American Garden Award's Top Vote Getters

By Greenhouse Grower staff|September 29, 2009

Americans voted for their favorite flower using their cell phones. Six competing flowers were grown at 17 prestigious gardens across America. Signage at these gardens guided people through the voting process. Garden visitors picked their favorites by text messaging or by dialing an 800 number to cast their vote.

Here are this year’s top vote getters:

Rudbeckia ‘TigerEye Gold.’ ‘TigerEye Gold’ grabbed the attention of voters with its prolific display of brilliant 3-inch golden blooms. Voters also appreciated the compact habit of the 16-to-24-inch tall plants. The long-lasting golden dark-eyed blooms made a strong statement while showing their hybrid tolerance to heat, humidity and powdery mildew. This most popular winner guarantees fantastic season-long color in gardens, mixed containers and landscapes.

Petunia ‘Baby Duck Yellow.’ This petunia won because voters loved the way it brightened and blanketed the garden with its multitudes of soft yellow trumpet-shaped blooms. Voters saw that the 1.5-inch blooms didn’t wilt in summer’s heat, humidity or rain. Blooms completely covered the 18-to-24-inch plants that didn’t need deadheading or cutting back. Fast growing ‘Baby Duck Yellow’ spreads 30 to 36 inches and will rapidly fill in gardens and containers.

Pentas ‘Northern Lights Lavender.’ Large 4-to-6-inch clusters of star-shaped florets covered this tropical-looking 18-to-24-inch plant. This breeding breakthrough pentas performed throughout the country, showing off its tolerance to northern temperatures as low as 50 degrees, as well as its love for rigorous southern heat.