The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has published a list of plants that it considers to be the best-performing in the notoriously unpredictable UK climate.
Around 7,000 different kinds of plant are included in the list – which ranges from herbs and house plants to trees and shrubs
It is hoped that this selection will allow green-fingered enthusiasts and gardening professionals alike to make better-informed choices about what will work best for them, before getting to work nurturing and maintaining them with garden tools.
All of the species included in the list will receive the coveted Award of Garden Merit (AGM) from the national charity.
The AGM was originally founded back in 1992 – and the list has been completely renewed.
Dr John Grimshaw, director of the Castle Howard Arboretum Trust, led the review, which was carried out last year.
Plants that are possible candidates for the AGM can be nominated by one of two routes. They can either be recommended by specialists or RHS Plant Committees, or they can be elected for inclusion as part of an RHS Plant Trial.
After this, they are subject to a rigorous and robust selection process by several gardeners with a very broad range of experience between them.
Director of horticulture at the RHS Jim Gardiner said that the new AGM list is demonstrative of the very reasons his organisation exists in the first place – to share and promote the very best in gardening.
"The knowledge and expertise of our trials forums and Plant Committees – and their dedication to share that knowledge with all gardeners – has resulted in systems that will help ensure we can all make the very best decisions about the plants we purchase," he remarked.
"Gardeners should be confident that the plants they are purchasing have been objectively assessed to ensure they will perform as described," the expert added, in reference to the RHS AGM logo.
