A variety of the herbaceous perennial from Hartbeespoort has landed the Plant of the Year award at the UK's premier gardening event.

With its striking blooms in vibrant purple, the Agapanthus Black Jack stands tall at the world famous Chelsea Flower Show in London, and it has every reason to. This week the plant was named the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Plant of the Year, a prestigious award for the creation out of the heart of North West.

Developed at De Wet Breeders in Hartbeespoort by Andy de Wet and Quinton Bean, the Agapanthus Black Jack boasts up to 10 times more florets per flowerhead than other varieties, according to the RHS. Each stem is packed full of bloom and colour, with eye-catching striped florets in deep purple shades.

According to the breeders, the Black Jack is perfect for gardens, with a longer flowering season than the traditional agapanthus.

"We are overwhelmed," De Wet told Daily Maverick.

"Quinton [Bean] and I are both just regular plant nerds, you know. To be able to get this achievement, it's really something special."

De Wet may be a regular plant nerd, but this perhaps discounts the immense amount of work that went into developing this plant. Black Jack has been in development for more than 18 years, refined by patience, learning...