A beautiful dark purple agapanthus Blackjack, bred at The Aloe Farm in Hartbeespoort was crowned Plant of the Year at the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London this week.
“We are stunned and so proud. It is like winning the world cup for flowers, said Andy de Wet of The Aloe Farm. Andy, with colleague Quintin Bean, bred the stunning plant. De Wet and Bean have spent almost two decades crossing, combining, and recombining thousands of carefully selected agapanthus varieties to produce Blackjack.
“It was an intensive scientific and expensive process over 18 years to finally produce Blackjack. We knew it would be popular at the Chelsea Flower Show but we did not bargain for a win. It is like playing rugby in the world cup, you never know what is going to happen.”
What makes this agapanthus so special is not just the very dark purple colour, it is a strong-growing plant that is disease-resistant and produces strong upright stems with bigger and fuller flower clusters that do not droop and flower for a long period.
This was not the breeders’ first time at the Chelsea Flower Show. Their Fireworks agapanthus came third at the 2018 Chelsea Flower Show. “We were unlucky, our timing was off. The plant only started blooming when it was time for the Chelsea Flower Show. Two weeks later it won first prize at a trade fair in England!”
This time, their timing was perfect.
Why did they decide on the agapanthus? “I have always loved agapanthus and it was a natural choice for us,” De Wet says.
The Aloe Farm is introducing another new agapanthus during an agapanthus festival at The Aloe Farm in October. In addition, it is introducing a new Dietes in June.
De Wet and Bean are also working on other indigenous plant species. “It all started with aloes when we opened The Aloe Farm in Hartbeespoort and we have been breeding all along. There are exciting things happening at the farm.”
The Aloe Farm draws thousands of visitors from all over the world every year during June when their aloes are in full bloom. It is a spectacular sight that should not be missed by plant lovers.
