This is a tough question now that we have an extensive line of succulents and cactus. Obviously, these are all great for dry areas. In addition, Senecio Angel Wings can withstand dry spells and still have great foliage. As to flowering plants, a couple of the Australian natives are great. Brachycome and Scaevola are two that stand out.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY ANNUAL
Sallyfun Blue Emotion (Danziger) and Salvia Skyscraper (Selecta One), D.S. Cole Growers
We love watching the bees on the Salvia. All the farinacea types such as Sallyfun Blue Emotion are great. In addition, Selecta One has brought the Skyscraper series of Salvia to the market with three bold colors including Pink, Orange and Dark Purple.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PERENNIAL
Victoria series (Danish Aster Club) and Henry series (Syngenta Flowers) of fall-blooming Asters, D.S. Cole Growers
Although these are not new, fall-blooming Asters are great pollinator plants. Before pollinator plants were in vogue, garden centers would cringe at the sight of all the bees hovering over the blooming Asters just waiting for someone to get stung. Luckily the bees are too busy to bother customers. We see great bee activity around both.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: ANNUAL
Chameleon Calibrachoa series (Westhoff and Dümmen Orange) and Calibrachoa MiniFamous Uno Double Pinktastic (Selecta One), D.S. Cole Growers
For ease of growth without PGRs, good all-around shape and constant blooming, we have a tie between Westhoff’s Chameleon Calibrachoa series and Selecta One’s Calibrachoa MiniFamous Uno Double Pinktastic.
Photos and descriptions courtesy of respective trials gardens
Isotoma FIZZ N POP Pretty in Pink has outstanding heat and drought tolerance. Decorated head-to-toe with very large flowers, up to 1 ½” in size. Bold pink blooms with a cherry yellow center emerge from summer-fall. Bred for a long season of interest in patio pots and containers.
BEST DROUGHT-TOLERANT PERENNIAL
Achillea PENHOW Heartthrob, PlantHaven
Achillea PENHOW Heartthrob has outstanding heat and drought tolerance. Attractive blue-green, fern-like foliage. Compact, well-branched habit. Adorned with long-lasting, bright-red blooms. Great for attracting friendly pollinators. Bred for a long season of interest in containers and perennial gardens alike.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY ANNUAL
Salvia BODACIOUS Rhythm & Blues, PlantHaven
Salvia BODACIOUS Rhythm & Blues continues to be a top performer in trials. This new hybrid has medium-sized dark green foliage, maintaining the dark color throughout the season. Plants are covered with long flowers stems, elegant black calyx carrying larger saturated dark blue flowers that draw in pollinators.
Salvia Rockin’ Deep Purple (Proven Winners), Smith Gardens
This annual Salvia hybrid from Proven Winners looked amazing all summer long in the garden and was consistently covered with pollinators. Bees, butterflies and especially hummingbirds flocked to its deep purple flowers. The flower stalks and calyx are almost black, which adds interest and contrasts nicely with the foliage and brighter flowers.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PERENNIAL
Gaura WALBERTON’S Silver Fountain, PlantHaven
Gaura WALBERTON’S Silver Fountain is a must-have for pollinator-friendly gardens! Covered in stunning, pure white blooms that emerge from soft pink buds from early spring through fall. Compacted-well branched habit with lovely stable and highly variegated green and white foliage.
Agastache ‘Morello’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), Smith Gardens
Agastache ‘Morello’ from Terra Nova grew very well in the garden for us this year, as well as in pot trials. Its vigorous habit is well suited for landscape applications, where it attracts hordes of bees on its deep pink flowers. The flower display was very impressive, where its dense blooms covered tall flower spikes all summer and into fall.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: ANNUAL
Begonia Solenia Apricot (Beekenkamp), Smith Gardens
We grew a number of Beekenkamp begonias this year, most of them in our planter display. They all performed wonderfully, particularly the Solenia series. The variety that stood out to us was Solenia Apricot, with its abundance of sunny, bright flowers and nice mounded habit, it bloomed all summer long with very little care. It was fully exposed to sun all day and there was no scorching or fading.
