Web Special
National and Regional Plant Awards for 2005

The list of award winning plants for 2005 continues with these distinguished selections from around the country. Representing various garden habitats and zones, these plants have been picked by plant societies, garden clubs, university horticultural programs, botanical gardens, and arboreta for their outstanding garden performance. For more information on the individual plant award programs, please click on the links included with each award listing.

NATIONAL AWARDS

• All-American Daylilies 
  
  
  
  Hemerocallis ‘Red Volunteer’
  Hemerocallis ‘Miss Mary Mary’
   

• All-America Rose Selections
  
  Rosa DayDream™ (cultivar ‘Baleum’)
  Rosa Lady Elsie May™ (cultivar ‘ANGelsie’)
  Rosa About Face™ (cultivar ‘WEKosupalz’)
  Rosa Elle™ (var. Meibderos)
   

• All-America Selections
  
  Gaillardia aristata ‘Arizona Sun’– blanket flower
  Catharanthus rosea ‘First Kiss Blueberry’– catharanthus
  Zinnia elegans ‘Magellan Coral’– zinnia
  
  
  
  Solanum melongena ‘Fairy Tale’– F1 eggplant
  Cucurbita maxima ‘Bonbon’– winter squash
  Lycopersicon esculentum ‘Sugary’– F1 tomato
   

• Freeman Medal Winner
  Betula nigra ‘Little King’ (Fox ValleyTM)
   

• Hosta of the Year
  Hosta ‘Striptease’
   

• Ivy of the Year
  Hedera helix ‘Misty’
   

• Perennial Plant of the Year
  Helleborus x hybridus – Lenten rose
   

• Urban Tree of the Year
  Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ – pear

REGIONAL AWARDS

• Arkansas Select Plants
  Ajuga reptans ‘Caitlins Giant’
  
  
  
  Gomphrena ‘Gnome Purple’ and ‘Buddy Purple’
  Rosa Knock OutTM – rose
  Verbena – Aztec Verbena
  Viola spp. – Sorbet and Penny series
   

• Cary Award Winners (New England)
  Syringa patula ‘Miss Kim’ – lilac
  Vaccinium angustifolium – lowbush blueberry
  Abies koreana – Korean fir
   

• Great Plant Picks  (Pacific Northwest)
  
  Perennials and Bulbs
  Aster divaricatus – white wood aster
  Blechnum penna-marina – alpine water fern
  Brunnera macrophylla – ‘Jack Frost’ Siberian bugloss
  Camassia quamash – quamash, camas lily, Indian hyacinth
  Carex oshimensis – ‘Evergold’ variegated Japanese sedge
  
  
  
  Dryopteris wallichiana – Wallich’s wood fern
  Epimedium x rubrum – barrenwort
  Erythronium – ‘Pagoda’ yellow fawn lily
  Galanthus elwesii – giant snowdrop
  Galanthus ikariae – snowdrop
  Galanthus nivalis – common snowdrop
  Gentiana asclepiadea – willowleaf gentian
  Gillenia trifoliata – Bowman’s root
  Iris pallida ‘Argentea Variegata’ (white variegation)
  Iris pallida ‘Variegata’ (golden variegation)
  Narcissus ‘King Alfred’ – trumpet daffodil
  Omphalodes verna – creeping forget-me-not
  Osmunda regalis – royal fern, regal fern
  Osmunda regalis ‘Cristata’ – crested royal fern
  Osmunda regalis ‘Purpurascens’ – purple-tinged royal fern
  Osmunda regalis ‘Undulatifolia’ – undulate royal fern
  Perovskia atriplicifolia – Russian sage
  Polystichum munitum – sword fern
  Smilacina racemosa – false Solomon’s seal
  Tulipa ‘Green Spring’ – Viridiflora tulip
  
  Shrubs and Vines
  Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea ‘Rose Glow’ – variegated Japanese barberry
  Clematis [Alpina Group] ‘Constance’ – alpine clematis
  Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ – variegated redtwig dogwood
  
  
  
  Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ – purple smokebush
  Daphne x transatlantica ‘Jim’s Pride’ – hybrid daphne
  Hibiscus syriacus ‘Diana’ – rose-of-Sharon
  Pieris japonica ‘Variegata’ – variegated lily-of-the-valley shrub
  Rhododendron ‘Elsie Watson’, ‘Fantastica’, ‘Hachmann’s Charmant’, ‘Manda
  Sue’, and ‘Naselle’ – bicolor hybrid rhododendron
  Rhododendron ‘Christmas Cheer’, ‘Dreamland’, ‘Janet Blair’, ‘Mardi Gras’,
  ‘Mrs. Furnivall’, ‘Noble Mountain’, ‘Queen Alice’, ‘Rosa Mundi’, ‘Trail Blazer’, and ‘Verry Berry’ – pink hybrid rhododendron
  Rhododendron ‘Anna Kruschke’, ‘Azurro’, ‘Blue Boy’, ‘Edith Bosley’, and
  ‘Peter Alan’ – purple hybrid rhododendron
  Rhododendron ‘Double Winner’, ‘Fred Peste’, ‘Grace Seabrook’, ‘Markeeta’s
  Prize’, ‘Skookum’, ‘Taurus’, ‘Vulcan’, and ‘Vulcan’s Flame’ – red rhododendron
  Rhododendron ‘Capistrano’, ‘Horizon Monarch’, ‘Lemon Dream’, ‘Nancy
  Evans’, and ‘Odee Wright’ – yellow rhododendron
  Sambucus nigra ‘Gerda’ – black beauty/purpleleaf black elder
  Sarcococca confusa – sweet box
  Shibataea kumasasa – zig-zag bamboo
  Vaccinium ovatum – evergreen huckleberry
  Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Mariesii’ – doublefile viburnum
  
  Trees and Conifers
  Abies grandis – grand fir
  Cephalotaxus harringtonia – cowtail pine, plum yew
  Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Coralliformis’, ‘Gracilis’, ‘Nana’, ‘Nana Gracilis’, and ‘Pygmaea’ – dwarf Hinoki cypress
  Cryptomeria japonica ‘Cristata’ – crested Japanese cedar
  Lindera obtusiloba – Japanese spicebush
  Liriodendron tulipifera – tulip tree
  Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Aureomarginatum’ – variegated tulip tree
  Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Fastigiatum’ – columnar tulip tree
  Nyssa sylvatica – black gum
  Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ – emerald cedar
  Thujopsis dolabrata – Hiba arborvitae
   

• Florida Plants of the Year
  Phaius tankervilliae – nun’s orchid
  Arachniodes simplicor variegata – East Indian holly fern
  Tecoma stans – yellow elder
  Tibouchina urvilleana – princess flower
  Ilex vomitoria ‘ Pendula’ – weeping Yaupon holly
  Duranta erecta ‘Gold Mound’ – golden dewdrop
  Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ – plectranthus
  Anthurium andreanum ‘Sarah’ – anthurium
   

• Georgia Gold Winners
  Begonia x hybrid – dragon wing begonia
  Veronica peduncularis ‘Georgia Blue’ – veronica
  Rubus pentalobus syn. Rubus calycinoides – creeping raspberry
  Abelia chinense ‘Rose Creek’ and ‘Canyon Creek’ – abelia
  
  
  
  Acer palmatum ‘Glowing Embers’ – Japanese maple
   

• Gold Medal Plant Award Winners (USDA Hardiness Zones 5-7)
  
  
  
  Gelsemium sempervirens ‘Margarita’ – Carolina jasmine
  Calycanthus floridus ‘Michael Lindsey’ – Carolina allspice
  Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Gold’ – winterberry holly
  Abies koreana – Korean fir
   

• GreatPlants Program  (Plains Region)
  
  Plants of the Year
  
  Andropogon gerardii ‘Silver Sunrise’ - silver sunrise bluestem
  Baptisia minor - dwarf blue indigo
  Bouteloua curtipendula - sideoats grama
  Ginkgo biloba - ginkgo
  Spiraea fritschiana - Korean spirea
  
  GreatPlants® Releases
  
  Fallopia ‘Lemon Lace’ - lemon lace vine
  Penstemon ‘Prairie Splendor’ - beardtongue
  Penstemon ‘War Axe’ - beardtongue
  Solidago ‘Wichita Mountains’ - goldenrod
   

