Once again we want to share with you plants that have achieved a ‘Plant of the Year’ status based on their botanical recognition. Plants are chosen by various different entities and are announced at different times. We will update more winners later this year. If we have missed any that you are aware of, please let us know.
We have also included links to some of these plants that have been documented by members of our community.
We hope this list inspires you to try something new and to perhaps start your own Plants Map collection of ‘best plants of the year’ based on your own growing experiences.
Plants Map Plants of the Year™ Results
In 2018, our most frequently viewed plants from our community were:
1 – Emerald Empire® Crapemyrtle Garnet Queen™ by UpShoot LLC
2 – Peach Lemonade™ Rose by Bloomin’ Easy® Plant Collection
3 – Chrysanthemum – Pelee Mum by Tracy Blevins
4 – Coolapeño Heatless Jalapeño Pepper by Tracy Blevins
5 – Lavalamp™ Flare™ Hydrangea by Bloomin’ Easy® Plant Collection
In August of 2018 we launched a Plant Finder tool with purpose filters to find plants of interest, to buy, and to visit. We hope you will use the Plant Finder to explore more plants that may become your plants of the year as well.
When you feel like sharing your favorites on social media, please use our hashtags #MyPlantsMap or #Plantsmap.
Congratulations to this year’s recipients of Plants of the Year™!
- Annual – Supertunia® Bordeaux™ Annual of the Year™ from Proven Winners.
- Annual – Calibrachoa from the National Garden Bureau “Year of the” campaigns. Also see: Superbells Lemon Slice Calibrachoa by The Freckled Rose, Calibrachoa Superbells® Spicy by Generous Gardeners, Calibrachoa Aloha® Kona Pineapple by Tracy Blevins.
- Bulb – Tulip from the National Garden Bureau “Year of the” campaigns. Also see: Tulips Pink Impression by Tracy Blevins, Tulipa ‘Lady Jane’ by Bill Blevins, Bokhara Tulip by Annkat, Tulips – Angelique by The Freckled Rose
- Conifer – Cedrus atlantica ‘Sapphire Nymph’ Collectors Conifer of the Year from the American Conifer Society. Also See Cedrus atlantica Sapphire Nymph by Ferdinand’s Pasture.
- Conifer – Platycladus orientalis ‘Franky Boy’ Collectors Conifer of the Year from the American Conifer Society. Also See Platycladus orientalis ‘Franky Boy’ by Bill Blevins.
- Cut Flowers of the Year – Fresh category – Lisianthus ‘Doublini White’, Woody category – Thornless Blackberry ‘Triple Crown’, Bulb category – Ranunculus ‘Amandine’. Announced in September by the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers.
- Daffodil – ‘Mount Hood’ 2018 John and Gertrude Sister Award. Registered in 1938, this cultivar is also an ADS Historic daffodil. John and Gertrude Wister Award from the American Daffodil Society.
- Dahlia – Clearview Daniel. 2018 Stanley Johnson Medal Winner – The American Dahlia Society
- Daylily – ‘Entwined in the Vine’ (Emmerich, 2007). Stout Silver Medal winner is awarded by the American Hemerocallis Society in the Fall of each year. Also see: Stout Silver Medal Winners by The Gardens at Kansas State University.
- Edible – Beet from the National Garden Bureau “Year of the” campaigns.
- Herb – Salix (Willow) species Notable Native™ Herbal Tree from the Herb Society of America selected by the Native Herb Conservation Committee. See Also Prairie Willow (Salix humilis) by The Cherokee Garden, Pacific Willow (Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra) by Friends of North Creek Forest, Sitka Willow (Salix sitchensis) by Vancouver Water Resources Education Center, Black Willow Tree (Salix nigra) by Lake Anna State Park.
- Herb – Salvia (Sage) species Notable Native™ Herb from the Herb Society of America selected by the Native Herb Conservation Committee. Also See Lyre leaf Sage – Salvia lyrata by Hanahan Butterfly and Pollinator Garden, Salvia mellifera Shirley’s Creeper – Black Sage by Marble Garden, Salvia greggii ‘Mesa Azure’ by Tracy Blevins.
- Herb – Humulus (Hops) species Herb of the Year™ from the The International Herb Association. Also See: Humulus lupulus ‘Savinja Golding’ by Reynolds Community College, Hops ‘Nugget’ by Roxbury Farm & Garden Center.
- Holly – Yellow-Fruited American Holly (Ilex opaca f. xanthocarpa) named Holly of the Year by the Holly Society of America.
- Hosta – ‘World Cup’ named Hosta of the Year by the American Hosta Growers.
- Houseplant – The Kalanchoe Interspecific Hybrid Queen® ElseFlowers ‘Dean’ submitted by Knud Jepsen from Denmark received the award “IPM Novelty 2018” in the category “Blooming Houseplant”.
- Iris – ‘Haunted Heart’, a Tall Bearded Iris hybridized by Keith Keppel, is the 2018 winner of the Dykes Medal. The American Dykes Memorial Medal awarded to only one outstanding iris by The American Iris Society each year in August.