Pelargonium TALL DARK & HANDSOME Deep Orange
Pelargonium TALL DARK & HANDSOME Deep Orange is a phenomenal new upright columnar dark leaf geranium. Reaching up to 6’ with a trellis. Flowers form along the entire stem providing a tower of flowers from late spring through summer. Quick growing and easy care ideal for retail garden centers.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: PERENNIAL
Salvia VIBE Ignition Fuchsia, PlantHaven
Salvia VIBE Ignition Fuchsia is a covered in masses of medium-sized rich fuchsia flowers, freely reflowering throughout the season. This decorative sage is awesome for low water gardening, pollinator-friendly and hummingbird gardens. Bred for a long season of interest blooming non-stop from spring to fall.
Iberis Summer Snowdrift (Darwin Perennials), Smith Gardens
We trialed this summer blooming Iberis variety from Darwin Perennials, ‘Summer Snowdrift,’ in pots and in the garden beds. It bloomed its head off from May through October, covering the plants in a blanket of white all season. The habit was tight and compact, growing in tidy mounds. An outstanding variety.
Photos and descriptions courtesy of respective trials gardens
Ipomoea is an easy winner in the Southeast. Sidekick Heart Bronze is great because of the compact size, striking bronze foliage color and unique, heart-shaped leaf. The bronze foliage color held up well all summer long with no fading.
Euphorbia Crystal White (Green Fuse Botanicals), University of Georgia
Euphorbias have a bit of a leg up on other common garden plants due to their cacti relatives and tremendous ability to survive with very little water. Crystal White from Green Fuse Botanicals did more than just take dry conditions — it made it look easy. One super unique property of this long-bloomed plant was its low habit and more controlled urges to grow into other plants. Tight branching helped to make its wispy white flowers look more like a mat of color than a more typical long-stemmed euphorbia.
BEST DROUGHT-TOLERANT PERENNIAL
Gaillardia SpinTop series (Dümmen Orange) and Barbican Yellow Red Ring (Syngenta Flowers), North Carolina State University
Tough compact plants that are uniform in growth. Attractive flower patterns. Survives our heat!
Phlox Ka-Pow Purple (Darwin Perennials), University of Georgia
Our perennial phlox varieties found themselves in a dry bed this year and I was very impressed with Phlox Ka-Pow Purple by Darwin Perennials. We started this plant by seed early in the year, and to see it grow into a beautiful blooming garden plant was very rewarding. The flowers were big and colorful, and it maintained a very long flowering period of about eight weeks. We will be anticipating a successful season for Ka-Pow Purple for its second season in-ground.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PERENNIAL
Agastache ‘Morello’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), North Carolina State University
Beautiful, rosy-pink-colored spikes cover the plant. Continuous bloomer. Performed well in our heat and humidity. Bees and other pollinators loved it!
Coreopsis Li’l Bang ‘Red Enchanted Eve’ (Dümmen Orange), University of Georgia
Coreopsis can be a tender perennial here in the South but with good mulch and healthy plants going into the fall you can do it. Li’l Bang ‘Red Enchanted Eve’ by Dümmen Orange was a hot spot for bees and native pollinators in the garden this year. We had a large swatch of yellow and flowers that encouraged many insects to find these beautiful flowers throughout the day. These were also very responsive to a heavy deadheading mid-season which resulted in a second full flush of flowers to provide food for our pollinators.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY ANNUAL
Lantana Havana series (Dümmen Orange), North Carolina State University
Well-branched, compact plants covered in flowers make it a favorite of the pollinators. Low maintenance, attractive flower colors, and the fact that it is easy to grow make it a gardener’s favorite!
