Garden retailers attending Farwest 2024 in Portland, OR, were on the hunt to find great products to present with Retailers’ Choice Awards. These retailers, representing The Garden Center group, awarded 13 companies awards for 15 plants and products.
1
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15
Cercis canadensis ‘Garden Gems Amethyst’ (Alpha Nursery; introduced by Star Roses & Plants)
2
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15
Ocimum basilicum Basil Everleaf Lemon (Ball Seed Company)
3
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15
Hakonechloa macra ‘Lime Zest Japanese Forest Grass’ (Briggs Nursery)
4
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15
Morus rotundiloba ‘Mojo Berry Mulberry’ (Briggs Nursery)
5
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15
Philodendron ‘Carmel Marble’ (Cascade Tropicals)
6
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15
Forsythia ‘Hillier Discovery’ (Meridian Young Plants; introduced by PlantHaven)
7
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15
Cercis canadensis ‘Flame Thrower Redbud’ (Monrovia)
8
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15
Styrax Snowbell ‘Starway to Heaven’ (Robinson Nursery)
9
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15
Ambylseius cucumeris Beneficial Insect (Sound Horticulture)
10
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15
Water Checker (Sustee Innovative)
11
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15
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Cherry-Go-Round’ Reblooming Hydrangea (Van Belle Nursery)
12
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15
Artemisia ‘Garden Ghost’ (Walla Walla Nursery)
13
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15
Laurel ‘Skinny Skip’ (Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas; introduced by Colony Nursery)
14
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15
Trachelospermum asiaticum Asian Jasmine ‘Ogon Nishiki’ (Youngblood Nursery)
15
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15
Canna ‘Red Golden Flame’ (Youngblood Nursery)
Here’s a quick review of this year’s winners and links to each company or product. Check out the slideshow for a closer look at each winning product.
Cercis canadensis ‘Garden Gems Amethyst’ (Alpha Nursery; introduced by Star Roses & Plants)
This compact Cercis tree is an elegant focal point in small gardens. and when potted on patios, its size and burgundy foliage give a similar effect as a Japanese Maple, with the benefit of being native to North America. A spring flush of pink blooms will attract pollinators.
Ocimum basilicum Basil Everleaf Lemon (Ball Seed Company)
This late-flowering basil brings bright, lemon flavor to the table all season long. It is a great addition to dressings, marinades, and salads. Upright plants deliver an abundant harvest. It performs well in the ground and in containers.
Hakonechloa macra ‘Lime Zest Japanese Forest Grass’ (Briggs Nursery)
This Briggs Nursery introduction features variegated blades of creamy green and zesty lime with magenta stems. It has an upright habit and is a great companion with dark-foliaged plants. It adds new dimensions of color and texture to lower light areas and shade gardens. Gently waving with the slightest breeze adds movement to the landscape, especially when used in a mass planting.
Morus rotundiloba ‘Mojo Berry Mulberry’ (Briggs Nursery)
Mojo Berry is a perfect patio selection that reaches 3 to 5 feet tall and produces fruit on old and new wood, allowing for fruit in the first year compared to the usual five to six years. It has extended berry production; other varieties produce over a three-week period, whereas Mojo produces berries in late May through September. This European variety is a home gardener’s dream with long fruiting, self-pollinating, and compact growth. Grows well in full sun. Hardy to Zone 8.
Philodendron ‘Carmel Marble’ (Cascade Tropicals)
Philodendron ‘Caramel Marble’ has serrated leaves that are a true sight to behold. The foliage is wonderfully variegated with streaks of cream, white and yellow variegation throughout the leaves.
Forsythia ‘Hillier Discovery’ (Meridian Young Plants; introduced by PlantHaven)
Forsythia x intermedia ‘Discovery’ is part of the HILLIER Collection from Hillier Nurseries, United Kingdom. Elegant cream-white, broadly edged foliage. Tidy, compact habit. Extended impulse sales opportunities.
Cercis canadensis ‘Flame Thrower Redbud’ (Monrovia)
Light-pink spring flowers are followed by an ever-changing display of colorful foliage that continues all the way to fall. New foliage emerges burgundy, fades to yellow, and matures to green. Branches display all the colors at once for a stunning effect. Deciduous. An excellent landscape specimen.
Styrax Snowbell ‘Starway to Heaven’ (Robinson Nursery)
Starway to Heaven Japanese Snowbell is a reblooming Styrax with petite, five-petaled flowers that resemble a galaxy of stars when it blooms in the spring and again in the fall when it reblooms. Each flower has a shimmering, almost metallic effect that sparkles in the landscape. Its deep green, glossy foliage emerges red, and its narrow, space-saving habit beautifies both large and small landscapes.
Ambylseius cucumeris Beneficial Insect (Sound Horticulture)
Ambylseius cucumeris is a predatory mite that feeds on immature thrips, broad mites, russet mites, and spider mite eggs. Adults are pear-shaped, tan in color, and less than 0.5mm long. Eggs are round, transparent, and 0.14mm in diameter.
Water Checker (Sustee Innovative)
A home-grade moisture checker has been equipped with a pF indicator (available water capacity) for the first time ever. This way, the root’s ability to absorb water, or the plant’s thirst, becomes visible (patented in Japan, No. 5692826). The high quality of Sustee prevents root rot caused by improper watering. To improve our product, the company keeps testing and researching in cooperation with the Tokyo University of Agriculture and farmers.
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Cherry-Go-Round’ Reblooming Hydrangea (Van Belle Nursery)
Mouthwatering cherry-red flowers adorn this hydrangea’s compact frame and rebloom through summer and fall.
Artemisia ‘Garden Ghost’ (Walla Walla Nursery)
This is a lovely new addition to the world of Artemisia. Drop this silvery-leaved beauty into the landscape to add texture and accent in the garden. Artemisia ‘Garden Ghost’ is one of the newest additions from Garden Genetics. Starting out slightly green in color, watch Garden Ghost mature throughout the season to a nice bright silvery foliage accent piece. Garden Ghost lends itself to being perfectly mounded at 12 to 24 inches tall and 24 to 30 inches wide. This densely branched, groundcover type artemisia is proven Zone 4 hardy.
Laurel ‘Skinny Skip’ (Woodburn Nursery & Azaleas; introduced by Colony Nursery)
Glossy dark-green leaves and dense upright growth habit make ‘Skinny Skip’ Laurel the perfect privacy hedge. Minimal trimming required. USDA Zones 6-9, hardier than Laurus schipkaensis.
Trachelospermum asiaticum Asian Jasmine ‘Ogon Nishiki’ (Youngblood Nursery)
Spectacular bright orange, golden yellow, and dark-green foliage. Trailing habit to 8 feet or more. Rarely flowers. Part sun, regular watering. Evergreen. Zones 7–9.
Canna ‘Red Golden Flame’ (Youngblood Nursery)
A vibrant and striking perennial plant known for its brilliant red-orange blooms and striking golden foliage. Zones 7–11.
The awards at Farwest 2024 were a joint presentation by the Farwest Show and The Garden Center Group. The Garden Center Group focuses on business solutions designed to help garden centers increase sales, improve operations, and retain more profit with a support team of leading industry professionals offering business management, financial, marketing, HR services and more. For more information, click here.
