Fleuroselect how it works and 1995 winners When so many new bedding plants are introduced every year, it's difficult to decide which really are good. One way is to check the catalogues for the little red and green symbol which marks the Fleuroselect medal winners. Fleuroselect organises the trialling of new varieties in 25 European sites from Italy to Scandinavia, there are five British sites including the trial grounds at Unwins and Thompson & Morgan. Flower seed companies from all over the world submit their latest varieties before they go on sale and these are grown on each site and compared with the most similar existing varieties. All new varieties entered for the trials are grown under code numbers to ensure anonymity and are judged according to the same carefully controlled criteria. Marks are awarded for habit of growth, uniformity, freedom and length of flowering, and tolerance of disease and bad weather. Marks are also awarded for sheer beauty and also for the extent to which the variety represents a significant advance. Varieties which gain 75% of the maximum possible marks are awarded a Gold Medal and others which don't quite make Gold are awarded the Quality Mark. For 1995 four Gold Medals have been awarded and 23 have the Quality Mark. This all sounds very fine, but does it work? Well, it didn't at first. In the early years Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were awarded and the voting system allowed many varieties which were singularly unsuitable for British conditions, like five zinnias, to gain medals because they did so well in southern Europe. Then from 1990 the rules changed to create only Gold Medals and Quality Marks and the judging criteria were adjusted in the light of nearly twenty year's experience during which time, in Britain at least, gardeners paid little attention to the awards. Now, they are more relevant. One nagging suspicion survives. Although all varieties are entered under code numbers so that their raisers cannot be identified, the experts who do the judging and the committee which runs the organisation have a pretty shrewd idea of who has entered what. As a result there is a feeling in the seed trade that sometimes there is a little juggling of the final results. It is also clear that many flower breeders do not enter their best varieties, preferring to keep them under wraps until they can organise a dramatic launch. In the last six years the system has certainly improved and in general varieties awarded Gold Medals are now perhaps more dependable than earlier winners. But by publishing all the national scores, everything would be seen to be fair and we in Britain might spot varieties which have done well here, if not in Europe as a whole. Gallery of Gold Twenty eight Gold Medals have been awarded since the system changed in 1990 and some of the earlier medal winners would have gained a Gold under the new system. This is my top ten of the medal winners which are still listed in the mail order seed catalogues. Begonia 'Pin-Up' Stunning white flowered tuberous begonia with a red picotee edge. Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise' Double yellow, flowers well in its first season, then for years. Cosmos 'Sonata White' Shorter than usual cosmos, pure white and very prolific. Lavatera 'Silver Cup' Satiny pink cups and still impressive 15 years after its medal. Lobelia 'Compliment Scarlet' Perennial, but flowering well in its first year. Sow early, feed well. Pansy 'Imperial Gold Princess' Sparkling combination of yellow and red. Salvia 'Lady-in-Red' New, taller and more elegant red salvia, good for mixed borders. Salvia farinacea 'Victoria' Another salvia in a different style; tall, slim, dark blue spikes. Verbena 'Peaches and Cream' Unique shades of orange, peach, yellow and cream. Germination can be poor. Viola 'Velour Blue' First in a new style of highly prolific mini-pansy. The 1995 Gold Medal Winners The latest medal winners are an unusual mixture. Fuchsia 'Florabelle' Small purple and red flowers on bushy plants. Prospects: Good. Lobelia 'Fan Deep Scarlet' Dark-leaved perennial lobelia, up to four spikes in its first year. Prospects: Excellent. Nicotiana 'Havana Appleblossom' Novel pink and white bicolour for containers. Prospects: Poor. Papaver 'Pizzicato' Dwarf mix of Oriental poppies, flowering in the first year. Prospects: Good. But... The response of UK gardeners to some of the medal winners has, quite rightly, been very cool. Be cautious about these. Dianthus 'Strawberry Parfait' and 'Raspberry Parfait' White-edged pale and dark pink bicolours but too dumpy and rarely floriferous. Pelargonium 'Orange Appeal' Brilliant orange but poor habit and burns out in hot summers. Try 'Tango Orange' instead. Aster 'Starlight Rose' One impressive burst of large pink flowers on a very dwarf plant, then nothing. Nierembergia 'Mont Blanc' Tiny white bells on spreading plant but rarely flowers well or for long.   First published in Practical Gardening magazine, December 1994 Fleuroselect ©copyright 1999 Graham Rice. All Rights Reserved. All Images Digitally Watermarked.