Salvia ‘Rockin’ Deep Purple’ (Proven Winners), University of Georgia
An appropriate name for Salvia ‘Rockin’ Deep Purple’ by Proven Winners could have also been ‘Buzz Buzz Buzz.’ From sunup to sundown, this plant was covered with bees, butterflies and other native pollinators. Although salvias are traditionally known for their pollinator-friendly properties, this selection was at the top of the list. And it helped that this test plot of plantings got big and tall, being one of the heaviest bloomers of our salvias this year, which just helped it have such a huge potential for attracting a crowd.
Salvia Skyscraper Dark Purple (Selecta One), Young’s Plant Farm
Salvia Skyscraper Dark Purple was covered with flowers all summer long. With heat and humidity this Salvia just got bigger and better. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all frequently visited this Salvia in our garden.
BEST HEAT-TOLERANT ANNUAL
Pentas Lucky Star series (PanAmerican Seed), North Carolina State University
Nonstop flowering. Bright flower color on compact plants. No deadheading necessary! Plants always look tidy. Thrived in our heat.
Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’ (Proven Winners), University of Georgia
Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’ from Proven Winners has no problems handling the heat and most likely uses our hot Georgia environment to its advantage. We all loved the smaller growth habit of this selection, not getting more than three feet high — which is saying a lot for Gomphrenas. But even with a smaller habit it lacked none in bloom production and gave us all constant blooms all summer long despite the heat.
This is a bright, colorful combination created from Portulaca Cupcake Upright Lavender, Orange and Lemon. It continued to flower all summer long and thrived in the heat and humidity.
BEST HEAT-TOLERANT PERENNIAL
Coreopsis Li’l Bang series (Dümmen Orange), North Carolina State University
Uniform, compact plants are easy to grow. Continuous bloomer — many different flower patterns.
Leucanthemum ‘Sweet Daisy Birdy’ (Dümmen Orange), University of Georgia
Leucanthemum is not typically a plant you find for Georgia as a heat-tolerant plant, but I’m just as surprised to be picking ‘Sweet Daisy Birdy’ by Dümmen Orange to be a super heat-tolerant plant. This selection broke all my expectations this year and by far was the superior daisy to be grown in the garden, with a large part of that being credited to the fact that it’s been in bloom for 15 weeks! We have kept it watered, but this is no easy task for a Leucanthemum in the South, which is relentlessly hot from June until October.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: ANNUAL
Begonia Canary Wings (Ball Ingenuity), North Carolina State University
Wow, what a winner! The chartreuse colored foliage will blow your socks off! Got a shady spot, this plant will illuminate it. The bright red flowers are a bonus. Continued to impress all season long.
Solenostemon ColorBlaze Torchlight (Proven Winners), University of Georgia
We loved this Coleus from Proven Winners from the beginning of the season to the end of our growing season; it did nothing but get better and better. ColorBlaze Torchlight was a powerhouse of color this year in the Coleus category due to its vibrant green leaves with red and hot pink veins. The strong stems put forth leaves with serrated margins each with hints of pink and red that helped the plant stand out from solid-leaf varieties. Torchlight remained lush throughout the entire growing season, and despite our occasional trimming, new growth came back with vigor every time.
Water’s Edge is a stunning white and green Caladium. It is a large, fancy-leafed variety. The white is very clean and bright, which provides a nice contrast to the green edge. This Caladium will look awesome in the landscape.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: PERENNIAL
Echinacea ‘Kismet Raspberry’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), North Carolina State University
The raspberry flower color is striking. Petals radiate out straight (flat) from the center. Continuous flowering on sturdy upright stems — good for cuts or leave the seed heads for the birds. Mass plantings of ‘Kismet Raspberry’ are breathtaking.
Echinacea Sombrero Tres Amigos (Darwin Perennials), University of Georgia
Echinacea can be hit or miss for the South, but Sombrero Tres Amigos was a solid hit from Darwin Perennials. A super long bloom time was a huge high point for the plant, which bloomed for more than 6 weeks straight. The color transition from peachy-coral to rose and finish with a hint of burgundy seemed to extend the overall interest of the plant. If in need of a full sun plant that performs well in drier soil conditions, Sombrero Tres Amigos is a great selection for any garden.
