They celebrate the excellence of plants: decoding horticultural labels and awards

What are the attribution criteria?

Criteria for awarding horticultural certificates and awards vary by the awards and the organisations that confer them, but all share a common goal: recognise and value excellence, innovation and sustainability in the field of plants and gardening.

Botanical and Aesthetic Excellence

One of the fundamental criteria concerns the beauty and exceptional botanical qualities of plants. This includes aspects such as colour, shape, size of flowers or leaves, and the overall appearance of the plant. Awards aim to showcase varieties that offer a novel or superior visual appeal.

Innovation

Innovation is a key criterion, rewarding plants that bring something new or improved compared with existing varieties. This may involve genetic improvements, such as better resistance to diseases and pests, greater tolerance of extreme climatic conditions, or unique growth characteristics that meet the specific needs of gardeners and landscape designers.

Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility

More and more, award criteria incorporate sustainability and environmental responsibility. Plants that require less water, that are resistant to diseases with no excessive recourse to chemicals, or that contribute positively to local biodiversity, are particularly valued. These aspects reflect the horticultural sector’s growing commitment to more eco-friendly and responsible practices.

Garden Performance

The overall performance of the plant under a range of gardening conditions is also a crucial criterion. This includes its vigour, its ability to flower abundantly and for a long period, as well as ease of cultivation and maintenance.

What are the major international horticultural awards?

Major horticultural certificates and awards are essential benchmarks in the world of gardening and horticulture. Among these honours are a few that enjoy international renown and serve as benchmarks for both professionals and amateur gardeners.

• The Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year, awarded at one of the world’s most prestigious horticultural events, the Chelsea Flower Show organised by the Royal Horticultural Society in the United Kingdom, honours the most innovative and high-performing plants. Since its launch in 2010, this prize highlights varieties that stand out for their beauty, originality or usefulness, strongly influencing gardening trends. You may also be familiar with the Award of Garden Merit, the badge of which regularly appears on product sheets for plants marketed by Promesse de Fleurs. It has been awarded since 1922 based on the performance of ornamental and edible plants and trees.
• All-America Selections (AAS) is another award of great importance, existing since 1932. This independent programme evaluates new plant varieties across various testing centres in North America. Plants that win the AAS Winner title have demonstrated superior performance in gardens and vegetable plots, without the use of chemical treatments, thereby offering gardeners reliable and innovative options for their green spaces.
• Fleuroselect, the international organisation for the ornamental plant industry, awards distinctions to new varieties of flowers that stand out for their innovation, beauty and garden performance. The Gold Medal and Fleuroselect Novelty recognitions are marks of excellence that guide producers’ and consumers’ choices towards high-quality varieties.
• The American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award of Excellence. This award, established by the American Horticultural Society, which has existed since 1922, aims to recognise plants, products or services that demonstrate exceptional horticultural merit. It highlights significant innovations and notable contributions to horticulture, whether these are new plant varieties offering improvements in terms of beauty, resilience, productivity or disease resistance, or techniques and services that improve horticultural practice.

The Agapanthus ‘Black Jack’ was awarded the Chelsea Flower Show Plant of the Year (Plant of the Year) in 2023

