Lady Mata Hari named best novelty at Plantarium

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Jong 01' (Lady Mata Hari) has been chosen as the best Plantarium Novelty 2017. The plant was submitted by De Jong Plant B.V. from Boskoop.

"The Hydrangea Macrophylla range is so large that it is very hard to come up with something new," according to the jury. "The unique thing about this plant is the different phases of the separate flowers; dark coloured and lighter flowers in one head. Moreover, the plants are sturdy and compact, have strong flowers and can easily be 'blued'. The plant is versatile and has a good presentation."

Three gold awards
In addition to the best novelty, two other plants were awarded gold by the jury. Clematis 'Zo09113' (Pernille), submitted by Clematiskwekerij J. van Zoest from Boskoop, and Diervilla splendens 'El Madrigal' (Diva), submitted by Van Vliet New Plants from Stroe, were awarded a gold medal. The jury also awarded seven silver and fourteen bronze medals.

69 plants judged
At the 35th edition of Plantarium, 97 plants were submitted for the novelty showcase. Ultimately, 69 of these were judged. According to the jury this is a good number. Unfortunately, a number of participants were forced to withdraw their entries due to unforeseen circumstances. The judging of the novelties is done by a professional judging committee from the Koninklijke Vereniging voor Boskoopse Culturen (The Royal Society for Boskoop Cultures).

After the trade fair, the best Plantarium novelty gets a place in the Harry van de Laar assortment garden in Boskoop. The Best Novelties of the past years have been planted in a dedicated Plantarium border. The plants here can count on a lot of attention from the public. Besides this, it can be observed how the plant performs in terms of ornamental and practical value when planted in the garden. The best novelty will also be exhibited at the trade fair GrootGroenPlus in Zundert from 4 to 8 October and at the Italian event Orticolario, which will take place in the Villa Erba Park near Lake Como from 29 September until 1 October.

Other awards
More prizes were awarded at the trade show: F.N. Kempen BV and Duif International won the award for best stands at the show, and a panel of international journalists handed out the Press Award to FleuraTerrazza concept and Cercis canadensis 'The Rising Sun'.

The 35th edition of Plantarium will be held from 23 to 26 August 2017 in the Plantarium building at the International Trade Centre Boskoop-Hazerswoude. Further information can be found on www.plantarium.nl.

Publication date: Wed 23 Aug 2017