Photos and descriptions courtesy of respective trials gardens
Lantana Lucky Sunrise Rose (Ball FloraPlant), Colorado State University
This dependable performer is a winner from multiple years in the past as well as 2018. The bright flowers have a mesmerizing mix of colors often found in a sunrise. Plants are very uniform, and flowering was very abundant all through the season. This variety was grown in only a ½-inch irrigation per week bed and has low water requirements.
Portulaca Cupcake Series (Dümmen Orange), Dallas Arboretum
We are always excited to see new varieties when it comes to Portulaca. This waterwise plant does well in our Texas weather and always puts on a show. The Cupcake Series adds a new element with sensational new colors to add to the landscape.
BEST DROUGHT-TOLERANT PERENNIAL
Delosperma ‘Alan’s Apricot’ (Plant Select), Colorado State University
This is a carpeting perennial well adapted to dry conditions. This particular variety has performed superior with a 3-inch height and spreading growth habit that can reach almost three feet in three years. The plant displays huge peach-colored blooms whenever the sun is out during the summer.
Ricinus Carmencita Bright Red (Benary), Dallas Arboretum
This Ricinus caught our eye with its interesting red color. This fast-growing plant is a great addition to a perennial landscape. During the entirety of summer and with little water, we never saw it falter. (This plant is toxic, if you choose to put this in your landscape be aware that it can be harmful to pets and children.)
The Pennisetum ‘Red Rocket’ was in this same selection last year. This grass has wonderful, fluffy blooms that add texture to the landscape and the burgundy ends to the grass add a contrasting element that makes this plant unique.
The Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’ looks great even in 100-degree heat and above. This Gomphrena can be compared to that of ‘Fireworks’ but is much more compact and not as wild-looking.
BEST POLLINATOR- FRIENDLY ANNUAL
Bidens ‘Bidy Boom Red’ (Dümmen Orange), Colorado State University
Large amounts of long-lasting flowers were packed on a smaller, compact plant with a very tidy growth habit. Blooms also had very intense color to create a lot of flower power for a small plant. Bees love this flower as well as butterflies late in the season.
Bidens ‘Bellamy White’ (Benary), Dallas Arboretum
The Bidens ‘Bellamy White’ has been a pollinating superstar. During the season, we have seen bees, flies, moths, butterflies and so much more! The plant is compact with dark green leaves and covered in small white flowers. Perfect for cottage plantings and containers.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PERENNIAL
Nepeta ‘Aroma Violet’ (Danziger), Colorado State University
This Nepeta is a pollinator garden dream. The plant starts blooming in early May and will continually bloom until a hard freeze, giving the longest season of bloom for pollinators. The growth habit forms a neat mound and gets about two feet across and 18” in height. The lavender blooms complement silvery green foliage, but be aware it can reseed.
Salvia ‘Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues’ (Proven Winners), Dallas Arboretum
The Salvia ‘Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues’ is not only a pollinator-friendly perennial but a gorgeous burst of color to any landscape. This plant draws in butterflies, bees and even hummingbirds.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: PERENNIAL
Echinacea ‘Kismet Raspberry’ (Terra Nova Nurseries), Colorado State University
This Echinacea has been a top performer in all categories. The variety has a 100 percent survival rate for two winters in the mountain west, attracts many types of pollinators, and blooms for an incredibly long period of time. The plants are uniform and compact with an upright growth habit. The vibrancy and floriferousness are what make this variety the best overall.
