Proven Winners announces 2024 National Plants of the Year
Proven Winners recently announced its National Plants of the Year. Each variety in the program meets rigorous standards for garden performance, versatility, iconic style and abundant availability.
Beginning in spring 2024, Proven Winners says it will dedicate significant consumer marketing dollars to build excitement and demand for these varieties to increase grower and retailer demand.
“Proven Winners’ National Plants of the Year are going to be top of mind for gardeners next spring and we couldn’t be more excited about showcasing these exciting varieties,” says Marshall Dirks, vice president of marketing. “Thanks to outstanding genetics and extensive trialing, we’re confident these varieties are some of the best options out there.”
Proven Winners predicts these “Plant of the Year” varieties to be next season’s bestsellers:
Annual of the Year
Petunia ‘Supertunia Vista Jazzberry’: Everything you love about Supertunia Vista Paradise petunia is now available in electric magenta purple. Huge, upright mounded plants are blanketed in self-cleaning flowers all season long. It takes years of development and trialing to earn a place in this elite series; ‘Supertunia Vista Jazzberry’ has won 42 awards. Its vivid coloring draws attention at retail, in the landscape and in containers, where the combination options are endless.
Caladium of the Year
Caladium Heart to Heart ‘Lemon Blush’ turns heads with its brightly colored leaves that feature a contrasting rose red center and wide, chartreuse margin. This fancy-leaved variety performs well in shade to part shade in containers and in the landscape where it shines as a border plant or in mass plantings. Growers will appreciate that all Heart to Heart caladium bulbs come de-eyed and painted for easy planting and consistent crops.
Perennial of the Year
Salvia nemorosa ‘Pink Profusion’ will stand apart on your benches for its pristine habit, high flower count and bright, eye-catching color. This cultivar has quickly gained traction among professional landscapers for its polished, high end look. Dark pink flowers held on darker calyxes appear multiple times per season if cut back after each round of blooms. Hardy in Zones 3-8.
Hosta of the Year
Hosta Shadowland ‘Hudson Bay’ features showy tricolor leaves that form a large mound. Each broad, heavily textured leaf features a bright blue margin, apple green jetting and creamy white center. Over time, it matures into a very showy, large specimen with thick, slug-resistant leaves. Though this hosta is a strong grower, we recommend that growers plant all hostas in late summer to early fall the year prior to sale to yield the highest quality finished product. Hardy in Zones 3-9.
Flowering Shrub of the Year
Weigela florida ‘Wine & Spirits’ is an update to the classic ‘Wine & Roses’ weigela; ‘Wine & Spirits’ has an even more dramatic look with dark purple foliage and crisp, white-green flowers that run all along the stems. This handsome, vigorous variety is a real showstopper at retail and in the landscape where it works well in borders and containers. Its attractive foliage extends its sales window long past the late spring bloom. Hardy in Zones 4-8.
Rose of the Year
‘Oso Easy Peasy’ Rosa landscape rose is an exciting new American Rose Trials for Sustainability Master rose with award-winning black spot and powdery mildew resistant foliage that won a prestigious Award of Excellence in the No Spray division from the American Rose Society. Large clusters of small, magenta pink flowers consistently appear from spring to fall with no deadheading required. Hardy in Zones 4-9.
Hydrangea of the Year
Hydrangea macrophylla x serrata ‘Let’s Dance Sky View’ blooms reliably each year for growers and gardeners in Zones 4 through 9. Its mophead blooms emerge soft blue with a honeydew green eye before maturing to a full sky blue. Growers will find that it shifts easily from pink to blue. This durable hydrangea conserves its old wood buds in the face of weather challenges and continuously creates new flowers, resulting in a long sales window. Its compact growth presents beautifully in containers for retail sale.
Landscape Shrub of the Year
Sweetspire ‘Fizzy Mizzy’ stands up and stands out at retail with its abundant bright white flower spikes that carry a light, fragrance that attracts pollinators. Its early summer bloom time helps bridge the gap between seasons, while its attractive dark green foliage brings interest throughout the rest of the season. As one of the most shade-tolerant flowering shrubs available, you can use this attractive shrub to build your shade lineup. Hardy in Zones 5-9.
Landscape Perennial of the Year
Landscape Perennial of the Year is a new category for 2024. Amsonia ‘Storm Cloud’ was an easy inaugural pick given its proven, rock-solid landscape performance. Exhibiting excellent heat and humidity tolerance, this native cultivar performs well for both northern and southern growers in Zones 4-9. Periwinkle, star-shaped flowers top the olive-green foliage, which is accented by silver veins. This cultivar is uniquely striking and especially easy to sell early in the spring, when its new stems emerge near black in color.
Learn more about all of our 2024 National Plants of the Year at provenwinners.com/2024_National_Plants#NPOY
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