Readers' Choice Annuals
Vote for your favorite among this year's new annual introductions.
It's time for you, our readers, to decide which variety is chosen as the best new introduction in 2026. Breeders have entered their best new varieties for you to decide which one is worthy of the Readers’ Choice award. The Readers' Choice winner will be announced July 13 at Greenhouse Grower's prestigious Evening of Excellence reception during Cultivate'26 in Columbus, OH.
The voting schedule is as follows:
May 19 to May 25: Annuals
May 26 to June 1: Perennials
June 2 to June 8: Best of the Rest
June 10 to June 16: Finalist Voting
Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this page to view photos and descriptions of all the contenders in the Annuals category. There are seven entries this year. One vote per person, please.
Please note: You will find the voting form at the end of the entries, near the bottom of the page.
Sea Spray™ Felicia (Proven Winners)
Colors: Blue
Uses: Landscapes, containers and combinations
Plant Habit: Mounded
Type: Annuals
Description: Modern breeding in Felicia brings a more heat-tolerant cultivar that doesn’t require cool nights to bloom well, making it easier to produce and sell in warmer climates where it will flower more steadily in the summer. Rare true blue flowers dance atop slender stems that sway in the breeze, attracting pollinating bees and butterflies. Its long-lasting blooms on a compact, well-branched habit give it strong impulse appeal at retail, and its easy-to-grow nature keeps it looking fresh all season long.
Petchoa CitraNova™ series (Ball FloraPlant®)
Colors: Limone (yellow); Lemon Zest (white + yellow center)
Uses: Hanging Baskets and Patio Pots
Plant Habit: Semi-mounded, Trailing
Crop Time: 4-inch and Quarts: 1 ppp, 6-9 weeks | 6-inch and Gallons: 1-2 ppp, 7-11 weeks | 10- to 12-inch Baskets: 3-5 ppp, 8-12 weeks
Type: Annuals
Description: CitraNova™ are the most vibrant new petchoas on the market, and the first petchoa class from Ball FloraPlant®. They have cold tolerance and good branching, holding up in the wind and rain – perfect for spring and Mother’s Day combos. They have the bright colors of calibrachoa with the large blooms and strong root system of petunia. The CitraNova series launches with two colors: Limone is a bright and deep yellow, and Lemon Zest is white with large yellow centers. They are outstanding performers in combinations, pairing well together and with other components, with lots of flower power and long-lasting blooms.
Sun Parasol XP Maui Sunset (Suntory Flowers)
Colors: Orange
Uses: Containers, beds
Plant Habit: Upright, bushy
Crop Time: 8-12 weeks from liner, depending on the region and climate
Type: Annuals
Description: With big kahuna color, Sun Parasol XP Maui Sunset brings the luau to your landscapes and containers. Bushy plants produce extra large, orange pinwheel-shaped blooms. The breeding is in between Sun Parasol Original and FiredUp with a more upright habit. XP stands for extreme performance and flower power. Imagine the possibilities for your summer containers. Upright growth also lends itself to high density trays in production and at retail.
Begonia I’Conia® Valencia Pink (Dümmen Orange)
Colors: Valencia Pink
Uses: Smaller pots and larger containers, Hanging Baskets
Plant Habit: Upright, Mounding Habit
Crop Time: Crop time can range from 11-17 weeks and vary per size of finish container and temperature.
Type: Annuals
Description: Begonia I’Conia® Valencia Pink is a standout variety combining strength, beauty, and versatility. Its superb branching creates a full, mounding habit, while abundant medium-sized, semi-double blooms deliver continuous color. Vibrant pink petals with delicate serration surround warm yellow-to-orange centers, evoking a glowing sunset effect at retail. With medium vigor, Valencia Pink performs effortlessly across container sizes, from small pots to large patio planters and hanging baskets. Thriving in both sun and shade, it offers reliable garden performance. True to its name, derived from “Valentia,” meaning strength, this variety excels with outstanding heat tolerance and resilience throughout the season.
SuperCal® Premium Pink Star (Sakata)
Colors: Pink Star
Uses: Quarts, Gallons, Hanging Baskets, Decorative Containers, Landscape
Plant Habit: Mounding Habit
Crop Time: 9 – 12 weeks
Type: Annuals
Description: SuperCal® Premium Pink Star delivers the same trusted performance growers expect from the SuperCal series. Pink Star features vibrant pink blooms accented by an eye‑catching star pattern, providing standout color throughout Spring, Summer, and Fall for three full seasons. This outstanding all‑weather petunia offers an abundant flower display with show‑stopping, large blooms on a tidy, mounding habit. With high heat tolerance and excellent cold and rain resistance, SuperCal is a low‑maintenance, high‑impact choice for any annual program.
Pentas lanceolata StreetArt™ Blue (Benary)
Colors: Blue
Uses: Premium, large containers, combination planters and landscape focal points
Plant Habit: Mounding
Crop Time: Spring: 15 - 17 weeks
Type: Annuals
Description: Pentas lanceolata StreetArt™ Blue (U.S. Patent Pending) sets a new benchmark as the first blue Pentas from seed. This extra‑large, mounding variety produces oversized, hydrangea‑like flower clusters with strong summer performance and excellent heat tolerance. Part of the new StreetArt™ series—also featuring Red, White, and Rose—StreetArt Blue is ideal for bold monochrome plantings and eye‑catching red, white, and blue combinations timed perfectly for summer holiday impact. Reaching 18–24 inches, it excels as a premium choice for large containers and landscape focal points.
Coffee Shop™ Lavender Latte Dahlia (Syngenta Flowers)
Colors: Lavender
Uses: Patio pots, cutting gardens, and landscape beds
Plant Habit: Upright
Type: Annuals
Description: Coffee Shop has dark-roast foliage and double-shot blooms. Dark foliage creates dramatic contrast in borders while complementing the rich, fully double blooms that hold their shape throughout the season. Strong garden performance with excellent powdery mildew resistance helps plants look fresh and healthy from summer through fall frost. This new variety is perfect for patio pots, cutting gardens, and landscape beds. Robust plants deliver continuous waves of café-inspired colors on strong stems above striking dark foliage.
Voting is now Closed.
More About the Medal of Excellence Awards
In Greenhouse Grower’s Medal of Excellence Awards tradition, three awards are presented for breeding:
The Readers’ Choice Award is voted on online by our readers. Breeders submit their top plants for consideration for this award.
The Industry’s Choice Award is selected by a panel of industry members who attend Spring Trials and see introductions in person.
The Editor’s Choice Award is chosen by Greenhouse Grower Content Specialist, Marisa Reyes. See Greenhouse Grower's 2025 Medal of Excellence Winners
Winners of all of these awards, along with awards for Medal of Excellence in Industry Achievement, Technology of the Year, Head Grower of the Year, and Operation of the Year, will be announced July 13 at the Evening of Excellence reception at Cultivate’26 in Columbus, OH. Please plan to join us!