National Plant of the Year® Program

If you have not yet taken advantage of the Proven Winners National Plants of the Year® program, we recommend you do. Walters Gardens and Proven Winners have teamed up to highlight the very best of the best with this program, ensuring consistent promotion of the top Proven Winners Perennials to both trade and retail audiences.

The National Perennial, Hosta, and Landscape Perennial of the Year are selected by Walters Gardens and Proven Winners with consultation from industry professionals. Candidates for the National Perennial of the Year must have been commercially available for at least one year, have a confident supply chain, and have exceptional retail and landscape performance. These candidates will then be voted on by various growers and industry professionals, each considering the plant’s market potential.

The National Plants of the Year become the subject of one of horticulture’s largest marketing campaigns. Proven Winners promotes these plants directly to consumers with specific advertisements, dedicated video content, website and social media posts, as well as distribution to a large network of garden communicators and social media influencers.

The Champion Our best and the brightest in the collection. Proven performance and readily available supply to fit the needs of a national audience. If there can only be one, this is the one. View All National Perennial of the Year® Winners The Shady Character Foremost in foliage perennials, Hostas have enduring popularity. The National Hosta of the Year® highlights the highest quality selections from the best selling class of perennial. View All National Hosta of the Year® Winners The Workhorse This class is aimed at perennials that offer exceptional performance and long lasting interest for years on end. National Landscape Perennials of the Year™ are among the best for municipalities and commercial landscaping application. View All National Landscape Perennial of the Year™ Winners