Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit
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| Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit | |
|---|---|
| Name | Award of Garden Merit |
| Presenter | Royal Horticultural Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Established | 1922 |
| Website | Royal Horticultural Society |
Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit is a plant award conferred by the Royal Horticultural Society to recognize garden-worthy plants that perform reliably in United Kingdom conditions. It functions as a practical guide for gardeners and horticulturists assessing ornamental plants, vegetables, fruit, and herbs for suitability in amateur and professional cultivation contexts. The award's assessments intersect with institutions such as the Kew Gardens, Chelsea Flower Show, RHS Horticultural Committee, and broader networks including botanical gardens, plant nurseries, landscape architects, and horticultural societies.
History
The origins trace to early 20th-century efforts by the Royal Horticultural Society to standardize recommendations following exhibitions like the Great Exhibition and events hosted at Chiswick House Gardens and Wisley. Influences include botanical research from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, plant exchange practices exemplified by the Plant Hunters' Club, and postwar rebuilding of British horticulture after World War I. Throughout the 20th century, judges from institutions such as the University of Reading, Royal Agricultural University, and the National Trust contributed to evolving criteria, while notable horticulturists associated with the award include figures linked to Gertrude Jekyll, William Robinson, Christopher Lloyd (garden writer), and contemporary advisory panels with experts from the Royal Society-linked botanical networks.
Criteria and Evaluation Process
Assessment relies on trials and evaluations overseen by RHS committees and panels including specialists from Kew Gardens, the John Innes Centre, and university departments like Wye College. Criteria emphasize qualities such as ornamental value shown at events like the Chelsea Flower Show and robustness verified by trials akin to those at Wisley, resistance to pests documented in collaboration with DEFRA laboratories and plant health initiatives tied to the Animal and Plant Health Agency networks. Panels consult taxonomic frameworks informed by authorities such as International Plant Names Index and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Evaluations draw on horticultural standards paralleling those used by institutions like the International Horticultural Exposition and rely on peer review among representatives from botanic gardens, nurseries, and professional bodies including the Chartered Institute of Horticulture.
Categories and Types of Awards
The Award of Garden Merit is applied across categories that mirror exhibition classes at the Chelsea Flower Show and collections maintained by organizations like the National Trust and English Heritage. Categories include ornamental cultivars prominent in herbaceous borders, conservatory plants linked to collections at Kew Gardens, culinary varieties aligned with trials at RHS Wisley Kitchen Garden, and city planting selections used by municipal programs in places such as London, Edinburgh, and Birmingham. Parallel awards and recognitions from bodies like the American Horticultural Society, Royal Canadian Horticultural Society, and the International Plant Propagators' Society offer comparative frameworks that influence categorization and the creation of regional lists.
Plant Trials and Testing
Trials are conducted at sites including RHS Wisley, collaborating venues such as Cambridge University Botanic Garden, and networks of volunteer gardens associated with local horticultural societies and educational institutions like the Royal Horticultural Society's Hampton Court Palace Flower Show partners. Trial protocols incorporate observational records comparable to those used in botanical studies at Kew Gardens and experimental methods from agricultural research centres like the John Innes Centre. Data on disease resistance reference diagnostic work from entities such as the Food and Environment Research Agency and plant pathology groups at universities including University of Bristol and University of Nottingham.
Changes and Updates (Delistings, Revisions)
The RHS periodically revises lists, delisting cultivars for reasons paralleling regulatory and scientific processes seen in bodies like the International Union for Conservation of Nature and updating nomenclature in line with databases such as the International Plant Names Index and taxonomic revisions arising from research at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Kew Gardens. Delistings have followed shifts in pest and pathogen status documented by DEFRA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, changes in climate adaptation noted by researchers at institutes like the Met Office and University of Exeter, and the launch of new cultivars promoted through events such as the Chelsea Flower Show.
Impact and Significance to Gardening and Horticulture
The Award of Garden Merit influences commercial decisions by nurseries, retailing at outlets linked with chains like RHS Garden Centres and independent specialists, shapes planting schemes used by municipal authorities in London Boroughs and heritage organisations such as the National Trust, and informs educational curricula at institutions like the Royal Horticultural Society's educational programmes and university horticulture departments. It contributes to conservation priorities in partnership with botanical institutions including Kew Gardens and impacts plant breeding trajectories driven by breeders showcased at venues like the Chelsea Flower Show and documented by registrars such as the International Cultivar Registration Authorities.