2016 Gold Medal-Winning Perennials

Paul Pilon

Fleuroselect has announced three perennials as 2016 Gold Medal winners. These plants have been trialed at numerous locations across Europe and judged by Fleuroselect’s expert and independent judges. The award winners have proven themselves to clearly supersede existing varieties in terms of breeding innovation and beauty. And the winners are ...

• Echinacea purpurea Feeling Pink—(HM. Clause) Feeling Pink is compact (only 20 in. tall when blooming), develops lots of basal branches and performs well in the landscape. It produces an abundance of rose-pink flowers earlier than the trial comparisons. Flowering occurs as early as late May or early June and continues well into the fall. Feeling Pink has great commercial appeal and strong landscape performance.

• Helenium autumnale Western Mixture—(HM. Clause) With its mixture of yellow, red and bicolor yellow/red flowers, Western Mixture is touted as being a genuine improvement in terms of color range. The judges also recognized its dwarf, compact and true branching habit—reaching a manageable 20 in. tall. Performs well in the landscape and would also make a great perennial for fall containers.

• Calamintha nepeta Marvelette Blue—(Van Hemert & Co.) A first-year flowering perennial from seed, it produces loads of fragrant, intense purple-blue flowers. It’s well branched and naturally compact, reaching only 8 in. tall and 12 in. across. The flowers are large and it blooms early—12 weeks from a spring sowing. Marvelette Blue blooms from spring to autumn.

These award winners will be available to the wholesale trade in 2015 and to retail in 2016. GT