Award of Garden Merit

The Award of Garden Merit (AGM ), often abbreviated as Award of Merit is awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society ( RHS ). The RHS gives it to plants that are particularly well suited to garden cultivation in the British Isles. The RHS is distinguished from plants, which significantly enhance the one garden, but they are also growing for gardeners with no major problems. Of the approximately 100,000 plant varieties that are available in the UK, have about 7100 an Award of Garden Merit.

The Award of Merit is divided into different climatic hardness. Once plants are excellent and retain the award. The award can also be withdrawn if a better cultivars appear on the market.

History

The RHS introduced the award in 1922, but he was hardly noticed. 1992 there was a reboot, the RHS decided to align the new award and to name the most important price of the Company. Experimental plantations were now playing a larger role than before. In addition, all excellent plants were checked again in a ten -year cycle.

In the evaluation in 2012 about 1900 varieties lost their distinction, mainly because they were no longer commercially available, or because they were susceptible to certain diseases. It was also possible that they have been replaced by better varieties. In the same evaluation 1400 new plants were added. Following the evaluation, the RHS for certain genres where the market very quickly changes to carry out the evaluation annually decided.

Criteria

Criteria since 2012

For the Award of Garden Merit all plants are suitable, which are traded in the British Isles. This includes fruits and vegetables.

Since the review of 2012, the criteria have changed. They now read:

  • The variety must be outstanding under appropriate conditions.
  • The variety must be available. Gardeners must be able to obtain reasonable quantities at reasonable prices without disproportionate effort.
  • The variety must have a good constitution and be generally healthy.
  • The variety must be stable in form and color, and the plant reliably correspond to the description.
  • The variety must be resistant to diseases and pests, and not particularly susceptible to a specific disease or parasite.

Criteria 1992-2012

The RHS determines the following criteria:

  • The variety must have outstanding decorative or utility for a garden.
  • The variety must be available.
  • The variety must be in good shape.
  • The variety which has been in cultivation neither rare special knowledge required, even a highly specialized equipment.
  • The variety may not be particularly susceptible to a particular disease or a particular pest.
  • The variety may not be excessively prone to variety relapse.

Of the approximately 100,000 plants that are in the British Isles in the trade, were about 7100 won an Award of Garden Merit.

Degrees of hardness

Within the Award of Garden Merit there are no other degrees of quality. The RHS divides the price according to the climatic requirements of the plant. Four degrees of hardness (with intermediate levels and subdivisions ) specify the conditions under which a plant can be grown in the British Isles. The hardness levels are:

  • H1: need a heated greenhouse
  • H2: requires an unheated greenhouse
  • H3: hardy need in some regions of the British Isles, or plants for winter protection
  • H4: hardy in the British Isles

Intermediates are H1 -2, H2 -3, H3 -4 and H1 3 ( Can be used in summer, outside, needed in the winter but a heated room ). For plants, the need heated greenhouses the RHS added recommendations to a minimum temperature, which is either 15, 10, or 2 degrees Celsius.

Selection

The award is bestowed by standing and temporary committees convened by the RHS of a group of experts. In all, several hundred are professional and amateur gardeners and experts involved in the selection, the awards can be awarded:

  • After planting trials on a trial field
  • After Besichtung a specialized plant collection
  • After an extended discussion of the relevant committee

The most important and most frequently applied variant is that of the trial plantings. The extensive discussions and consultations mainly play a role when it comes to evaluate reviews and to withdraw the title again, since there are more suitable varieties.

There is no numerical limit of the selected plants. The more plants of a group are, however, already been awarded, the more are the committees instructed to interpret the criteria more stringent. It is also possible to withdraw the award again. This can happen when a plant is no longer available, when it has become vulnerable to a specific disease or a specific pest, or if it was replaced by another, more suitable variety.

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