A HORTICULTURAL conservation charity is on the hunt for rare and endangered plants.
Plant Heritage is asking borough botanists and gardeners to search their plots (and indoor houseplants) for any interesting varieties that might be winner worthy.
Each year the charity asks green-fingered Berkshire growers to enter the charity’s Threatened Plant of the Year 2025.
This nationwide competition hopes to uncover hidden gems that could be crowned winner at world-renowned RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival in July.
Anyone can enter, from hobbyist amateur gardeners to house plant enthusiasts or professionals.
The charity is looking for named cultivars grown or sold in the UK or Ireland before 2015, no longer available to buy from a nursery, garden centre or another source.
All types of plants can be considered.
Gwen Hines, CEO at Plant Heritage, said: “Our Threatened Plant of the Year competition celebrates the UK’s rich legacy and raises awareness of the fact that many plants – including some considered common – could be at risk of disappearing from our gardens if they aren’t cared for.
“We hope to uncover more rare plants this year, and I’d urge everyone to scour their gardens and other green spaces for potential entrants.”
2025 marks the competition’s sixth year.
Every year, a variety of blooms, some with interesting histories, are submitted, showcasing the wide range of plants grown in this country.
Last year the Irish Garden Plant Society’s rare Aubrieta ‘Shangarry’, an attractive double flowering plant that resembles Parma Violets, won.
In previous years, the following were crowned winners: an ornamental quince – Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Contorta’ – in 2023; a pretty peony – Paeonia ‘Gleam of Light’ – in 2022; a pretty-in-pink Camellia x williamsii ‘Yesterday’ in 2021; and Clematis montana ‘Veitch’, which won the inaugural competition in 2020.
People interested in taking part have until Wednesday, April 30 to find their plants and submit their entries online.
Plant Heritage’s expert judges will then create a shortlist, with some displayed at the charity’s stand at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, before final judging for the overall winner which will take place at the show.
The winner will be announced on Press Day Tuesday, July 1 and will receive an engraved winner’s vase, certificate and special plant label to mark their achievement.
To enter the competition, visit: bit.ly/TPOTY2025 and for more information, visit: plantheritage.org.uk
