Colegrave Seabrook Foundation launches Peter Seabrook Award

Colegrave Seabrook Foundation launches Peter Seabrook Award: The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation is launching The Peter Seabrook Award today for Best New Plant at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, in honour of the charity’s late founding trustee, Peter Seabrook. The muchloved gardening writer, presenter and expert plantsman passed away in January 2022.

The development of new plants was of great importance to Peter who curated the spectacular Plant Pyramids at BBC Gardeners’ World Live in 2018 and 2019, featuring more than 4,000 plants, many of them brand new varieties. New plants were also an important and extremely popular part of the Peter Seabrook tribute display at BBC Gardeners’ World Live in 2022. In an exciting development, The Peter Seabrook Award for Best New Plant at BBC Gardeners’ World Live will be the highlight of a new feature display called Hot Off the Potting Bench, a showcase for new plant varieties launching at the show.

Open to growers and breeders, the new award will celebrate new plants and varieties that have star quality. The judges, leading experts in their field, will be looking for new varieties, colour breaks or characteristics that improve on an existing variety. To qualify, plants may have been exhibited at another event in 2023 but must not have been available for sale to the public prior to the opening day of BBC Gardeners’ World Live on 15 June 2023. Plants may have been kept secret by growers and breeders or may be coming on line for the 2024 season and might not yet have a name.

BBC Gardeners’ World Live visitors will get an exclusive preview of these future garden stars on display as part of the Hot Off The Potting Bench feature in the Floral Marquee where they can vote for their favourite. The Peter Seabrook Award for Best New Plant will be awarded at the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Press Preview at Birmingham’s NEC on 14 June 2023. The Visitors’ Choice winner will be announced at the Show on Sunday 18 June.

Entries will be on display at BBC Gardeners’ World Live, including:

Peter’s Persica from Chris Warner of Warner’s Roses. This colourful new repeat flowering climbing variety of the Persica hybrid is a vibrant yellow with a red eye, great for pollinating insects.

Nemesia Melody from Tim Kerley at Kerley & Co., a hardy, scented, free/long flowering Nemesia. Tim honed his skills as a horticulturalist and plant breeder with support from The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation and is donating half of the income from Nemesia Melody to the charity.

Petunia 19-672-10 with unique ruffled flower petals and Petunia 20-957-1 with a vibrant ruby colour, both from Kerley & Co. (so new they are yet to be named).

Two brand new pollen-free Lily varieties from Marshland Flower Bulbs, one double flowered and one large single flowered, with gently scented, long lasting flowers.

Sundaville Double Blush Pink, the world’s first true Double Mandeville with stunning double blush pink flowers, a superb pot and summer garden climbing plant. Xerochrysum Granvia Glace White with large paper-like flowers which smother this easy-to-grow pot or garden plant. Scaevola Stardiva Series, a unique star-shaped series of Scaevola, available in White, Blue and Lavender, an easy-to grow basket or container plant. Petunia Surfinia Trailing Big Red, Trailing Big Pink, Trailing Hot Pink Cherry and Trailing Burgundy Yellow Picotee, new introductions with large flowers and the typical mound/trailing habit so loved of Surfinia. All bred by MNP Suntory.

Sunflower Desire Red, a new red sunflower variety. A trio of new Tomatoes: Toddler Hybrid, produced for its exceptional flavour in a bite-sized red fruit; Bliss Hybrid with snack sized, bright yellow, high yielding fruits; and Black Moon, setting new standards in black fruited tomatoes, plus Basil Batik, a new Thai Basil variety with aromatic leaves and spikes of burgundy flowers. All bred by Burpee Seeds.

Also expected are two new Cherries from one of the world’s leading fruit and ornamental tree breeders: a new early fruiting, self-fertile eating Sweet Cherry, grown on Gisela 5 rootstock with large, black/red, sweet, productive fruit, ideal for small spaces and patio growing; and a new ornamental Flowering Cherry.

BBC Gardeners’ World Live visitors can find out about these and other entries at the Let’s Talk Plants Stage in the Floral Marquee where plant expert, Nicci Gow, will be presenting daily sessions to introduce the plants and share growers and breeders’ advice on how to grow, plant and prune them.

Neil Gow, Trustee at The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation, said: “Peter opened doors for so many of us in the world of Horticulture and got Nicci and I involved with BBC Gardeners’ World Live and new plants a number of years ago. We see it as a privilege to be able to carry on just some of the good work Peter did over all his years. We are very grateful to the event organisers, the Seabrook family and all the growers and breeders who entrust us with their new varieties, to be able to bring these to show visitors who we know just love to see and learn about new plants.”

Bob Sweet, Horticultural Director at BBC Gardeners’ World Events said: “It is a great honour for BBC Gardeners’ World Live to carry this prestigious award to honour Peter’s name. Peter was an integral part of our event and we are delighted that his name lives on. We are grateful to be working with The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation to bring this great feature to life.”

To enter the Peter Seabrook Award, judges advise growers and breeders to present a good pot full of plant, ideally in a plastic or lightweight ornamental pot no more than 450mm (18”) in diameter, including grower pots straight off the nursery. Entries need a stick-in label that includes the plant variety, company name and logo. The plant’s ‘magic story’ is also required, with everything the gardening public will want to know such as weather tolerance, hardiness, flowering time and period, feeding, pruning, and where it can be bought. Plants that are being seen in public for the first time at BBC Gardeners’ World Live will be labelled as ‘exclusive’. Entries should be delivered to the NEC Birmingham on Monday 12 June or earlier by arrangement. For award entry forms, contact Neil Gow at The Colegrave Seabrook Foundation, email: neil.gow1@btinternet.com

Tickets for BBC Gardeners’ World Live are on sale now. Event highlights include inspiring Show Gardens, Beautiful Borders and Floral Marquee, plant and garden shopping, advice from experts including BBC Gardeners’ World TV presenters and Magazine editors, walks and tours, live entertainment and entry to BBC Good Food Show Summer.

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