UK: SunPatiens receive prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM)

SunPatiens from leading independent producer and supplier of young plants, Earley Ornamentals, have been awarded the prestigious RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM). The award, whilst helping gardeners choose the best plants for their garden, builds on this power flower’s reputation for landscaping performance and will offer growers and retailers significant commercial opportunity.

Easy to grow and easy to care for, SunPatiens are a hybrid with New Guinea Impatiens making them disease resistant and weather tolerant too. This robust garden performer excels in full sun or shade, providing versatile landscaping options.

As the UK's primary distributor of SunPatiens, Earley entered a selection of SunPatiens into the RHS 2014 Plant Trials at Wisley in Surrey, which was assessed by the Trial Forum. Chaired by Mr Greg Redwood of Kew Garden, the forum comprised 10 people all with the skill-set needed to bring a wealth of knowledge to the trial and make a sound and robust judgement.

SunPatiens awarded RHS AGM
Of the SunPatiens entered, the following were awarded the RHS AGM:
• Compact Blush Pink
• Compact Electric Orange
• Spreading White variegated leaf
• Spreading Salmon variegated leaf

Upper left: Spreading White variegated leaf, Upper right: Compact Blush Pink. Bottom left: Compact Electric Orange, Bottom rigth: Spreading Salmon variegated leaf.

Whilst these varieties entered, were awarded an RHS AG:
• Spreading Corona
• Compact Hot Coral

SunPatiens wins 1-2-3 in RHS People’s Choice Awards
In addition to the AGM award, visitors to the RHS Wisley Plant Trials garden voted for their favourite in the RHS People’s Choice Award.

Earley’s SunPatiens Spreading Salmon variegated leaf came first in the ‘Containers’ category, Compact Electric Orange came second and Spreading White variegated leaf took third place. Whilst SunPatiens Electric Orange came equal second in the ‘Borders’ category.

Commenting on the awards, Earley Ornamentals’ managing director, Simon Earley, said: “What an achievement for the team. This really has been the year for Earley’s SunPatiens. We have been getting some great feedback from customers using SunPatiens for parks bedding so we already knew it was an exceptional performer. But with the HTA awards earlier this year, this additional independent endorsement cements our belief that SunPatiens are a serious contender for landscapers, growers and retailers in 2015. We expect to see a particular boost for the award winning colours.”

RHS’ Trials Development Manager, Mark Heath said: “The SunPatiens trial proved very interesting and revealing about the performance of this product in the UK, in both garden border and patio container situations. We will be writing a full report during the winter months about the trial, which will be published and available on our trials website.”

Committed to producing quality young plants for the UK market, Earley Ornamentals is a leading, independent family-run business that is proud to be the selected partner for many of the UK's leading commercial and retail growers.

With an extensive product range of high quality stock designed to meet the needs of today's professional growers, over 180m young plants, made up of 1,700 varieties, are grown each year at Earley’s state-of-the-art 12-acre site near Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

For more information
Earley Ornamentals Ltd
T: 01845 524511
Email: info@earleyplants.co.uk
www.earleyornamentals.co.uk