The Golden Jubilee Award

To mark five decades of TV gardening, the Gardeners’ World programme team has launched the Golden Jubilee Award. The accolade will be awarded to the plant that’s had the most impact on our gardens in the past 50 years, as voted for by you, GW readers and viewers. Monty and the other nine GW presenters are each championing a plant for the shortlist, and you’ll get a chance to vote from Friday 19 May. The winner will be revealed on TV and at Gardeners’ World Live on 16 June. Monty’s choice was revealed on the first programme of the series, and he explains why bedding plants deserve your vote: “People could drive to a garden centre, see the plants the wanted – and in the case of bedding, usually in flower – buy them, load the car and have them planted within half an hour. This dramatically changed the way we gardened.” And Nick Bailey put dahlias into the mix, revealing why they should take the crown: “The way dahlias have transformed from a niche show-bench plant to a fashionable garden essential is remarkable.”