Award of Garden Merit Plants and RHS Recommendations

The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a prestigious honor bestowed upon plants that have demonstrated exceptional performance and reliability in UK gardens. This distinction is awarded by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

Plants with the AGM label have undergone rigorous testing and evaluation by the RHS, ensuring they meet specific standards for growth, flowering, and hardiness. This guarantee provides gardeners with confidence in their plant choices.

The RHS recommends AGM plants for their ability to thrive in a wide range of conditions, from full sun to shade, and in different soil types. This versatility makes them ideal for gardeners of all skill levels and experience.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is a well-respected organisation in the horticulture world. They have a long history of recognising excellence in horticulture.

The RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is one of their most prestigious awards. It's given to plants that have achieved a high level of excellence in their field.

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To achieve the AGM, plants must meet certain criteria, including being of outstanding excellence for ordinary garden decoration or use. They must also be available, of good constitution, and not require highly specialist growing conditions or care.

So far, over 7,500 plants have been recognised with the AGM, including fruit, vegetables, shrubs, perennials, and trees and flowers.

The RHS Plant Advice is a valuable resource for gardeners of all levels. The Royal Horticultural Society has over 75,000 plants listed in their plant finder, making it a daunting task to choose the right plant for your garden.

The RHS has a solution to this problem with their Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM) list, which is a highly valued award. This list is a great place to start if you're looking for plant recommendations for your garden.

The RHS is recognised as one of the leading horticultural organisations in the world, so you can trust their advice.

The RHS has over 75,000 plants listed in their plant finder, making it a daunting task to choose the right one for your garden.

Choosing the wrong plant for the wrong location can be overwhelming, especially for new gardeners. The RHS Award of Garden Merit (RHS AGM) list can help you make an informed decision.

To achieve RHS AGM status, a plant must meet specific criteria, including being available, having good constitution, and not requiring highly specialist growing conditions or care.

Over 7,500 plants have been recognised with the Award Garden Merit (AGM), including fruit, vegetables, shrubs, perennials, and trees and flowers.

The RHS AGM list is a great place to start when looking for plant recommendations for your garden.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) takes its plant assessments very seriously, and they're not afraid to make changes based on new information. The Award of Garden Merit was reviewed in 1992 to increase its usefulness and prestige.

In 2012/13, the RHS conducted a major review of the AGM plants, which resulted in a significant overhaul of the list. Nearly 1,900 plants lost their merit awards, while more than 1,400 plants gained awards. This review was done with the advice of experts from various organizations, including the RHS's plant committees and specialist societies.

The RHS now reviews the AGM plants annually, rather than every 10 years as previously planned. This more frequent review process allows them to keep the list up-to-date and relevant.

Here's a rough breakdown of the changes that occurred during the 2012/13 review:

The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a prestigious recognition given to plants that meet certain standards. The AGM is reviewed regularly to ensure each plant still meets the requirements.

A panel of experts in areas such as selection, cultivation, plant trials, retail, and social media evaluates the plants. They consider criteria like excellent performance in ordinary conditions, availability, good constitution, and high homogeneity of form and color.

The experts also assess the plants' resistance to pests and diseases, and they must be "assez résistant" or fairly resistant.

The award process has a rich history. In 2025, the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) conducted Plant Trials and Awards.

The RHS has a long-standing tradition of recognizing excellence in plant varieties. The RHS Plant Trials and Awards are a prestigious honor.

Here are some notable RHS Plant Trials and Awards milestones:

To qualify for an Award of Garden Merit, a plant must be available horticulturally. This means it can be grown and cultivated by gardeners.

The experts looked for plants that are of outstanding excellence for garden decoration or use. They wanted to see plants that are visually striking and can add beauty to a garden.

A plant must also be of good constitution, meaning it should be healthy and resilient. The experts checked for signs of disease or pests that could harm the plant.

The Award of Garden Merit criteria also state that a plant should not require highly specialist growing conditions or care. This means gardeners shouldn't need to go to great lengths to keep the plant healthy.

A plant should also not be particularly susceptible to any pest or disease. This ensures that the plant is relatively easy to care for and won't be frequently damaged by pests or disease.

The final criterion is that a plant should not be subject to an unreasonable degree of reversion. This means the plant should retain its characteristics and not revert to a previous state.

Here are the six hardiness ratings that can be associated with the Award of Garden Merit symbol: