THE AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT. 
THE AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT. 
By F. J. Chittenden, F.L.S., V.M.H. 
As announced in the Annual Report, the Council of the Royal Horti- 
cultural Society has just established a new award especially intended 
to mark plants of proved and outstanding excellence for garden use. 
It is to be known as the " Award of Garden Merit," and will be 
bestowed by the Council on the recommendation of the Wisley Garden 
Committee, generally, but not necessarily exclusively, to plants which 
have been thoroughly tried at Wisley. It may be given to plants 
long grown in our gardens as well as to more recent introductions, 
provided they are of outstanding merit in their class and do not 
require very special treatment to bring out their excellences. 
The awards made so far are given below, together with such notes 
upon them as our Fellows may find useful. 
i. Hamamelis mollis (ng. 47). 
Award of Garden Merit, January 31, 1922. 
This Chinese species of a genus represented by Hamamelis arborea 
and H. japonica in Japan, and H . virginiana and H. vernalis in America 
(all of them now growing in British gardens), was introduced in 1879 
by Maries to Messrs. Veitch's Coombe Wood Nursery, but did not 
become well known for a long time. It is the finest of the genus, 
both in flower and foliage, and particularly valuable in the shrub 
border in January, when it produces its delightfully fragrant golden- 
yellow flowers in profusion in clusters along the base of last year's 
twigs. The long narrow petals are straight (not crumpled, as in 
other members of the genus), rich golden yellow except for the reddish 
base, and set in a red-brown calyx, smooth within and hairy without. 
The bush grows to 6 feet or 8 feet in height (possibly more), and has 
stout spreading branches. It is accommodating as regards soil, but 
grows best in good loam. When young a little leaf soil aids it, 
but later it can fend for itself. It requires no pruning unless to correct 
a slight tendency to sprawl. It would be easy to err, however, in 
attempting to confine it too rigidly, for its spreading habit is one 
of its charms. It grows well at Wisley, both in the open and in the 
light shade of oaks. 
2. Crocus Tomasinianus. 
3. Crocus speciosus. 
Awards of Garden Merit, February 22, 1922. 
These two species of Crocus are both good doers, and will, with 
ordinary care, increase rapidly in any well-drained British garden. 
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