Gauriella Bicolor (Westhoff), Dallas Arboretum
The Gauriella Bicolor is a must-have for any perennial garden. The flowers are soft white with hints of pink along the edges. With nonstop blooms all season and a wonderful growth habit, this plant is unstoppable.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: ANNUAL
Salvia Big Blue (PanAmerican Seed), Colorado State University
A later bloomer that is worth the wait, it was impressive with large flower spikes that are showy in the garden as well as making a good cut flower as well. Plants had dark green foliage, strong upright growth habit, excellent branching and very uniform overall. It was also a strong favorite with bees as well as humans.
The Lantana ‘Citrus Blend’ has been blooming heavily, nonstop all summer. Not only can it take the Texas heat, but it can look good doing it. The habit has a bit of a wild look to it but is still manageable for landscapes. The blooms add a pop of color and attract many wonderful pollinators.
Photos and descriptions courtesy of respective trials gardens
Celosia argentea ‘Asian Garden’ (Murakami Seed), Iowa State University
We did not get to test our trials for drought tolerance much, as central Iowa received significant rain this season. Celosia argentea ‘Asian Garden’ was planted in several locations and appeared as a welcome volunteer in others. Lack of rain or irrigation did not slow the growth or blooms on this recent All-America Selections winner — it was still happy when the zinnias around it were starting to droop.
Mangave Inkblot (Walters Gardens), Mast Young Plants
New to our garden this year was the hybridized annual Mangave Inkblot. This attractive succulent has a low, wide habit with large, attractive spotting from its Manfreda blood, and thick, wide leaves from its Agave blood. Dark-green leaves with blood-red spotting arch downward, perfect for framing decorative containers. Although striking white spines line the curled-up margins, these aren’t deadly like you would expect from Agave, but softer to the touch. More exposure to UV light will brighten the dark coloration and the spotting. Mangave is a relatively new phenomenon, as a cross between the genus Manfreda and Agave. These rare hybrids combine the best of both worlds: the better growth rate and the interesting patterns of Manfreda, and the habit and refinement of Agave.
If you are in need of a drought-tolerant annual, this portulaca will fill the bill. It will tolerate anything you want to throw at it — heat, drought, stress, all of it. It just keeps on flowering. Different from other Portulaca series, the flowers opened earlier in the day and stayed open until after dark. A great plant to handle the stress.
Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’ (Proven Winners), PW Four Star Greenhouse
A close second for overall performance, ‘Truffula Pink’ was a solution plant for trouble areas in the displays with constant color and effortless maintenance. Being in an area the hose couldn’t reach was no problem for this plant. It should be a consumer favorite.
MixMasters Peppery Perfection (Ball FloraPlant), The Gardens at Ball
We used this MixMasters combo in the ground for a design element. This mix of coleus withstood lack of irrigation during July and still looked fantastic. Peppery Perfection is a mix of Mint Mocha, Ruby Slipper and Special Effects coleus.
Vinca Tattoo series (PanAmerican Seed), Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants
This series never seemed to wilt, even on our hottest days. All of them were covered with flowers.
An adorable 1-foot-by-1-foot sedum. Pinky-magenta flowers cover most of the gray-green foliage with reddish edges.
Delosperma Delmara Yellow (Green Fuse Botanicals), Mast Young Plants
This variety continuously flowered all summer while keeping a very controlled and manageable habit. Its bright yellow blooms were an eye-catcher that could be seen from a distance away the entire time of our trials.
Perovskia ‘Denim ‘n Lace’ (Proven Winners), PW Four Star Greenhouse
‘Denim ‘n Lace’ anchors a few of the beds on the margins. These brutal areas can sometimes hold water or be dry depending on the season. These extremes do not affect the performance of this plant. The strong branching keeps the plant from lodging during weather events for a full-season of garden presence.
Echinacea Sombrero Tres Amigos (Darwin Perennials), The Gardens at Ball
Our bed of Sombrero Echinacea always stands out, even when it’s dry. But this year’s introduction of Tres Amigos showed off three appealing colors on one plant, maturing from peachy-coral to rose and then burgundy.
