The best-performing plant varieties in trial gardens for 2025

Each year, trial gardens across the country put the newest varieties from national and international plant brands to the test to see which perform best in their local environments. The resulting data is crucial for both the horticulture industry and consumers.

Growers get key information about which plants will be most sought after; garden centers learn which will be most successful for their consumers; and consumers learn which will have the most flower power and resilience in their beds.

We reached out to trial managers across the United States to get their take on the best of the best from their gardens. Below, we offer their reports to help you plan for the coming years.

Editor's note: All plant names, information and photos were provided by the respective trial managers and were lightly edited for length, consistency and style.

Penn State Flower Trials

Trial Manager: Krystal Snyder

Begonia BK Collection ‘Frivola Pink’, Beekenkamp Plants

This variety is exceptional. It maintained vibrant color throughout the entire season and showed no signs of disease.

Begonia Whopper ‘Salmon Bronze Leaf’, Benary

This begonia performed excellently in both sun and shade but truly excelled in shaded areas. The striking salmon-colored leaves against the bronze backdrop were particularly eye-catching.

Vinca (Catharanthus) Soiree Flamenco ‘Plum Velvet’, Suntory Flowers

This is a fantastic new introduction from Suntory. The color is remarkable, and the ruffled petals add a unique charm.

Petunia Dekko ‘Maxx Pink’, Syngenta Flowers

This petunia consistently bloomed throughout the summer and held up well during heavy early downpours, unlike some other varieties that spilt.

Ornamental grass Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘Water to Wine’, Must Have Perennials

This grass, now in its third year, has experienced no winter die-back and continues to perform excellently.

Heuchera ‘Changeling’, Terra Nova Nurseries

In its second year, this plant has thrived in both sun and shade, demonstrating outstanding hardiness, vibrant color and a great growth habit.

Colorado State University Flower Trial Gardens

Trial Manager: Chad Miller

Best of Show

Salvia ‘Mystic Spires’, Ball FloraPlant

In our evaluation ratings, from 0 to 5, ‘Mystic Spires’ received a nearly perfect score. No mystery about it, this salvia is a consistent, show-stopping performer. It was easy to spot the deep blue-purple spires across the garden all season. The sturdy, well-branched, robust plants with deep green foliage were free-flowering in the heat of the summer and well into the fall. Plus, this plant is a pollinator’s delight, attracting a wide array of pollinators.

Best New Variety, Ground

Gomphrena ‘Fireball Pink’, Kientzler North America

This gomphrena caught the eyes of a lot of visitors to the garden with its balls of deep, rich pink dancing above the foliage. ‘Fireball Pink’ was never short on color and was frequented by our pollinator friends. A great option for mixing into the border, massing and a container. This spicy annual is a showstopper.

Best New Variety, Container

Superbells Magic ‘Double Grapefruit’, Proven Winners

This calibrachoa has flower power and flowers all season, well after many other calibrachoa have fizzled out. And the good part — no deadheading required. Multitudes of soft lemon yellow double flowers fade to a pastel, pinky-peach color that screams grapefruit. Everything you like about ‘Pink Lemonade’, except in double form. A great selection for containers and hanging baskets, and in our trials, it performed very well in the ground.

Best Novelty

Centaurea ‘Silver Swirl’, Darwin Perennials

If you’re looking to jazz up your containers or add some flair to the border, ‘Silver Swirl’ might be your plant. This plant provides great silver-gray foliage for the landscape, along with interesting texture with its elongated, undulating, dissect leaves. A great plant to contrast and highlight other plants. Also, one of those plants that fits a lower-water input landscape.

Plantpeddler Trial Gardens

Trial manager: Rachel Gooder

Begonia Florencio Cerise, Koppe

Great vivid color on this hybrid begonia. An abundance of flowers throughout the season all the way into October. Easy care in a shaded area to full sun. Took the extreme heat in July along with heavy rains throughout the summer.

Mandevilla ‘Sun Parasol FiredUp Orange’, Suntory

We emphasized the mandevilla and dipladenia crop this year, and the FiredUp Orange was the big winner. A little smaller flowers than the rest of the mandevilla, but made up the color power with the number of blooms it produced.  Flowers up and down the entire plant all through the season.  Beautiful glossy foliage and bright orange blooms. With the ease of care of the mandevilla class, this plant will be everyone’s favorite. Can be used as a stand-alone pot or in combos. Easy care, with very little to no deadheading.

Lantana ‘Bandolista’ Pineapple, Syngenta

Lots of color and good size on this sun-loving crop. Once we got this series outdoors, it just took off. The mass of yellow flowers stood out among the rest of the lantana pots. In color throughout the entire season and withstood many heavy downpours that plagued the Midwest this summer. This is a great plant for baskets and combos pots. Fills the hole fast with outstanding color and spread.

