Chelsea Flower Show: Ipswich seed firm wins triple in plant of year

Judges crowned the multi-stemmed agapanthus black jack as "plant of the year" for 2023

An Ipswich-based seed firm has become the first to supply plants that have taken the top three prizes for "plant of the year" at Chelsea Flower Show.

Thompson and Morgan supplied the black jack agapanthus, which judges declared the 2023 winner, with its hydrangea coming second and a weigela third.

Peter Freeman, new product development manager, said the company was "absolutely thrilled".

The agapanthus took 15 years to come to fruition.

It was bred by De Wet Breeders of South Africa and exhibited at the flower show by Sparshold College in Hampshire.

"It's the darkest of all the agapanthus, and what the breeders have been so clever at doing is creating darker flowers, creating bigger flowers, but also creating plants that send up more flower spikes," said Mr Freeman.

Euphoria pink hydrangea won second prize in "plant of the year"

Meanwhile, the euphoria pink hydrangea was bred in Japan with variegated foliage that changes colour as the temperature rises.

Coming third, the weigela camouflage was bred at the company's nursery at Ipswich.

According to Mr Freeman, winning a triple for any developer is a first and he praised the team's hard work for its success.

The weigela camouflage, bred in Ipswich, came third at Chelsea

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