Grow what works! Here are the 2021 Proven Winners National Plants of the Year:
2021 Perennial of the Year
Cat’s Pajamas’ Catmint
Nepeta hybrid
A long blooming perennial that’s perfect in small areas of the landscape. Indigo blue flowers are produced all the way from the soil to the tips, providing an intense splash of color when it’s in bloom. Rosy purple calyxes extend the color when the blooms are past peak.
2021 Flowering Shrub of the Year
Pugster Blue Butterfly Bush
Buddleia
Full sized flowers on a dwarf plant! Meet Pugster Blue® – it’s a whole new look for butterfly bush. This compact plant reaches just 2’/.6 m tall and wide but has the large, full flowers normally seen on a much larger plant. It blooms non-stop from early summer through frost with true-blue flowers, each with a tiny yellow-orange eye in the center. Thanks to thick, sturdy stems, the Pugster® series offers vastly improved hardiness and winter survival over other types of dwarf butterfly bush.
2021 Rose of the Year
Oso Easy Italian Ice
Rosa
This variety rebels against the idea that roses are hard to grow! No spraying, no deadheading, just lots of flowers all season long! Similar to ‘Peace’ in its coloration, the orange buds of Oso Easy Italian Ice® rose open to soft yellow flowers melting into pink blushed margins. The soft flower color is set off nicely by its dark green, glossy foliage. Flowers are semi-doubled, with 24-30 petals per bloom. This self-cleaning rose has excellent disease-resistance, abundant flowers, and a nice habit, making it an excellent plant for home gardens.
2021 Hydrangea of the Year
Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha
Hydrangea serrata
When it comes to blooming, Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha® hydrangea can’t stop, won’t stop! At first glance, it would appear that we decided to introduce this beautiful mountain hydrangea solely for its waterlily-like double florets. But that’s only part of the story – it’s also a prolific rebloomer. All summer long, it devotes its energies to creating flower buds on its new growth so that you have a constant supply of fabulous blooms from early summer through frost. Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha® hydrangea will bloom pink or blue, depending on soil chemistry.
2021 Landscape Shrub of the Year:
Kodiak Orange
Diervilla
Looking for a durable native plant that will thrive in sun or shade, and is drought-tolerant? Deer-resistant, too? You’ve got it! This shrub pushes fall color to the limits with its glowing orange fall foliage. It lights up the fall landscape, making it an ecofriendly alternative to burning bush. Bright yellow flowers in early summer add to its appeal. A durable native plant that thrives in sun or shade, its is drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, and can even grow in dry shade. This is an excellent landscape plant that will succeed in even challenging sites.