Sakata Ornamentals recently received an Award of Merit from the Council of The Royal Horticultural Society for its popular SunPatiens ‘Variegated Spreading White’ in a ceremony held at De Arendshoeve in Holland. This variety was also granted a Certificate of Cultural Commendation at the same time.
On hand to receive the award was Hiroshi Sakata, the President of Sakata Seed Corporation, and Moriya Kawashima, the breeder of SunPatiens. Mr. Sakata spoke briefly about the durability and exceptional performance of this product under extreme conditions.
Ron Cramer, Sakata’s Global Marketing Manager for vegetative varieties, later said “We are especially honored to receive this award from the Royal Horticultural Society for SunPatiens ‘Variegated Spreading White’. SunPatiens thrive in full sun or shade and have taken over roundabouts and public plantings from the UK to Spain and are rapidly gaining popularity the United States as well. We appreciate that this prestigious award has recognized their appeal .”
The award was presented by Peter Seabrook, a well known broadcaster and editor in Europe. The Royal Horticultural Society is one of the world’s leading horticultural organizations and the UK’s leading gardening charity with 362,000 members and 2,700 affiliated societies worldwide.
About the photo: From left to right is Moriya Kawashima, breeder of SunPatiens, Hiroshi Sakata, President of Sakata Seed Corporation, accepting the award from Peter Seabrook.