For the first time in its history the RHS is trialling pak choi thanks to its rise in popularity with TV chefs prompting more and more gardeners to grow it themselves. The new trial features 27 different cultivars of Brassica rapa Chinensis Group including ‘Natsu Taiko’, ‘Lunar Queen ‘, ‘Colour and Crunch’ and ‘Summer Breeze’.
According to Thompson & Morgan there has been a sustained increase in sales of pak choi, due to the introduction of new F1 hybrids. It can be eaten raw in salads; stir fried; steamed or pickled. The flowering stems of some cultivars, cut just before the flowers open, are tender and tasty.
Other new and ongoing 2010 trials include: daffodil; asparagus; dwarf French bean, blackcurrant & collections; carrot; spring cabbage; winter squash (exc. pumpkin/butternut); Alstroemeria; Argyranthemum; Campanula; garden Dianthus; Delphinium; hardy Chrysanthemum; Median Bearded iries; Siberian and wetland irises; sweet pea; spring-flowering Crocus; Meconopsis; Roscoea; Dahlia; Buddleja davidii; Clematis Viticella Group; Lonicera (climbing deciduous); Ribes sanguineum; Weigela.
The trials committees and panels (with more than 170 members) study the progress of plants over a period of between one and three years. At the end of the trials, the plants deemed to deliver outstanding excellence for ordinary garden use receive the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
Many of the committee members, such as Fergus Garrett of Great Dixter House and Gardens, are international experts in their horticultural field.
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