NGB reveals 2025 Green Thumb Award winners
The National Garden Bureau (NGB) has revealed the winners of the 2025 Green Thumb Awards.
These awards, established in 1998, recognize exceptional new plant varieties and gardening products that meet rigorous criteria, including uniqueness, innovation, problem-solving capabilities, and overall appeal to gardeners. Brokers, growers, retailers and others are free to use the appropriate Green Thumb logos that are accessible here.
Winners of the “Professional’s Choice” award were selected by a panel of National Garden Bureau members, while winners of the “People’s Choice” award were selected by the National Garden Bureau’s home gardener community.
2025 Professional’s Choice Green Thumb Award Winners
Flowering Shrub: Euonymus ‘Fire Ball Seedless’ from Spring Meadow Nursery/Proven Winners Color Choice
‘Fire Ball Seedless’ is the only seedless, sterile, non-invasive burning bush (Euonymus alatus) on the market. Tom Ranney, Ph.D., and his crew at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station in North Carolina developed this game-changing plant. It has all the durability and inferno-red color that your customers expect from burning bush but no risk of spreading like conventional burning bush. Hardy to Zones 4 to 8.
Perennial: Hellebore ‘Endless’ from Monrovia Nursery
Hellebore ‘Endless’ is a stunning compact, upward-facing hellebore with an extended bloom season. Selected for its abundant and long-lasting blooms, ‘Endless’ features glossy, dark green foliage topped with upward facing flowers that start out green and transition to a beautiful white. Hellebore is a must-have plant in the Garden of Nostalgia and Romance – a standout design trend for 2025. Hardy to Zones 5 to 9.
Annual: Cosmos ‘Sea Shells Red’ from Sahin/Takii EU
‘Sea Shells Red’ is a charming and unique flower that brings a delightful touch to any garden. Known for its distinctive, tubular petals that resemble seashells, this variety showcases a beautiful palette of soft pinks and whites, adding a romantic flair to flower beds and arrangements. The flowers also make excellent cut flowers, offering a long vase life of 7 to 10 days, which means you can enjoy their beauty indoors as well.
Edible: Basil ‘Everleaf Lemon’ from PanAmerican Seed
The Everleaf collection features basil plants that are tall, upright and highly branched for plenty of harvest potential. They are also very late to flower — up to 8 weeks later than standard basil — for season-long enjoyment of tasty leaves. ‘Everleaf Lemon’ is the first lemon basil bred for this collection. It has a bright lemon flavor perfect for adding to dressings, marinades and fresh salads. The plants are versatile and perform well in-ground and in patio containers.
Houseplant: Philodendron ‘Prismacolor Orange You Gorgeous’ from leafjoy
This tropical houseplant is a living kaleidoscope of citrus-inspired colors, with elongated, spade-shaped leaves emerging a mottled bright orange color, then slowly fading to a marbled tapestry of gold and green. Leaf petioles, midribs, and margins have a warm, orangey glow, reminiscent of a sunrise over a tropical grove.
Garden Product: Crescent Too Circular Positive Planter Collection from Crescent Garden
Crescent Too Circular Positive planters are made with UBQ, a climate-positive material upcycled from landfill waste. With TruDrop Flex Self-Watering Containers and Emma Planters, these products promote a circular economy, promoting sustainable consumption while minimizing waste and resources.
2025 People’s Choice Green Thumb Award Winners
Flowering Shrub: Smooth hydrangea ‘FlowerFull’ from First Editions Shrubs and Trees
Smooth hydrangea ‘FlowerFull’ stands out with bold blooms and sturdy upright stems that won’t flop in the wind and rain. With two-to-three times more blooms per season than other smooth hydrangeas, ‘FlowerFull’ makes an outstanding focal point plant. Disease-resistant, low-maintenance, and maturing at just three to four feet tall, it’s the perfect choice for small and big landscapes alike.
Perennial: Butterfly Bush Little Rockstars Red from Dummen Orange
Buddleja ‘Little Rockstars Red’ is part of a new compact series of buddleja. They have beautiful, large, cone-shaped inflorescences and are perfect for small pot production with a complete color assortment and all-season flowering.
Annual: Calibrachoa ‘Lia Abstract Lemon Cherry’ from Danziger
‘LIA Abstract Lemon Cherry’, the new addition to the Lia series, dazzles with vibrant golden-yellow blooms accented by a bold cherry-red splash, making it an irresistible choice for any garden. Designed with a controlled, semi-trailing growth habit, this variety is suited for hanging baskets and combinations.
Edible: Broccoli Purple Magic F1 from Sakata Seed
AAS winner Purple Magic, the first purple-stem, purple-headed broccoli in the world. The large, dome-shaped heads weigh in at about 1 pound each. Purple Magic is very high in anthocyanin (a plant-based chemical called a flavonoid) and nutritious. The plants grow well in all regions of the U.S. and harvest about 90 days from transplant.
Houseplant: Philodendron ‘Prismacolor Orange You Gorgeous’ from leafjoy
This tropical houseplant is a living kaleidoscope of citrus-inspired colors, with elongated, spade-shaped leaves emerging a mottled bright orange color, then slowly fading to a marbled tapestry of gold and green. Leaf petioles, midribs, and margins have a warm, orangey glow, reminiscent of a sunrise over a tropical grove.
Garden Product: Crescent Too Circular Positive Planter Collection from Crescent Garden
Crescent Too Circular Positive planters are made with UBQ, a climate-positive material upcycled from landfill waste. With TruDrop Flex Self-Watering Containers and Emma Planters, these products promote a circular economy, promoting sustainable consumption while minimizing waste and resources.
Photos courtesy of NGB.
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