2013 Plants of the Year

 

**UPDATED**

The votes have been counted. The red carpet is ready. No, it’s not the Oscars, the Emmys or even the technical award for the most convincing use of groundcover in a science fiction movie.  No, this is much bigger – the 2013 Plants of the Year.

 

These are the best of the best. They're tough, reliable and easy to grow. You can keep your debutantes – those new plants introduced into polite gardening society this time every year. I’ll take those with a proven track record when deciding what to add to my garden this spring.

 

The 2013 honorees as selected by various organizations are listed below. Most of the plants -- especially the All-America Selections®  -- have flourished in various locations around the country.

 

Some, however, are more regional in nature. PlantSelect©, for example, focuses on the Rockies although many of its plants will do well in other areas as well. Live Oak (Quercus virginiana), chosen as the 2013 Urban Tree of the Year by the Society of Municipal Arborists, is only hardy in zones 7b-10.

 

And for those keeping score, this will be last rose of the year from the All-America Rose Selections™ as that group has disbanded.

This list is not all inclusive as some organizations will be announcing their winners before the gardening season begins in earnest. It will, however, provide some good candidates to consider in the coming months as you review what worked and what didn't in your garden during 2012.

So without further ado, the envelopes please....

 

 (A key to the various organizations and links to their Websites are at the bottom.)

 

Annuals
 

Canna 'South Pacific Scarlet'
Photo courtesy of All-America Selections®

Canna ‘South Pacific Scarlet’ (Canna generalis) – AAS Flower Award
Cheyenne Spirit Cone flower (Echinacea hybrida)-- AAS Flower Award
Geranium ‘Pinto™ Premium White to Rose’ – AAS Bedding Plant Award
Bubblegum Supertunia Vista (Petunia ‘Ustuni6001’) -- POM
Silver Shield plectranthus (Plectranthus argentatus ‘Silver Shield’) -- POM
Snow Princess sweet alyssum (Lobularia ‘Inlbusnopr’) – POM

 

Edibles



'Melemon' Melon, 2013 AAS® Vegetable Award
Photo courtesy of All-America Selections®

Melon ‘Melemon’ F1 -- AAS Vegetable Award
Cherry Tomato ‘Jasper’ F1 -- AAS Vegetable Award
Watermelon ‘Harvest Moon’ F1 – AAS Vegetable Award





Clove currant
Photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden

Clove currant (Ribes odoratum) -- POM

Malabar spinach (Basella rubra ‘Red Stem’) – POM

Starkspur® Arkansas Black dwarf apple (Malus pumila ‘Lonacre’) – POM

 

Perennials
 

Variegated Solomon's Seal
Photo from Missouri Botanical Garden

 

The Perennial Plant of the Year™ -- Variegated Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’) – PPA

Perennial of the Year -- Queen of the Prairie (Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’) – GP

Chieftain Manzanita (Arctostaphylos x coloradensis ‘Chieftain’) – PS
Curly Leaf Sea Kale (Crambe maritima) – PS




Tennessee Purple Coneflower
Photo courtesy of Northscaping.com

Tennessee Purple Coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis) – PS

Caramel Coral Bells (Heuchera ‘Caramel’) – POM
Narbonne Blue Flax (Linum narbonense) – PS
Turquoise Tails Blue Sedum (Sedum sediforme) – PS
 

Rainforest Sunrise, 2013 Hosta of the Year
Photo courtesy of AHGA member Made in the Shade Gardens

 

Hosta of the Year -- Rainforest Sunrise – AHGA

 

Grass of the Year – Blue Heaven™ Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘MinnblueA’) – GP

Blue Zinger sedge (Carex glauca ‘Blue Zinger’) – POM

Palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis) – POM



Francis Meilland™ , 2013 AARS Rose of the Year
Photo from The Conard-Pyle Co.

Rose – Frances Meilland™  (Rosa 'Meitroni' PP#19970) by The Conard-Pyle Co. – All-America Rose Selections™. The first traditional hybrid tea rose to win under no-spray conditions. Also has won the ADR Award in Germany under no-spray tests.

Herb – Elderberry (Sambucus ssp.) – IHA
 

 

 

Shrubs and Vines



Spring leaf color on Redwing™ viburnum

 

Mellow Yellow® spirea (Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’) – POM

Doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum) -- POM

Redwing™ American Cranberrybush Viburnum (Viburnum trilobum ‘J.N. Select’) – GP 

Cross vine (Bignonia capreolata) -- POM

 

Trees





Flowers on Royal Raindrops™ crabapple
Photo courtesy Northscaping.com



Royal Raindrops™ crabapple (Malus ‘JFS-KW5’) – POM

Vanderwolf’s Pyramid limber pine (Pinus flexilis) – POM

Northern Pin Oak (Quercus ellipsoidalis) – GP

Chinese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata ssp. pekinensis) -- POM

Urban Tree of the Year – Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) – SMA

Conifer of the Year – Border Pine (Pinus strobiformis) – GP

**UPDATE 3/4/13**

If you're still searching for good plants, here are some additional winners that have been announced since this was originally published.

AAS has added two zinnias in its bedding plant category. They are Zinnia 'Profusion Double Deep Salmon' and Zinnia 'Profusion Double Hot Cherry.' Both get about 8-14" tall and are resistant to Alternaria and powdery mildew.

The Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association named Autumn Bride coral bells (Heuchera macrorhiza 'Autumn Bride) as its 2013 Herbaceous Plant and Gro-Low sumac (Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low') as its 2013 Woody Plant.

The Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle selected 29 plants for its 2013 Great Plant Picks list. Included are 13 different clematis, three geraniums and three salvias.

The Garden Club of America will honor the Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) with its Freeman Medal at the organization's centennial annual meeting May 2. An honorable metnion will go to Black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) while special recognition will go to Gopherwood (Torreya taxifolia).

 

 

AAS = All-America Selections™
 

AHGA = American Hosta Growers Association

GP = GreatPlants™ (Nebraska Arboretum and the Nebraska Nursery and Landscape Association). Hardy to zone 4.

IHA = International Herb Association

POM = Plants of Merit (Missouri Botanical Garden). Chosen for their outstanding quality and dependable performance for the lower Midwest -- Missouri, central and southern Illinois and the Kansas City metro area (Zones 5-6).

PPA = Perennial Plant Association

PS = PlantSelect© (Denver Botanic Gardens and the Colorado University Extension). Promotes the best plants for gardens from the intermountain region to the high plains.
 

SMA = Society of Municipal Arborists


By Karen Geisler