Nepeta ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ is a new, compact selection of catmint that blooms about two to three weeks earlier than standard Nepeta. Its rounded habit stays about half the height of ‘Cat’s Meow’ (only 12 to 14 inches) and it doesn’t fall open partway through the season like many catmints do. The indigo flowers are set off by dark stems and rosy purple calyxes, and flower from ground to tip along the stems.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY ANNUAL
Salvia ‘Rockin’ Fuchsia’ (Proven Winners), Boerner Botanical Gardens (Wisconsin)
Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds were all fighting over these flowers. It is a great color addition to the garden, not blue (or blue-ish!) but an electric fuchsia with black calyces. Very upright, very uniform habit.
Asclepias curassavica ‘Apollo Orange’ (American Takii), Iowa State University
We had sensational results planting a pollinator-friendly display and including Asclepias curassavica ‘Apollo Orange’ Guests were amazed at the sheer number of butterflies (and caterpillars), bees and hummingbirds that visited these two varieties. They were also beautiful out of the garden in arrangements and drew lots of questions!
Bidens Beezar Fire Wheel (Kientzler), Plantpeddler
This bidens was the highest attractor of bees and pollen-loving insects in the entire trial gardens. We had all of our bidens in the same row in our gardens and Fire Wheel was the favorite of our bees.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY NATIVE ANNUAL
Gomphocarpus physocarpus ‘Hairy Balls,’ Iowa State University
We had sensational results planting a pollinator-friendly display and including Gomphocarpus physocarpus ‘Hairy Balls’. Guests were amazed at the sheer number of butterflies (and caterpillars), bees and hummingbirds that visited this variety.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: NATIVE ANNUAL
Salvia nutans (nodding sage), Iowa State University
An in-house trial of uncommonly used Salvias gave us some new favorites, including nodding sage (Salvia nutans). Great foliage and flowers, we will be leaving it in-ground this winter to test its hardiness. It was easy to germinate from seed and grew happily in the greenhouse. Bees and butterflies were all over it throughout the summer!
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY ANNUAL
Salvia ‘Rockin’ Fuchsia’ (Proven Winners), PW Four Star Greenhouse
The garden is always buzzing with pollinators, but there were more hummingbirds thanks to this bright beacon of color. Mass plantings provided tons of flowers with strong branching and vigor. Pollinators were supported all season by reliable flowering and self-cleaning clusters.
Salvia Farina Arctic Blue (Benary+), Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants
This Salvia not only had abundant bees on it all summer, but was also visited by hummingbirds and butterflies. It was a high-scoring performer for the summer, exhibiting abundant, uniquely colored flowers and a dense compact habit.
Salvia Big Blue (PanAmerican Seed), The Gardens at Ball
Throughout the whole summer you could see three to five different kinds of bees on one bed of Big Blue. This large-size landscape annual salvia attracted pollinators reliably from first bloom — and it’s still going strong!
This is one of the few plants that just thrived in our unusually hot summer. It was always covered in hot-pink pom-pom flowers. Easily over 2 feet tall in the garden, it is a great ‘back of the garden’ plant. I don’t feel like I can talk about this plant’s awesomeness without pointing out the name, because who doesn’t love a good Dr. Seuss reference?
Canna generalis ‘South Pacific Orange’ (American Takii), Iowa State University
Canna generalis ‘South Pacific Orange’ was a strong performer that thrived in the mid-summer heat. Japanese beetles did dampen the effect occasionally, but a quick pruning session easily brought the plants back up to glory. Great color, very easy to grow from seed, tidy habit and a manageable height all make this Canna one of my new favorites!
Calliope Large Dark Red (Syngenta Flowers), Mast Young Plants
Calliope Large Dark Red is our choice for this honor! There are many good candidates for this award, but time and time again, we were drawn back to the Calliope series of geraniums and especially the variety where it all started — Large Dark Red. This variety continuously blooms, and its dark red color draws you in from quite a distance away.