• Missouri Botanical Garden Plants of Merit (St. Louis Region)

Annuals
Begonia ‘Bepared’ – dragon wing red begonia
Calibrachoa ‘Sunbelkist’ – calibrachoa, million bells
Cuphea hyssopifolia – Mexican heather
Evolvus glomeratus ‘Hawaiian Blue Eyes’ – evolvulus
Hamelia patens – scarlet bush
Hemigraphis ‘Exotica’ – waffle plant
Isotoma axillaries – laurentia
Lablab purpureus – hyacinth bean
Melampodium divaricatum ‘Derby’ – melampodium
Scaevola aentula ‘Blue wonder’ – fan flower



Strobilanthes dyeriana – Persian shield
Verbena ‘Imagination’ – verbena

Perennials
Amsonia tabernaemontana – bluestar
Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ – Japanese anemone
Aster oblongifolius – aster
Astilbe chinensis var. pumila – Chinese astilbe
Baptisia australis – blue false indigo
Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’ – feather reed grass
Callirhoe involucrate – purple poppy mallow
Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Longwood Blue’ – bluebeard
Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’ – epimedium
Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Sommersonne’ – summer sun oxeye
Helleborus orientalis – Lenten rose
Hosta ‘June’ – hosta
Hypericum calycinum – St. John’s wort
Lobelia cardinalis – cardinal flower
Mazus reptans – Mazus
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Adagio’ – eulalia grass
Silphium laciniatum – compass plant
Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’ – goldenrod
Thalictrum rochebruneanum – meadow rue
Tricyrtis formosana – toad lily

Shrubs and Vines
Aesculus parviflora – bottlebrush buckeye
Aristolochia tomentosa – Dutchman’s pipe
Calycanthus floridus – Carolina allspice
Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera Aurea’ – Sawara cypress
Cornus sericea ‘Cardinal’ – redtwig dogwood
Cotinus coggygria ‘Velvet Cloak’ – smoketree
Fothergilla gardenii – fothergilla
Hamamelis vernalis – Ozark witch hazel
Hibiscus syriacus ‘Diana’ – rose-of-Sharon
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris – climbing hydrangea
Hydrangea arborescens – smooth hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia – oakleaf hydrangea
Ilex verticillata ‘Nana’ – red sprite winterberry
Physocarpus opulifolius – ninebark

Trees
Acer triflorum – three-flowered maple
Acer truncatum – shantung maple
Aesculus pavia – red buckeye
Amelanchier arborea – downy serviceberry
Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigiata’ – upright European hornbeam
Carpnus caroliniana – American hornbeam
Cercidiphyllum japonicum – katsura tree
Chionanthus virginicus – fringetree
Cornus kousa var. chinensis – Chinese dogwood
Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ – southern magnolia
Magnolia virginiana var. australis – sweet bay magnolia
Malus ‘Mary Potter’ – crabapple
Nyssa sylvatica – sour gum
Picea pungens ‘Fat Albert’ – Colorado spruce
Pinus bungeana – lacebark pine

• Oklahoma Proven Selections
  Angelonia angustifolia – summer snapdragon
  Bignonia capreolata ‘Tangerine Beauty’ – crossvine
  Ceratostigma plumbaginoides – perennial plumbago
  Ulmus crassifolia – cedar elm
   

• Plant Select®  (Rocky Mountain region)
  Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis ‘Mock-Bearberry’ – dwarf manzanita
  Penstemon linarioides var. coloradoensis SILVERTONTM – bluemat penstemon
  Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ – sage
  Salvia greggii WILD THING™ – sage
  Salvia pachyphylla – Mojave sage
  Seseli gummiferum – moon carrot
  Verbena bipinnitifida Valley LavenderTM – plains verbena
   

• Theodore Klein Plant Awards  (Kentucky)
  Abies nordmanniana – Nordmann fir
  Cercis canadensis ‘Appalachian Red’ – Appalachian red redbud
  Quercus bicolor – swamp white oak
  Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ – golden Japanese forest grass
   

• Texas Superstars
  Visit this site for recommended regional plants.