American Garden Award Winners Unveiled
September 14, 2010 
The All-America Selections nominees for the second annual American Garden Award this year were ‘Prairie Spendor’ echinacea, ‘Purple Flash’ ornamental pepper, ‘Denver Daisy’ rudbeckia and ‘Knee-High Red’ zinnia. Here’s how the varieties fared:
Grand Prize Winner
The long-lasting golden dark-eyed blooms proved their ability to stand up under extreme weather conditions. This most popular winner guarantees fantastic summer-long flower power throughout the country in gardens, mixed containers and landscapes. This variety was created and named in honor of Denver’s 150th anniversary.
Second-Place Winner
Echinacea ‘Prairie Splendor’ by Syngenta Flowers. Create a show-stopper display with these large and abundant flowers that bloom non-stop from early summer well into the fall. ‘Prairie Splendor’ is a stunning first-year flowering perennial that will add years of enjoyment to a sunny perennial border.
Voters were attracted by the abundance of large 3- to 3.5-inch soft rosy purple blooms. Butterflies will be attracted to this long lasting 24-inch-tall beauty that begins flowering in June and continues blooming until first frost. Spent blooms, if left on the plant, provide winter food for birds.
Third-Place Winner
Ornamental Pepper ‘Purple Flash’ by PanAmerican Seed. Unique and exotic looking, ‘Purple Flash’ enhances mixed containers and in-ground plantings with striking color. Its layered leaves are almost black with “flashes” of bright purple, topped with small, round, glossy black pepper fruits.
‘Purple Flash’ offers great drought tolerance, taking sizzling summer conditions in stride. Voters agree you will definitely want to include this 12-inch tall ornamental in your sunny garden and containers.
Learn more about the American Garden Award at AmericanGardenAward.com.
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