- Perennial – Allium ‘Millenium’ Perennial Plant of the Year™ by the Perennial Plant Association. Also see: Allium ‘Millenium’ by Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, Allium ‘Millenium’ by Bill Blevins.
- Perennial – Coreopsis from the National Garden Bureau’s “Year of the” campaigns. Also see: Coreopsis by Lake Anna State Park, Coreopsis ‘Mercury Rising’ by Generous Gardeners.
- Perennial – Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) named Plant of the Year by the Garden Club of America. Also see: Mountain Mint by Nicholas Newlin Foundation, Mountain Mint (Pycnantheum muticum) by The Cherokee Garden, Pycnanthemum muticum by Tracy Blevins, Mountain Mint by Booker T. Washington Park Bog Garden.
- Perennial – Primo™ ‘Black Pearl’ Heuchera (coral bells) selected by Proven Winners as their Perennial of the Year™. Also see: Heuchera x ‘Black Pearl’ by Tracy Blevins
- Rose – The Coral Knock Out® Rose winner of the 2018 American Garden Rose Selections™ Award.
- Rose – Promises winner of the 2018 American Garden Rose Selections™ Award.
- Rose – Peachy Knock Out Rose (‘RADgor’) 2018 Master Rose Awards American from the Rose Trials for Sustainability™.
- Rose – Double 10TM (‘LIM10’) 2018 Master Rose Awards American from the Rose Trials for Sustainability™.
- Rose – Icecap™ (‘MEIradena’) 2018 Master Rose Awards American from the Rose Trials for Sustainability™.
- Rose – True Passion TM (‘LIM10’) Master Rose Award from the 2018 American Rose Trials for Sustainability (A.R.T.S) program
- Rose – Icecap TM (‘MEIradena’) Master Rose Award from the 2018 American Rose Trials for Sustainability (A.R.T.S) program
- Rose – Peachy Knock Out TM (‘RADgor’) Master Rose Award from the 2018 American Rose Trials for Sustainability (A.R.T.S) program
- Shrub – Spilled Wine® Weigela named the Landscape Plant of the Year selected by Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs.
- Shrub – Zinfin Doll® Hydrangea voted the 2018 Shrub Madness National Champion from the Proven Winners ColorChoice Shrub Madness contest.
- Shrub – Monrovia’s Scallywag™ Holly (Ilex × meserveae ‘Monnieves’), received the prize for IPM Novelty 2018 in the shrubs category at IPM Essen.
- Shrub – Hydrangea hybrid Runaway Bride® ‘Snow White’ named Plant of the Year at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
- Tree – Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) named the Urban Tree of the Year by the The Society of Municipal Arborists (SMA). Also see Liriodendron tulipifera by St. Ann’s Academy, Emerald City™ Tulip Poplar by Milliken & Company, Yellow Poplar by Wendell, NC Parks & Recreation, Liriodendron tulipifera by Tracy Blevins.
- Wildflower – Maryland golden-aster (Chrysopsis mariana) named the North Carolina Wildflower of the year by the NC Botanical Garden and the Garden Club of North Carolina.
- Wildflower – Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) named Wildflower of the Year from the Virginia Native Plant Society. Also see: Flowering Dogwood by Look Up, Virginia! Utility-Friendly Trees, Flowering Dogwood by Blue Ridge School, Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida) by JRE Outdoor Classroom, Cornus florida by Tracy Blevins.
2018 All-America Selections Winners – These are best new varieties of vegetables and flowers grown from seed or young plants as determined by All-America Selections judges. A few of our favorite picks are:
- Canna South Pacific Orange F1
- Ornamental Pepper Onyx Red
- Zinnia Queeny Lime Orange
- Habanero Roulette F1
- Tomato Red Racer F1
2018 Green Thumb Award Winners from the Direct Gardening Association
- Invincibelle Wee White Smooth Hydrangea from Proven Winners
- Colocasia esculenta ‘Aloha’ from Plant Delights Nursery
- Stark® Scarlet Crush™ Apple Tree (‘Cherry Parfait #19’ cultivar) from Stark Brother’s Nurseries & Orchards Co.
- The Organic Potato Plant Detective from Wood Prairie Family Farm
2018 Year of the Marigold and Pepper – From the Fleuroselect Home Garden Association. Also see: Tagetes patula – Disco Mix Marigold by Bill Blevins, Marigold Super Hero™ Spry by All-America Selections.
2018 Plant of the Year Selections from the Wisconsin Nursery and Landscape Association
- Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Donna May’ PP 22,634 (Little Devil ninebark). Also see Ninebark (Little Devil) by Rady Park Arboretum
- Sporobolus heterolepis (prairie dropseed). Also see Prairie Dropseed by SID 437 Quail Hollow Park
What’s your favorite from the list of Plants of the Year™? We would love to know. Add your favorite plant to Plants Map and share it’s growing story with our community and on social media. Remember to use our hashtags #MyPlantsMap or #Plantsmap
Cover Photo Note: featured plants include Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera), Allium ‘Millenium’ and Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum muticum).
Also See:
- Ultra Violet in the Garden
- Perennial Plant of the Year® Collection
- Growing Garden Trends 2018
- 2017 Plants of the Year™
- 2016 Plants of the Year™
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