The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) recently selected this year’s list of Gold Medal Plant winners, which are plants determined for praiseworthy attributes such as ease of cultivation, ready commercial availability, wildlife value, weather tolerance, and pest resistance.
The Gold Medal Plant Program was created by PHS and began celebrating qualified plants in 1979. A highly qualified group of judges assesses trees, shrubs, and plant perennials on an annual basis to provide outstanding horticultural selections to nurseries and garden centers, as well as to amateur and professional gardeners. Since the program’s inception, PHS has named over 150 Gold Medal Plants. Including this year’s winners, all plants are indicated for their hardiness in the 5 to 7 hardiness zones, which cover the Mid-Atlantic region, but are also valid in other regions.
Andrew Bunting, PHS Vice President of Public Horticulture, oversees the PHS Gold Medal Plant Committee in selecting winners each year.
“The purpose of Gold Medal Plants is to help gardeners find a plant that is a perfect fit for their garden’s needs,” says Bunting of the program. The selection process starts with submissions from many types of horticulturists such as garden designers, home gardeners, landscape architects, nursery owners, and plant propagators. Diverse submissions influence the varied selection of plants chosen for the annual award.
Read more on the gold medal plants here.
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society100 N. 20th Street