Fulfilling the criteria for the plant that makes a statement and a retro comeback as well as the plant, judges would like to see used more, it was the overall winner by a 5:3 vote. The other two plants in the running were Pilea peperomoides and Maranta 'Tricolour'.
Judging took place by email this year as various other engagements came up making it impossible for judges to get together on the same day.
The judges were:
- Kathy Fediw of i-Plants and the Board of Green Plants for Green Buildings
- Joe Zazzera of Plant Solutions and Visionary Chair of Green Plants for Green Buildings
- Matthew Appleby of Horticulture Week
- Jim & Lisa Wilkinson and the team at Pro Landscaper
- Claudia de Yong, Award winning garden designer
- Jane Perrone, journalist and podcaster
- Rona Wheeldon, author of the Flowerona blog
- Chris Collins, Landscape gardener and ex-Blue Peter gardener
Kathy Fediw said, "I had a chance last year to eat some of its fruit at a farmer’s market in Australia, and it was indeed delicious!"
Others put it in the number one spot for its aesthetic appeal, its retro statement, its glorious leaves and its hardiness.
This plant can grow to 3-5 metres tall in the pot with aerial roots - in the wild it uses these to cling onto trees and support itself - and will need support and possible pruning if it gets too leggy. Its leaves can grow to a metre wide and long. Its original home is South America where it naturally grows up tree trunks. Popular in the 1970s, it is gaining in popularity again.
For more information:
Plants at Work
PO BOX 196, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 7PF
T: +44 (0)1794 521744
PO BOX 196, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 7PF
T: +44 (0)1794 521744