2019's top plant performers

Every plant trial is different. Each trial garden has different weather conditions, sunlight levels, water needs and other factors that make each location unique. That can make knowing which plants are best to grow at your operation a difficult question to answer. It’s a tough question for the end consumer, too, who want something that will thrive and look beautiful in a pot on their back patio or in their landscape.

For our 2019 compilation of trial garden results, managers from across the U.S. submitted what performed best in their region in the following eight categories: best drought-tolerant annual; best drought-tolerant perennial; best pollinator-friendly annual; best pollinator-friendly perennial; best heat-tolerant annual; best heat-tolerant perennial; best overall performance: annual; and best overall performance: perennial. Here are a few of the plants recognized: 

Best heat-tolerant annual: Vinca ‘Soiree Kawaii Coral,’ Suntory, Colorado State University

Best pollinator-friendly perennial: Caryopteris ‘Gold Crest,’ Darwin Perennials, the University of Georgia                                                                             

To view the full list of winners, click HERE. To see the full results, you will need to provide an email address.