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Channel: Graham Rice on Trials
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AGMs for hardy chrysanths

In recent years, the Chrysanthemum trial at Wisley has been updated. And the way in which it’s been updated may seem surprising: more older varieties are being included. The reason for this is that the...

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Smaller melons score well in a cloudy summer

Some gardeners are wary of growing melons. But last year’s trial of small-fruited varieties, grown outside, proved that they are not difficult – even in a relatively sunless summer. And these “single...

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Gold Medal winners in Wisley/Fleuroselect trial

The vast array of trials held at the RHS Garden at Wisley is impressive in itself. But the RHS also participates in another trial, a pan-European trial to find the best new annual flowers.Fleuroselect...

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Crocus trial flowering at last

This winter’s weather has delayed flowering of the Crocus trial down on the Portsmouth Field. The first two visits by the assessment panel were cancelled because after all that snow there were so few...

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AGMs for endive

With sowing season approaching, it’s time to take a look at last year’s Wisley trial of endive. This trial was also grown at the RHS gardens at Hyde Hall in Essex and Rosemoor in Devon.Endives may not...

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What a plant needs to get an AGM

What is it that makes a good enough to deserve an AGM (Award of Garden Merit) from the Royal Horticultural Society? Well, with the busy Easter plant buying weekend approaching this seems like a good...

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Award winning raspberries

The number of gardeners growing fruit has rocketed in recent years and soft fruit, in particular, has become very popular. So the completion of a three year raspberry trial comes at a very timely...

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AGM for 'Scrumptious' apple

For the first time in over ten years an apple has been given the Award of Garden Merit. Not since 1998 has an apple received the award, and it’s gone to the very aptly named ‘Scrumptious’.‘Scrumptious’...

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AGM Narcissus at Wisley

All over the country the daffodils are at their peak – and Wisley is no exception. You’ll see the displays almost as soon as you get there. But make your way to the trials field and you’ll find a...

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Daffodils on trial at Wisley

In my last post I looked at the display of daffodils which already have the Award of Garden Merit. But there are also some superb plants in the Wisley trial itself. Planted last autumn, this is their...

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Flowering bergenias

When I was at the RHS Garden at Wisley the other day, most of the bergenias from the recent trial were still in place and were flowering away merrily. It was good to see how prolific some of them are....

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New flowering currant trial

On one of my visits to the Wisley trials field last week I noticed that the new trial of flowering currants, Ribes sanguineum, had been planted. And, it being spring, they were all in flower. And some...

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Irises with colourful new foliage

Down on the Wisley trials field is a small trial of water irises, plants derived from Iris ensata, I. pseudacorus, I. sibirica, I. versicolor and I. virginica. When I looked them over a couple of weeks...

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Improved trials and awards coverage

Well, I’m pleased to say that the RHS has been upgrading its coverage of plant trials and plant awards here on the website. Naturally, this means change and one of the changes is that this blog is...

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Hosta ‘Sara’s Sensation’: New from Bali-Hai Nursery

‘Frances Williams’ is one of our most popular hostas. Basically it’s like Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’ but with a gold edge to the leaf and indeed it is thought to be a sport of ‘Elegans’. ‘Frances...

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Pinks Open Day and more...

The forecast looks just right for the Pinks and Carnations Open Day at Wisley tomorrow. It can be uncomfortably scorching down on the trials field in the summer sun so tomorrow's forecast of cool...

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Sparkling berberis

Plenty of shrubs and climbers on trial have been at their peak recently and the trial of Berberis thunbergii has been consistently colourful. These may not be the most fashionable of plants, but...

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Top wisterias in the trials

Plenty of shrubs and climbers have been at their peak recently including wisterias, honeysuckles, lilacs, Berberis, as well as the less well known Indigofera, Desmodium and Lespedeza, and the panel...

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Brilliant begonia

Been a busy week... I've been covering all the new plants on show at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show over on my RHS New Plants blog. But today, after three early hours dodging the showers at the...

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Buddlejas in bloom

The trial of buddlejas at Wisley is located about as far from most of the other trials as it's possible to be. While almost all the other trials are on the trials field, beyond the double herbaceous...

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Clematis trial is impressive

Growing a trial of climbers can be difficult, especially if there are a lot to include, but the staff looking after the trial have come up with good solution for the more than sixty varieties of...

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Trials reveal plants to avoid (as well as AGM winners)

One of the interesting things about the Wisley trials is that not only do they highlight plants which are deserving of an Award of Garden Merit (AGM) but they also highlight plants which are unusually...

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Trials at East Ruston in Norfolk

The trials at the RHS garden at Wisley in Surrey, just off the M25, are the most impressive trials of garden plants in the country, probably in the world. But the RHS also has a secondary trials site...

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Early favourites in the veg trials

Lots going on amongst the vegetable trials at the moment.The all-female cucumber trial is being grown in a polythene tunnel in the way that most keen home veg gardeners will grow them. This is not a...

