Proven Winners® Perennial of the Year
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National Plant of the Year® Program
The Proven Winners National Plant of the Year program selects plants for their exceptional performance. These plants have been chosen for their proven excellence and ability to be used successfully nationwide by growers and gardeners alike. The Perennial of the Year is a division of this program highlighting the top perennials from the Proven Winners brand. Look for these perennials to be featured in magazines, social media, as well as home and trade shows throughout the year.
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2026 - Astilbe 'Dark Side of the Moon'
An instant classic for the landscape! 'Dark Side of the Moon' is the only dark leafed Astilbe with purple flowers that's on the market. Rich deep chocolate burgundy leaves form an incredibly attractive mound of foliage. Emerging leaves are yellow with a dark margin with a glossy sheen that become completely dark as they age. Dark stems hold raspberry buds that burst forth with rosy purple flowers. This performs best both for growing and flowering in full sun in the north with adequate moisture, but also grows in shade.
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2025 - Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack of Diamonds'
This shade perennial can best be described as a giant version of the classic 'Jack Frost'-with a twist. The huge 9-10" leaves overlap dramatically at the base giving it a shape similar to the snail delicacy escargot. Overall, the foliage is circular from a distance. The leaves have a heavy silver overlay with vivid wide, dark green veining pattern. From mid to late spring, baby blue, forget-me-not type blossoms are held in clusters above the foliage.
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2024 - Salvia nemorosa 'Pink Profusion'
This Salvia nemorosa hybrid will impress you with the number of times it reblooms! Sheer back the spent flowers and enjoy again throughout the summer. Dark pink flowers are produced on darker pink calyxes on a perfectly rounded, dense and beautiful habit. This shorter stature Salvia will tuck in nicely to all sorts of places in your perennial garden, planted en mass makes a perfect edger.
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2023 - Heuchera DOLCE® 'Wildberry'
The intense purple color of these leaves are second to none! Compared to 'Blackberry Ice', the foliage is larger, a richer hue, and holds onto its purple color for much of the season. Large, scalloped, incredibly glossy leaves are a bold shade of purple. Charcoal veins accent the leaf color that make the leaves really pop. Dark stems hold rosy pink calyxes and white flowers. A must have!
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2022 - Dianthus 'Paint the Town Magenta'
This beauty is prized for its bright colors and increased heat tolerance, which translates to better performance nearly nationwide, even in the heat-loving states. ‘Paint the Town Magenta' is one of the earliest Dianthus to bloom, producing ¾-1” wide, single vibrant magenta pink flowers and incredibly serrated petals. Flowers completely cover the plant when it's in peak. Its glaucous blue foliage set it apart from other Dianthus of its type. Flowers appear in early summer, and a quick shearing after flowering will encourage them to rebloom in early fall. This is the perfect size to edge the front of the sunny border and use in combination containers.
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2021 - Nepeta 'Cat's Pajamas'
A purr-fect Catmint for fans of 'Cat's Meow' who love the look but want a smaller scale version. In addition to being a little over half the height, 'Cats Pajamas' also blooms about 2-3 weeks earlier than 'Cat's Meow'. The ball-shaped habit carries long, dark flower stems that hold indigo blue flowers. Unlike older varieties that only produce flowers at the top of the stems, this improved Catmint has blooms from the soil to the tips of the stems. Even when the flowers are past peak, the color of the rosy purple calyxes give your garden an additional splash of color. As an added bonus, the small, aromatic leaves keep deer and rabbits away. Try this shorter stature plant in city gardens or near the front of the border.
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2020 - Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Denim 'n Lace'
‘Denim ‘n Lace' doesn't get too tall, has stronger stems and a more upright habit than most older varieties. Lacy-like, bright sky blue flowers are held on amethyst calyxes. Its calyxes are spaced very close together to give the flowers a very full look. The colorful calyxes make it look like it is still in bloom even when it is past peak. You'll have great color nearly all season long.
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2019 - Hibiscus SUMMERIFIC® 'Berry Awesome'
‘Berry Awesome' has lavender pink flowers and red eye, with contrasting deep midnight green foliage. Flowers are produced from the top to the bottom of the plant, rather than just at the top like some other cultivars. The foliage forms the perfect habit and will be ready to show off from late summer into early fall. ‘Berry Awesome' is the perfect backdrop or centerpiece for sunny borders. Use it in place of a shrub in your garden.
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2018 - Heuchera PRIMO® 'Black Pearl'
‘Black Pearl' forms an incredibly dense habit of shiny, jet black leaves with scalloped, ruffled edges. Each 4-4½” leaf has rosy purple undersides, revealed with the intense ruffling of the leaves. Oldest leaves have a slight silver overlay. To top it off, ‘Black Pearl' keeps its intense black color even in full sun, instead of bleaching to brown.
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2017 - Leucanthemum superbum AMAZING DAISIES® 'Banana Cream'
The 4-5" wide flowers are lemon yellow when they open, brightening to light butter yellow and finally to creamy white as they mature. An extra row of ray petals gives the flowers a fuller appearance than truly single varieties. Since it produces flower buds at each axillary shoot, ‘Banana Cream' blooms prolifically all summer long atop strong, upright stems.
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