Proven Winners’ Plants of the Year

Ellen C. Wells

Proven Winners has announced its picks for their 2024 “National Plants of the Year” for a multitude of crops. You should familiarize yourself with these now so you can prepare for the results of Proven Winners’ multimedia consumer marketing campaigns that will kick off in early 2024.

Annual of the Year—Supertunia Vista Jazzberry Petunia (pictured): Everything you love about Supertunia Vista Paradise Petunia is now available in electric magenta purple.

Caladium of the Year—Heart to Heart Lemon Blush Caladium (pictured): Lemon Blush’s brightly colored leaves feature a contrasting rose red center and wide, chartreuse margin.

Perennial of the Year—Pink Profusion Salvia nemorosa (pictured): Pink Profusion perennial salvia has a high-end look with its pristine habit, high flower count and bright, eye-catching color. Hardy in Zones
3 to 8.

Hosta of the Year—Shadowland Hudson Bay Hosta: Each broad, heavily textured leaf features a bright blue margin, apple green jetting and creamy white center, maturing over time into a very showy, large specimen with thick, slug-resistant leaves. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9.

Flowering Shrub of the Year—Wine & Spirits Weigela florida: Wine & Spirits’s dramatic, dark purple foliage extends its sales window long past the late spring bloom. Hardy in Zones 4 to 8.

Rose of the Year—Oso Easy Peasy Rosa: This landscape rose has award-winning black spot- resistant and powdery mildew-resistant foliage, and large clusters of small, magenta pink blooms. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9.

Hydrangea of the Year—Let’s Dance Sky View Hydrangea macrophylla x serrata: This reblooming hydrangea’s mophead blooms emerge soft blue with a honeydew green eye before maturing to a full sky blue. Its compact growth presents beautifully in containers for retail sale. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9.

Landscape Shrub of the Year—Fizzy Mizzy Itea virginica: This sweetspire stands out at retail with its abundant, bright white flower spikes that carry a light, pollinator-attracting fragrance. Hardy in Zones 5 to 9.

Landscape Perennial of the Year—Storm Cloud Amsonia tabernaemontana: Nativar Storm Cloud exhibits excellent heat and humidity tolerance and performs well for both northern and southern growers in Zones 4 to 9. GP