Petunia Amazonas Plum Cockatoo, Danziger

For being a crazy colored petunia, this was the show stopper at Cultivate and at our Variety Day. A unique mix of purple, light purple, ivory and pale green. Growth habit is mounding, which makes a good basket or combo component. Held up well in the heat and rain. We did not have to deadhead this petunia, so a perfect plant for the consumer who doesn’t have a lot of time but wants a unique petunia.

Bracteantha SunBreo Orange, Kientzler

This variety is perfect plant for heat, sun and stress. It flowered constantly throughout the summer and held up well in the variable Iowa weather. The flower is not as large as other bracteantha but made up for it with an abundance of blooms. Was in our 25 top picks at our Variety Day. Care was easy, as the buds stood over the foliage with long stems to make it easy to clean.  Flowered long into the fall.

Begonia iCandy Coral Pink, Syngenta

This series is going to be great. Large beautiful blooms on contrasting dark foliage. Flowered all season long in shade or sun. Little care once it started to bloom, and it bloomed all season long. Had full color on this basket until frost.

Dianthus Capitan Magnifica, Selecta One

We had the full series of Dianthus in the beds this year, and this variety stood out from all the rest. The color was vivid, size was good for baskets or combos and the care was easy. I think the best part of the dianthus series is the fragrance. We finally have a plant that has a fragrance!

Impatiens SunPatiens Compact Red Candy, Sakata

It was difficult to pick out the best of the SunPatiens, as they all are great. An easy crop to produce, fills the space easily, needs no care and beautiful. Can be used as a standalone or in combos. Full sun to part shade. In color all season long. Very few pest issues if any. Just an all-around good plant that will make an inexperienced gardener happy.

Dallas Arboretum Trial Gardens: Flame Proof plants

Trial manager: Brianne Swailes

The Dallas Arboretum awards plants the “Flame Proof” moniker because they not only survive our hot summers, but they thrive in them. This is determined by the overall average performance of the cultivar across four data metrics. Typically, our summer plants are evaluated on at least nine data collections, depending on whether they were planted in spring or summer. This summer, because we had far fewer 100-plus degree days than in the past few years, the cutoff for an award was higher than usual. Here are some of our top entries:

Ipomoea Sweet Caroline series, Proven Winners

For the past few years, the Sweet Caroline series has proven time and time again that it is a phenomenal addition to any garden. The wide variety of colors, leaf textures and growth habits allow for customization that can fit any garden style, whether it be planted in garden beds, in hanging baskets or in containers.

Lobularia ‘YOLO’ French Vanilla, Dümmen Orange

Unlike most lobularia series, this one thrives in the hot and dry conditions. Even during the middle of summer, the plants are covered in beautiful, cream-colored flowers. 

Chili pepper Flaming Flare Fresno, Seminis Home Garden

This cultivar is constantly producing fruit, which makes it perfect for home gardeners. The peppers pack a lot of spice and are a great ingredient for a variety of dishes. 

Michigan State University Trial Garden

Extension personnel: Heidi Lindberg and Caitlin Splawski

Impatiens Sol Luna Prime ‘Peach’, Danziger

New Guinea impatiens Sol Luna Prime Peach is new for 2025 and had large pink flowers on mounding deep green foliage. It is an improvement on Sol Luna impatiens by flowering seven to 10 days faster and is less sensitive to higher electrical conductivity levels. Danziger also notes that it has enhanced wilting recovery for a better shelf life.

Panicum virgatum‘Prairie Dog’, Intrinsic Introductions

‘Prairie Dog’ is a switch grass that has a tidy blue-gray foliage, upright structure and reaches a maximum of 4 to 5 feet tall. It was first introduced in 2019 and is hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Consider this panicum as an alternative option to industry-standard ‘Karl Foerster’, as it forms large clumps in the landscape but with a new and different color pallet.

Amaranth Red Spike ‘25OSI-13 C2’

This amaranth red spike was eye-catching because of its height in the trial gardens. It is also being grown at other trial sites this season, such as Raker-Roberta and the University of Georgia. The deep burgundy foliage and tall, red flower spikes were showy and would be an excellent addition to the back of a garden border or for filling in spaces in a new garden where perennials have not yet reached their full size.

Vinca Pacifica XP ‘Red Halo’, Ball Horticulture

Bright red flowers with white centers and shiny green foliage stood out with a pop of color at the MSU Trial Gardens. With a mounded habit, this vinca provides a similar look to a New Guinea impatiens without the very high water requirement. It is a great option for sites with more limited irrigation.

Coleus PartyTime ‘Royal Red’, Sakata

Coleus PartyTime Royal Red is a new addition to the PartyTime series from Sakata Ornamentals. With an intense burgundy foliage and purple venation, this coleus fills out its own pot but could also be used in a combination. The entire line of coleus offers full sun to shade tolerance.