The Bandana series from Syngenta Flowers was overall the best performer during our hot spell early in the season. We hit a few days of 100s with lows at night in the high 70s, Bandana Cherry Sunrise flowered the entire time. Loves the heat and stress.
Celosia Century Salmon Pink (Sakata), Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants
This Celosia exhibited exemplary heat tolerance throughout the summer. Plants were uniform, well-branched and never faltered in the heat of summer. It was also one of our top 50 scoring plants for 2018.
Salvia Skyscraper Dark Purple and Pink (Selecta One), The Gardens at Ball
Again, the weather in West Chicago remained humid and hot, but this new intro didn’t mind. Skyscraper kept its color and attractive habit all along our Skyframe garden border, as well as in large-size containers.
Rosy-colored seedheads hold more pinky flowers on this just over 3-foot-tall plants. This was a favorite of bumblebees and butterflies alike. I wish it was a little more upright in the garden, but give it a friend or two to “lean” on and your pollinators will thank you.
Buddleja Leah Blue (Green Fuse Botanicals), Mast Young Plants
Buddleja Leah Blue was outstanding all summer and of course we all know that Buddleja are excellent for attracting butterflies. Again, this variety looked good from July 1 all the way into fall!
Monarda ‘Pardon My Cerise’ (Proven Winners), PW Four Star Greenhouse
Butterflies appreciate the isolated planting of ‘Pardon My Cerise’ and can easily locate it with the electric flower color standing out in contrast to the green background. It can naturalize a formal area or provide something special when planted in a native border or meadow.
Agastache rugosa Little Adder (Darwin Perennials), The Gardens at Ball
Agastache is a member of the mint family, and it had good performance in The Gardens. It also attracted pollinators all season long, especially bees and butterflies who fed off its nectar.
Allium ‘Millenium’ was the 2018 Perennial Plant of the Year, and for good reason! This amazing perennial Allium has a polished habit and shiny, dark-green foliage that remains attractive all season. Strong stems support prolific 2-inch rosy-purple spherical heads that bloom in mid to late-summer. This plant is also a butterfly magnet!
BEST HEAT-TOLERANT PERENNIAL
Salvia Blue by You (Darwin Perennials), Boerner Botanical Gardens (Wisconsin)
This one looks great no matter the temperature, even when you fall a little behind deadheading (for best flowering, keep it clean). While the first-year plants are very floriferous, they are also extremely uniform. This is also a great pollinator plant for the bumblebees.
Gaillardia Lunar Gold Moon (Green Fuse Botanicals), Mast Young Plants
Many Gaillardia did well in our trials. This Gaillardia Lunar Gold Moon in week 37 or 38 still looked dynamite.
Miscanthus Bandwidth (North Carolina State University, introduced through Darwin Perennials), The Gardens at Ball
Bandwidth kept its dwarf habit and didn’t rust or fall apart in the summer heat and humidity. Banding stayed consistent and it required no maintenance to WOW guests to the perennial gardens.
Hibiscus ‘Holy Grail’ is the newest member of the SUMMERIFIC collection, part of the Proven Winners perennial assortment. This variety has very dark foliage, almost black, which sets off the huge, 8-9-inch, deep red flowers. The calyxes are a bright, limy green, which provides addition interest. ‘Holy Grail’ also has a superb habit, growing to about 4-4½ feet and maintaining a nice, rounded shape.
Never thought my favorite annual would be a basil! It doesn’t set flowers until mid-late September… even without cutting it. But why wouldn’t you want to harvest its very clean leafiness? It doesn’t get powdery mildew, even if the basil on either side of it are covered.
