Varieties That Stole the Show at the Proven Winners New Plant Preview
May 12, 2026 Proven Winners has gone through a number of changes over the last year, most notably when Pleasant View Gardens in Loudon, NH, and Four Star Greenhouse in Carleton, MI, joined together in October 2025 to form one company, Proven Winners, under one ownership structure. Yet even with these developments, the company remains focused on offering new varieties to growers, retailers, and consumers.
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On May 1, 2026, the company hosted a preview of its newest variety offerings at Proven Winners Carleton. The event didn’t just feature displays of new annuals, perennials and shrubs. It also highlighted Proven Winners’ focus on programs such as Fall Magic (fresh alternatives to mums using deliberate pot labeling), Pollinator Paradise (plants proven to be pollinator magnets), and Plant of the Year/Recipe of the Year honorees, which are determined based on feedback from Proven Winners’ plant trialing network.
Of course, the new plants remained the highlight of the event. Keep reading to learn more about some of the most exciting introductions we saw, and check out the slideshow above for a closer look.
Annuals
Calibrachoa Superbells Double Mardi Gras and Double Midnight Magenta
New to the Superbells series, Double Mardi Gras is a prolific bloomer with a mounded habit that mixes well with medium vigor varieties, while Double Midnight Magenta offers both heat and cold tolerance in a mounded trailing habit.
Coleus Colorblaze Pepper Flakes
Strong branching helps this coleus fill containers, and it is also downy mildew resistant. It is very late to flower, creating a long sales window.
Felicia amelloides Sea Spray
Described as a “unicorn” one-of-a-kind plant, Sea Spray offers both heat tolerance and cold hardiness. Its flowers stand tall on wiry stems above the foliage.Use caution when applying plant growth regulators too early, as they can stunt its upright growth.
Fuschia Sun Pendants Hot Pink
Growing best in full sun, Sun Pendants Hot Pink flowers into June. It attracts hummingbirds and has an upright mounted to semi-trailing habit.
Helianthus Suncredible Yellow II
The “II” in this case is how Proven Winners is now highlighting improvements to industry standards. Suncredible Yellow II is earlier to flower, yet the color stays to late in the season. It also features a more refined, balanced habit with stronger branching.
Nemesia Aromance Plum Honey
Bearing larger flowers than its series companions, this fragrant variety has a compact, upright mounded habit that presents beautifully in containers.
Supertunia Vista Bubblegum II
This improvement keeps the flowering time and vigor of its predecessor, with an intensified rich pink color from spring to frost.
Perennials
Hyssopus Nectar Ninja
Nectar Ninja has a strong herbal fragrance. It’s also deer and rabbit resistant that’s being positioned as a potential Lavandula alternative.
(Note: the following three varieties will be a priority for Proven Winners, but they were not ready for display in person)
Allium All the Buzz
The golf ball-sized blooms of All the Buzz help attract pollinators, and the plant does a great job filling out containers.
Heliopsis Forged in Fire
Forged in Fire offers consistent heat and drought tolerance, and its dark-green foliage is mildew resistant.
Lavandula Summer Serenade
Early to bloom and color, this fragrant lavender does not require vernalization to bloom. Its color arrives in early summer and stays to the fall.
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