Here’s a concise guide to the main French labels and plant-breeding rights (obtention végétale) you’re likely to encounter in horticulture. Main quality and origin labels (France/EU) - AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) / PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) - Signifies origin from a specific region with traditional know‑how and production methods; typically applied to certain fruit, vegetables, and other agricultural products. - IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) / PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) - Indicates a link to a specific area or production zone, with defined quality or characteristics; less stringent than AOP but still region-focused. - Label Rouge - A quality label confirming particularly high quality and standard of production; used for some horticultural products as well as animal products. - AB (Agriculture Biologique) / EU organic logo - Organic certification. AB is the French national mark; EU Organic (the green leaf logo) is the European-wide symbol. Products may carry either or both. - Haute Valeur Environnementale (HVE) - Certification for farms that meet high environmental-value criteria (e.g., biodiversity, reduced chemical inputs). Applies to crops including vegetables and fruits. - Biodynamic (Demeter) - Optional label for biodynamic farming, used by some horticultural producers. - Other regional or product-specific marks - Depending on the crop, there may be additional regional labels or product-specific certifications. Plant-breeding rights and obtention végétale - Droit d’Obtention Végétale (DOV) / Plant Variety Right (PVR) - Legal protection for breeders of new plant varieties. Grants exclusive rights to propagate, sell, and licence the variety. - CPVR / EU Plant Variety Right (PVR) - European level protection via the Community Plant Variety Right, administered through the CPVO (Community Plant Variety Office). France participates in the EU system in parallel with national rights. - How it works (France) - A breeder applies for DOV with the national office (France’s national procedure ties into INPI/fruitful pathways for plant variety protection). The application must show: - Distinctness: the variety is clearly different from existing varieties. - Uniformity: the variety is stable in its characteristics. - Stability: repeated propagation produces consistent traits (the DUS criteria). - If granted, the breeder has exclusive rights for a set term (typically 25 years for most crops; 30 years for trees and vines in many cases) within the territory. - An EU-wide route can be pursued via CPVO for protection across the EU, subject to compliance with DUS tests and procedures. - Practical notes - Rights cover propagation, production, and marketing of the protected variety. - Procedures involve examination, possible oppositions, and maintenance fees. If you’d like, I can tailor this into a WordPress-ready English article for promessedefleurs.com, with careful terminology aligned to UK/Ireland gardeners and a glossary box for key terms.

Quality labels

• Label Rouge : recognised and controlled by the state, it guarantees products of superior quality, with specific characteristics and a strict specification. This label applies to certain plants such as dahlias, roses, Christmas trees, geraniums, the lawn and fruit trees.
• Flower Quality Charter : This label guarantees the quality and freshness of cut flowers, with rigorous monitoring throughout the supply chain.
• Blue Plant/HVE : This label certifies plants produced in an environmentally responsible manner, taking biodiversity, water and fertilisation into account.

Origin labels

• PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) : This label guarantees the geographical origin of a product and its link to a specific terroir. It exists for certain plants such as the Morvan Christmas Tree.
• Flowers of France : This label guarantees that cut flowers have been grown in France under defined ecological and performance-oriented farming practices. Also noted is the Collectif de la fleur française, which promotes locally grown, seasonal flowers, obviously virtuous in terms of ecological impact.

Environmental certification labels

• AB (Agriculture Biologique) : This label guarantees that plants have been produced according to organic farming principles, with no use of chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilisers.

• Osiris Prize: awarded by the French Association of Plant Breeders (AFOP), it recognises the best plant varieties developed in France.
• Varietal Innovation Award : awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, it recognises innovative plant varieties that contribute to the sustainability of farming.
• Gold Plant Award : awarded by the National Horticultural Society of France (SNHF), it recognises plants most remarkable for their beauty, originality and horticultural interest.

It is important to note that these labels are not exhaustive, and there are others specific to certain types of plants or to particular regions.

What is their importance and impact?

Distinctions play a decisive role in highlighting excellence, innovation and sustainability in gardening and horticulture. They not only serve to recognise the efforts and achievements of breeders and producers, but also significantly influence practices and choices within the industry.

As we have seen, horticultural certificates and awards highlight plants and practices that stand out for their exceptional quality, disease resistance, contribution to biodiversity, or their ability to adapt to diverse environments. By highlighting these aspects, the distinctions encourage the whole sector to pursue sustainability and excellence, driving innovation and continuous improvement of plant varieties.

The impact of horticultural certificates and awards on purchasing habits and plant choice is significant, influencing both consumers and professionals in the sector. These distinctions serve as a reliable guide for selecting plants, offering assurance on quality, performance and innovation of prize-winning varieties.

Gardeners often turn to plants that have earned distinctions to ensure their choice. The recognition by a prestigious prize is perceived as a mark of quality and reliability, which can greatly influence the purchasing decision.

Awards emphasising sustainability and environmental responsibility steer purchasing habits toward more eco-friendly choices. This helps raise public awareness of environmental issues related to gardening and promotes more sustainable gardening practices.

Certificates and horticultural awards also play a key role in defining gardening trends. Award-winning plants attract the attention of specialist media, gardening blogs and social networks, helping to popularise certain varieties or plant characteristics.

Fleuroselect awarded Helianthus annuus ‘Desire Red’ in 2024: gold medal and “Approved Novelty”