The search for rare and unusual plants across the UK kicks-off this month with the launch of Plant Heritage’s Threatened Plant of the Year 2024 competition.

Open to anyone, from hobbyist gardeners to professionals. All entrants need to do is look for any rare, unusual or special named cultivars growing in their gardens.

Submissions must not be currently available for purchase from a nursery, garden centre or any other source, but all must have been grown or sold in the UK or Ireland prior to 2014.

Those looking to enter can submit up to five different cultivars of any kind- all entries must be submitted by 19 May 2024.

Submissions will then be shortlisted by a panel of judges from Plant Heritage. The winner will be presented with an engraved Threatened Plant of the Year 2024 winner’s vase, certificate and special plant label at this year’s RHS Hampton Court on Monday 1 July.

Commenting on the competitions ecological significance, business manager at Plant Heritage, Gill Groombridge says;

“Plants play a fundamental role in helping mitigate against the effects of climate change, so it’s hugely important to conserve our rich horticulture by knowing what plants we have and working to breed more of them if we can.”

Now entering its fifth year, the competition has prompted several rare species to be brought forward, including last year’s winning submissions by David Ford (as seen above) – a Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Contorta’ – an ornamental quince thought to be only one of five of its kind still known to exist in the UK.

For more information on the Threatened Plant of the Year 2024 competition, visit here.