Judges for The Garden Center Group’s Retailers’ Choice Awards at Cultivate’24 found 15 top plants and products this year. The judges walked the show floor during the Sunday of Cultivate, looking for exciting new plants and products, with 62 nominations submitted before the judges narrowed it down to 15 award winners. We're highlighting some of the winners (in alphabetical order by company name) below. For the full list, visit bit.ly/rca-cultivate24.
Helleborus ‘Mount Nebo’, Aris Horticulture/Must Have Perennials
Helleborus ‘Mount Nebo’ from Must Have Perennials features new foliage that emerges a bright red in the fall and early spring before maturing to pink, white and green speckled leaves. Bouquets of flowers emerge in early spring along with a new flush of foliage. Rosy pink blushed buds and flowers persist for weeks before slowly fading to chartreuse. Bright yellow reflexive anthers add to the unique flowers, and uniquely colored and patterned foliage adds extended interest to shade gardens into the summer. Mount Nebo is part of the brand’s new The Rockies Helleborus line (all Zones 6-9), which also includes Grand Teton, Pike’s Peak, Snowshoe Mountain, Hollowtop Mountain and Table Mountain. kris.smith@musthaveperennials.com
Angelonia AngelMist Spreading White, AngelFlare Cranberry and AngelFlare Black, Ball FloraPlant
Ball FloraPlant won a Retailers’ Choice Award for three of its angelonia: AngelMist Spreading White, AngelFlare Cranberry and AngelFlare Black. The new AngelFlare angelonia have an open, V-shaped habit that stands out in combinations, making it ideal for combos with other heat-loving items like lantana and cuphea. The Cranberry variety features deep red florets on tall spikes, while the Black variety brings a never-before-seen color to angelonia. For the AngelMist, big blooms have a big impact in baskets or in the ground, and this low-growing, super-spreading variety makes for a unique groundcover. LToering@ballhort.com
Agastache mexicana Summerlong Lilac, Lemon and Coral, Darwin Perennials
Darwin Perennials’ new Agastache mexicana Summerlong series (Zones 7a-10b) features five colors: Coral, Lemon, Lilac, Magenta and Peach. Lilac, Lemon and Coral won a Retailers’ Choice Award, with the judges noting the dense, mounded variety flowers throughout the summer with bright blooms. The judges also noted it’s earlier to bloom and longer lasting in full bloom for an extended sales window and better garden performance. Summerlong plants attract pollinators and hummingbirds and have a good fragrance. sreed@ballhort.com
Musa Nono Pink Variegated, ForemostCo
Musa Nono Pink Variegated is a new ornamental banana plant that produces pink, white and green variegated foliage, with the pink becoming more abundant and vibrant as the plant matures. The plant does produce pink variegated fruit, but it’s not edible. The tissue culture comes from Thailand, with a grow time of 15 weeks. ForemostCo currently has Nono Pink in tissue culture production, so more plants should be available in the coming months. brittany.suarez@foremostco.com
Unplugged Red Salvia, Proven Winners
Proven Winners won a Retailers’ Choice Award for its new Unplugged Red Salvia (Zones 9a-11b). Featuring true red flowers, these mid-sized plants love heat, don’t mind humidity and will bloom nonstop for months. This drought and heat tolerant salvia with fragrant foliage is a good size for use in both containers and landscapes. jessica@provenwinners.com
Li’l Annie Oakleaf Hydrangea, Star Roses and Plants
A new take on the classic oakleaf hydrangea, the Li’l Annie Oakleaf Hydrangea (Zones 5-9) is a compact, well-branched variety with increased flower power, cleaner foliage and increased resistance to foliar diseases. Part of the Bloomables Collection, this oakleaf hydrangea has white flowers that turn pink as they age, with the flowers also acting as a host for beneficial pollinators. Green foliage changes to burgundy in the fall, extending the garden season. smorgan@starrosesandplants.com
Sun Parasol FiredUp Orange, Suntory Flowers
FiredUp is a new dipladenia series featuring a new flower form with a flatter pinwheel shape. With an upright habit and narrow leaves, Sun Parasol FiredUp Orange is the first in the series, with at least four more additions expected in the next few years. delilah@suntoryflowers.com
Sun Parasol Original XP Bluephoria, Suntory Flowers
Suntory Flowers received a second award for Sun Parasol Original XP Bluephoria, a breakthrough color from the breeder that features true blue blooms in warmer temperatures (and more lavender blooms in cooler temperatures, like the trade show floor at Cultivate’24). A heat and sun lover, this mandevilla hybrid’s blue flowers start as pink buds. Other colors in the series include Sunbeam (yellow), Mauvelous (pink) and Double Pink Blush (pink double blooms), the last of which is a FleuroStar winner. delilah@suntoryflowers.com
Calliope Large Dark Salmon, Syngenta Flowers
Calliope Large Dark Salmon is a geranium with a new dark red color and dark green foliage. Hardy to Zone 10a, Calliope Large is an all-season performer with a large habit that makes it great for baskets and large pots. The series includes 15 total colors: Burgundy, Dark Red, Dark Salmon, Hot Pink, Hot Rose, Lavender, Lavender Mega Splash, Magenta, Orange Splash, Pink, Red, Rose Mega Splash, Salmon, White and Scarlet Fire. jennifer.barnes@syngenta.com
Cherry Blast tomato, Syngenta Flowers
Syngenta Flowers received a second award for Cherry Blast, a new upgraded trailing variety with proven resistance to ToMV strain 1 & 2 and tolerance to late blight, allowing the plants to stay healthy and well performing into late summer. Featuring lots of cherry-sized fruits, Cherry Blast performs well in hanging baskets or large containers. jennifer.barnes@syngenta.com
Rudbeckia ‘Lion Cub’, Terra Nova Nurseries
Rudbeckia ‘Lion Cub’ (Zones 8-10) naturally forms a tight mound of emerald green foliage topped by pompoms of golden yellow flowers with thin petals centered with a dark chocolate eye. The petals don’t brown or fade, but develop a contrasting red edge with age. Fast, vigorous and easy to grow both in the ground and greenhouse, ‘Lion Cub’ is ideal for summer through fall containers, annual bedding and displays. larry@terranovanurseries.com
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