Part 1: Meet the 2023 Proven Winners® Plants of the Year!
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to plan out what you want your garden to look like come spring. There’s a limitless number of possibilities, and you want to pick the plants that are just right. From the focal points down to the smallest details, we’ve got you covered with a list of top plants that are sure to make the neighborhood jealous!
Each has been hand-picked for being the perfect mix of beauty, ease, hardiness and disease-resistance. Whether you’re looking for a full garden makeover or to just touch up a few areas, we cannot recommend each of these beauties enough.
Please meet the highly coveted 2023 Proven Winners® Plants of the Year!
Annual of the Year
Truffula™ Pink (Gomphrena pulchella) is a wispy, mounded flower that thrives in humidity, sunlight and heat. It blooms all season long with gorgeous spheres of hot pink- each tipped with lemon-yellow detail.
This is a strong and hardy plant, and it’ll do just fine without much interference at all. Just plant it, sit back, and watch as neighbors and pollinators alike marvel at it!
Caladium of the Year
The Heart to Heart® 'Scarlet Flame' (Caladium) is striking, simply put. The leaves look as if they’re about to go up in flames, with bright ember-red centers and silhouette-like veining of deeper tones held in place by bands of green that wrap the outer edges.
Perfect to place anywhere, Scarlet Flame can tolerate both sun and shade, and is more than happy to be a houseplant. In the outdoors it will thrive in the landscape and in pots equally well, so don’t be afraid to try a few different approaches!
Perennial of the Year
Dolce® 'Wildberry' Coral Bells (Heuchera) is a plant taken right out of a fairy tale. This elegant mound of purple foliage produces rose-pink calyxes and bright white flowers. It is also a favorite of all pollinators. It thrives in a wide range of zones and doesn’t mind shady conditions, making it an extremely versatile option for a pop of color.
Hosta of the Year
The Shadowland® 'Empress Wu' (Hosta) is the largest Hosta available! It’s ideal for those larger shaded areas in your yard- highlighting bigger trees or lining beds that sit close to your home. The ruffled texture of the foliage provides a fantastic backdrop to the violet-red flowers you can expect to see in early to mid-summer. Hummingbirds tend to love them, too!
Flowering Shrub of the Year
The Let's Dance Can Do!® (Serrata) is anything but typical. The gorgeous pink lemonade blooms will bud along the entire stem, not just at the very top. It’s also quite hardy and tends to winter better than other hydrangeas. Not only that, but it’ll rebloom quicker as well!
For the most beautiful results, plant in moist but well-drained soil. Be sure to choose a location that receives morning sunlight and part shade, or a north-facing planting.
Hydrangea of the Year
Limelight Prime® (Panicle Hydrangea) is a new twist on an old favorite. Much like Limelight®, you’ll be treated to an easy-growing experience that rewards you with plentiful blooms. This updated variety will bloom earlier on, allowing for a much longer window of transforming color. Warmer zones might find it blooming as early as late spring.
Working with a small yard, or an already busy garden? Limelight Prime is more compact than its predecessor, allowing for more variety in placement choice without sacrificing any lovely qualities!
Rose of the Year
The Ringo All-Star™ Rose (Rosa) packs all the beauty of a summer sunset down into just five color-shifting petals. It resists disease and requires no deadheading or timely maintenance, all while being an attractive offer to the local pollinators. What’s not to love?
Landscape Shrub of the Year
Purple Pillar® Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus) doesn’t like to grow all that wide. Rather, it’ll focus on reaching for the sky. At just 2-3 feet wide, you can expect it to grow to heights of 10-16 feet! Add privacy to your patio, or beautiful red and purple blooms to your landscape while saving space for other favorites!
Houseplant of the Year
The Feeling Flirty™ (Purple Tradescantia) is a brand-new Spiderwort offering that thrives inside but isn’t afraid of sprucing up the garden either. Contrasting pink and green foliage will set it apart from other houseplants, while a strong trailing tendency makes it a great option for hanging baskets.
When grown outdoors it is perennial in zones 7-10 and can be planted as an annual in colder growing zones.
We hope you love them all as much as we do!
Spring will be here before we know it. Get a jump start on your garden by pre-ordering your favorites, they might not be around if you wait too long!
For information on the 2023 Proven Winners® Combination Recipes of the Year check out part 2 of this blog here.
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