Award of Garden (AGM) Merit Changing

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has today announced that its Award of Garden Merit (AGM) brand is being strengthened, making it more relevant to the needs of gardeners and garden centres. There is also brand new logo launched by the charity for this important plant selection service for gardeners.

With the new logo was created with input from members of the trade, both growers and retailers, and from the various RHS Plant Committees. There has been very positive support and there is a greater willingness to use the RHS AGM logo by the trade as a way to support customers. The RHS AGM is recognised as one of the key ways to help gardeners select good, all purpose plants.

"We like the new logo it is more meaningful at first glance," says Darby Nursery Stock's Sales Director, Jane Darby.

"It should encourage customers to choose RHS AGM plants for better performance and create more successful gardeners."

The Award which was first introduced in 1922 although the charity has been has been helping gardeners select plants that best suit their individual growing conditions for more than 200 years now. The RHS has given the award to over 1,000 fruit and vegetable varieties.

"We are really excited with the new design and increasing involvement of the trade with our Award," says Jim Gardiner, Director of Horticulture at the RHS.

"Our committees are all very supportive of increasing awareness of the RHS AGM amongst gardeners. Their work underpins our horticultural pursuits, we have very dedicated, hard working and knowledgeable members whose role is to ratify all RHS AGMs from our trials or round table discussions. We are very grateful for their time and efforts without which we would not be able to run this important service to gardeners"

The RHS is also hosting the world's first International Trials Conference this year from the 4th to 7th July at RHS Garden Wisley which is already attracting high interest. The response from the horticultural trade has been very positive. Confirmed sponsors include Floranova, Beenkenkamp Plants, Thompson & Morgan, PLA and PanAmerican Seeds.