'Sweetheart Rose', 'Malteser Rose', or 'Mignon', is a light pink polyantha rose bred in France by Marie Ducher and introduced by her son-in-law, Joseph Pernet-Ducher in 1881. Its parents were a double-flowered R. multiflora and a hybrid tea rose, either 'Souvenir d'un Ami' or a seedling of 'Mme de Tartas'. It is not clear if the rose was named after the sister (1853–1927) or daughter of Ulrich Brunner fils.
Euphorbia fulgens, the scarlet plume, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to Mexico. Growing to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall by 1 m (3.3 ft) broad, it is a deciduous shrub with long, weeping branches and narrow leaves. In winter orange-red flowers growing in the leaf axils cover the length of the branches.
Hypericum kouytchense, the large-flowered St John's wort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae, native to Western China. Growing up to 3 ft (0.91 m) tall and 5 ft (1.5 m) wide, it is a semi-evergreen rounded shrub with blue-green leaves and large yellow flowers with prominent stamens, appearing in midsummer. Flowers are followed by red seed capsules in autumn. Where conditions are favourable it can retain its leaves all year.
Passiflora × violacea, the violet passion flower, is a hybrid between two species of flowering plants, Passiflora racemosa × Passiflora caerulea, in the family Passifloraceae. The name Passiflora × violacea has yet to be resolved as a correct scientific name; nevertheless it is widely found in the horticultural literature.
Passiflora × exoniensis, the Exeter passion flower, is a hybrid of garden origin between two species of flowering plants, Passiflora antioquiensis × Passiflora tripartita var. mollissima in the family Passifloraceae. It was hybridised in the Veitch Nurseries in Exeter, Devon, England, in the 1870s. The name Passiflora × exoniensis has yet to be resolved as a correct scientific name; nevertheless it is widely found in the horticultural literature.