Frank P Matthews wins double and Ball takes Best Stand at HTA Show
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Ball received the award for Best Stand
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Frank P Matthews wins HTA New Plants Award and Visitor Vote.
Frank P Matthews has taken the double win for the HTA New Plants Awards and been awarded the Visitor Vote, sponsored by Floramedia, at the HTA National Plant Show 2025 at the NAEC, Stoneleigh.
The tree specialists also took home Best in Category – Trees, and Best in Show yesterday, sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), for their tree Prunus Sumaura Fugenzo Japanese Lantern.
Prunus Sumaura Fugenzo boasts unique flower colours and forms among all Sakura cherries. It showcases stunning, densely double-frilled flowers with white, pink, and green petals that deepen in colour as they age. This medium-sized, spreading tree has bronze young leaves that mature to green and display vibrant autumn colours. It’s an exceptional garden performer, thriving across all regions of the UK and in a variety of soil types, except those that are heavily waterlogged.
This year also marks the return of the award for Best Stand, which has been awarded to Ball. The judges were Will Armitage - HTA President, Alan Down - HTA Immediate Past President and Down to Earth and Kimberley Hornby George – Co-Chair of the Garden Media Guild.
The judges were looking for an innovative display with great quality plants and attention to detail that really showcases the brand, and that is what Ball achieved.
Will Armitage, HTA President, said: “Ball has been crowned the best stand winner because you can see what they are trying to do, the story they are trying to tell. They are showcasing their best products and highlighting what they do best, without losing impact.”
Gareth Powell from Ball, who designed the stand, said: “We’re really proud to win Best Stand at the HTA National Plant Show. Sometimes less is more, and that’s what we tried to achieve here. It’s a great team effort and I’m really happy for all the guys back in West Adderbury who grew the plants.”
The runners-up for Best Stand were Allensmore and Profitplant UK.
The HTA National Plant Show is currently on at the NAEC, Stoneleigh, 18 – 19 June 2025 www.nationalplantshow.co.uk