After entering the market in Spring 2016, our new Calendula ‘PowerDaisy Sunny’ has been placed third in the RHS “New Plant of the Year” award; it was the only patio plant to reach the top rankings. Val Bourne, in a judge’s eye-view of the Plant of the Year competition concluded: “If innovation truly counts, the first long-flowering, sterile Calendula, ‘PowerDaisy Sunny’, is a real breakthrough”.
PowerDaisy Sunny is an all-new plant derived from crosses between three species. It was bred by Tim, who started the project 11 years ago while he was still a student at Reading University. His aim was to bring the toughness of wild perennial Calendulas to the bright colour of annual Calendula officinalis.
The resulting hybrid produces an abundance of brightly coloured, double yellow daisies, amidst a wealth of dark green foliage and has a strong free-branching spreading habit. It is exceptionally hardy, being frost resistant to about -10 degrees as a young plant, tolerant of heat, rain and drought. But perhaps its biggest trump cards are its strong tolerance to disease, especially mildew, and – the avid gardener’s dream – it will not scatter lots of unwanted seedlings, being virtually sterile.
Plantsman Graham Rice said, from his experience: “A new take on an old favourite. I’ve grown this myself and I was very impressed.”
Tim summarises: “Sunny will give gardeners nine months of colour, come rain or shine, in many situations with the bare minimum of care.”
Download PowerDaisy Sunny Press Release