Fragrant Falls Begonia (Beekenkamp), Mast Young Plants
Our No. 1 favorite plant in the trial this summer was the begonia series Fragrant Falls. This begonia series features a semi-upright/semi-trailing habit with extremely fragrant blooms, which is nearly unheard of in begonias. The scent can be most closely described as a rose-bloom scent. The series maintains a great shape, allowing growers to ship them before they start to trail too much, making them both grower-friendly and excellent for the consumer. We would highly recommend that people put these in hanging baskets in an area they walk by frequently so as to be able to enjoy their fragrance. One issue of concern with this variety is that we hear the URC availability in 2019 is limited, so book early!
This begonia did extremely well with the many changes in the weather this summer. It withstood the very cool, wet weeks we experienced in later June, and the extreme heat in July. Once this begonia started to flower, it never fell out of flower. The red color was vivid all season.
Supertunia Vista Paradise (Proven Winners), PW Four Star Greenhouse
Like all Vistas, Paradise offers versatility with great container and landscape performance. It filled areas evenly, when planted en masse it conformed to bed curves, and played nicely with other elements in large hanging baskets.
Dahlia City LightsSunflower Sunfinity
Dahlia City Lights Purple (Selecta One) and Sunflower Sunfinity (Syngenta Flowers), Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants
Dahlia City Lights Purple was our top overall annual performer. The plants flowered profusely all summer and was a stand-out variety with its dark foliage and contrasting flower heads, held well above its foliage. Sunflower Sunfinity was our top annual visitor pick. We had this in our rows and they really stood out. They were eye-catching from across the gardens.
Salvia Skyscraper Dark Purple and Pink Breeder (Selecta One), The Gardens at Ball
This salvia thrives in numerous conditions, and its sturdy stems held up all season long in The Gardens. Skyscraper’s colorful calyx and pedicel made the large-size flowers look fresh even in the heat of the season.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: PERENNIAL
Coreopsis Super Star (Darwin Perennials), Boerner Botanical Gardens (Wisconsin)
Huge flowers on a very symmetrical plant. Lemony-yellow with a dark red band and golden center flower that blooms into October. I cannot wait to see how this plant overwinters, as that is the ultimate test for a Coreopsis in our climate.
Sorghastrum nutans ‘Indian Steel’ (Jelitto Perennial Seeds), Iowa State University
Our perennial trials through All-America Selections provide a first look at some great new plants. The shining star of this season has been Sorghastrum nutans. ‘Indian Steel’ is the comparison cultivar and the entry has been excellent as well. The entry is in year two of a three-year trial, so I hope to see this one introduced in the near future. Great habit, little flop, great for late-season arrangements.
Leucanthemum Lucille Grace (Danziger), Mast Young Plants
This seemed to be the year of the Leucanthemum in our trial and although there were many good candidates the one we choose for this award is the variety Lucille Grace from Danziger. This variety looked outstanding already in week 29 and was still looking impressive in week 37. It has a nice large flower size on a very manageable habit.
Leucanthemum Daisy May (Proven Winners), PW Four Star Greenhouse
We like to use Daisy May to frame-in and connect pockets of annuals to give them structure. It is a must-have to anchor any mixed border or low-maintenance bed. Consumer success is guaranteed with this dependable bloomer.
Coreopsis Electric Sunshine (Darwin Perennials), Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants
This had a nice habit throughout the summer with lots of long-lasting flowers. This scored very high with us as well as our visitors.
Salvia nemorosa Rose Marvel (Darwin Perennials), The Gardens at Ball
This plant’s large-size flowers stood out in our perennial beds. Its long flowering time also withstood the season’s extremes.
Anemone FALL IN LOVE ‘Sweetly’ (Proven Winners), Walters Gardens
This brand-new Japanese Anemone has been a stunner in both our garden and greenhouse trials this summer. It has a super prolific display of rose-pink, semi-double flowers starting in late summer to early fall, which are held at a proportionate height above the dark green foliage and continue flowering until a hard frost. FALL IN LOVE ‘Sweetly’ is hardy in zones 5 to 8 and is part of the Proven Winners perennial lineup.
Photos and descriptions courtesy of respective trials gardens