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Online pea trial

Every year the RHS tries to accompany its huge trials programme with ventures at its regional gardens and also at East Ruston. And every year we also try to involve RHS members in a trial, to give...

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Vote for your favourite

One of the most exciting developments on the Wisley trials in recent years has been the new opportunity for visitors to vote on their favourite plants.For a number of selected trials, voting papers and...

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Annual climbers

Most trials concentrate on a particular type of plant - usually one genus like Dahlia or Dianthus. But occasionally a whole group of similar plants from a wide variety of genera is trialled together...

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Kniphofia (red hot poker) Open Days

Alongside a new look Wisley Flower Show, starting this coming Friday morning and closing on Sunday afternoon, the RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee is running a series of three Kniphofia Open Days....

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Dazzling celosias

Celosias used to thought of mainly as pot plants, and they were also favourites for decorating events at town halls and other municipal venues. But I grew celosias as summer annuals in mixed borders a...

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Late flowering pinks

One of the benefits of looking over the trials regularly through the season is that it's possible to pick up points that would be missed by simply checking the trials while they're at their most...

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Amaranthus - bold and beautiful

We all know the old cottage garden annual Love Lies Bleeding, Amaranthus caudatus. But down on the Wisley trials field right now is a trial of these impressive and easy-to-grow annuals - with almost...

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Intriguing ipomoeas

The trial of annual climbers at Wisley has thrown up some stars and some disappointments. Both extremes are to be found amongst the ipomoeas.In recent years botanists have decided that, although...

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New (free!) dahlia bulletin

Dahlias are becoming increasingly fashionable. In particular, single-flowered and collarette dahlias are catching everyone's eye so after trialling many of them in recent years the RHS has produced a...

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Double display from delphiniums

One of the glories of the Wisley trials field in early summer are the delphiniums. Tall and magnificent - taller than they ever get in most people's gardens, I have to say, what with all that manure -...

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Dahlias in containers

This year's dahlia trial at Wisley has been unusually fascinating and I'll be reporting on a number of its features over the next few weeks. Picking up on recent trends, this year twenty one of the...

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Awards for irises

Tall Bearded Irises are amongst the most dramatic and colourful of perennials so the very best of them must be really impressive. And they are.The RHS Iris Sub Committee - yes, there's a sub committee...

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Two fine late flowering kniphofias

A week or two back I wrote about delphiniums which came back for a second burst of flowers long after their main flush in June. The last couple of times I was taking a look at the Wisley flower trials...

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Last days of the pampas grass trial

The trial of Cortaderia, pampas grass, has been both dramatic and intriguing. As it comes to a close, with some entries still looking good very late in the year, there was one that stood out above all...

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First season stars in the Wisley clematis trial

Now that the assessment panel - which includes some of the country's leading experts in shrubs and climbers - has finished this year's sessions on the trial of Clematis viticella varieties, it's a good...

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The sweetest sweet corn

Around the world sweet corn is such an important crop that plant breeders are constantly introducing new varieties. Many were on show in this summer's Wisley trial and an interesting feature was how...

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Buddleja – visitor voting and butterfly count

The figures have just become available for both the visitor voting and the butterfly count for the big buddleja trial at Wisley. Visitors were again asked to nominate their favourites and a count was...

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Superb spuria irises

Amongst the many thousands of summer Iris cultivars, it's usually the flamboyant bearded irises that get most of the attention. But the recent trial of Spuria irises again proved what valuable...

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Award winning parsnips

As a staple of Christmas Dinner, this seemed a good moment to take a look at the awards that came out of  this year's parsnip trial at Wisley. Twenty one different varieties were grown, from old and...

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Dark-leaved dahlias

For so long it was the flamboyance of the flowers that was the attraction of dahlias and no one paid any attention to the leaves. These days we take it for granted that many of the best garden dahlias...

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Visitor voting: Amaranthus, Celosia and Dahlia

A most valuable recent innovation at the Wisley trials has been the opportunity for visitors to vote for their favourites. I reported on the results of the buddleja voting back in December, now let's...

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Autumn cabbage: awards and techniques

Autumn cabbage is a valuable crop at a time of year when the season of many summer vegetables is over. So almost fifty different cabbages intended to crop during September, October and November were...

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Weigelas, a mid term assessment

At the far end of the Wisley Pinetum (come out of the restaurant, turn right, keep going) is the trials area where the spectacular buddleja trial has been such a treat. And in the same area, this year...

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Abelias for flower and foliage

For the last three years, there’s been a trial of Abelia varieties at Wisley’s Deer’s Farm. This is a valuable location in Wisley village which provides vital extra space for trials, and a number of...

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Echinacea Fruity Doubles: New from Thompson & Morgan

In recent years there’s been a flood of new echinaceas, mainly from specialist breeders in North America and Europe. First it was all the new yellow and orange and red shades, now it’s double flowered...

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Sweet pea AGMs

The sweet pea trial at Wisley is always a big attraction to visitors – and the fragrance is often as powerful as the colour is enticing. But it’s not just an attractive display, it’s a serious trial...

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