Best of Show – Cleome ‘Spirit Appleblossom’ from Proven Winners

The plant stands out in the garden even from a distance. The delicate white and pink flowers bloom throughout the summer. The plants are very uniform with dark green foliage and strong stems. A great selection for sunny locations.

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Best New Variety – Dahlia ‘Mystic Illusion’ from Proven Selections by Proven Winners

It is an obvious “Wow!” plant because of the striking combination of bright yellow flowers against the dark purple foliage. It can grow to 30 inches tall, well branched and will make a strong statement in the garden. It performs well in full sun and partial shade.

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Novelty – Cyperus papyrus ‘King Tut’ from Proven Selections by Proven Winners

It is a large plant (5-6 feet tall) and stands out due to its fine texture. A small breeze provides a gentle sway that adds to the delicate and exotic nature of this plant. It can be grown as a specimen or an accent plant.

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Best Angelonia (seed) – ‘Serena White’ from PanAmerican Seed

'Serena White’ was a superior due to the prolific white blooms all summer. The clean green foliage never had any dieback and was a good contrast against the bright white flowers. A great garden performer with an uniform overall appearance.

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Best Angelonia (vegetative) – ‘Alonia Dark Blue’ from Danziger

This Angelonia was outstanding since plants were compact, uniform and had good dark green foliage. The dark blue flowers were prolific and showy. It looked great in a container and withstood the summer heat.

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Best Argyranthemum – ‘Madeira Crested Primrose’ from Ball FloraPlant

This plant was still blooming in early September and looked fresh with self-cleaning characteristics. The abundant flowers were a bright yellow color and the overall plant appearance was very uniform.

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Best Begonia (hiemalis type) – ‘SoleniaDusty Rose’ from Ecke Geraniums, LLC – Oglevee Products

Plants had a prolific bouquet of large, spectacular, rose-colored flowers. Flowers were still abundant into September. The flower color was very attractive against the dark green foliage of the vigorous plants.

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Best Begonia (wax type) – ‘Sprint Scarlet’ from Benary Seed

The abundant deep scarlet flowers was the prominent reason for this winner. The flowers were also held above the foliage on very uniform plants.

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Best Calibrachoa – ‘Callie Rose ‘06’ from GoldFisch by Goldsmith Seeds

The flowers were noted for the intense color, attractive eye with a nice sheen in the sunlight. The plant vigor was excellent with a tight compact growth habit. It was a good performer in the ground and in containers.

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Best Coleus – ‘Black Knight’ from Proven Selections by Proven Winners

This coleus was selected in part for the “kaleidoscope” of foliage color and unique leaf shape. It had excellent plant vigor and also did well in full sun. Growth habit was very uniform with no flower set.

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Best Dianthus – ‘Supra Red’ from Hem Genetics

The combined unique flower petal form and taller size made a real show in the trials. The abundant red flowers were attractive shade of red. Plants had good vigor and uniformity.

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Best Geranium (ivy) – ‘Caliente Rose’ from GoldFisch by Goldsmith Seeds

The flowering was non-stop all summer and well into September. The showy rose colored flowers covered vigorous plants with a uniform mounding growth habit.

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Best Geranium (zonal) – ‘Rocky Mountain Salmon Rose’ from GoldFisch bred by Fischer

Plants had large blooms with a showy rose flower color. Plants were vigorous, very uniform overall and stood out among other geraniums in the trial.

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Best Impatiens (seed) – ‘Shimmer Salmon’ from S & G Flowers

The deep salmon flowers covered the plant canopy all summer. Plants were extremely vigorous and had good uniformity.

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Best Impatiens (double) – ‘Fiesta Sparkler Hot Pink’ from Ball FloraPlant

The large, very double flowers resembled small roses that covered the plant. The bi-color flower of pink and white had a stable pattern. The plants were very uniform in growth habit.

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Best Impatiens (in sun) – ‘Fanfare Fuchsia Improved’ from Ball FloraPlant

The large fuchsia flowers were an intense color which contrasted well against the dark green foliage. The plants had great vigor and looked good in both containers and the ground.

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Best Impatiens (New Guinea) – ‘Tamarinda Amethyst’ from Fides North America

The large lavender flowers covered the plant canopy. Flowering remained consistent throughout the summer. The plants were uniform in growth habit and had controlled vigor.

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Best Lantana – ‘Landmark Citrus’ from Ball FloraPlant

The flowers were a unique yellow/orange/pink color and very intense against the dark green foliage. The abundant flowers and bright flower color are real “eye-catchers” in the garden.

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Best Lobelia – ‘Laguna Sky Blue’ from Proven Winners

The continual bloom on the plant during the summer resulted in it being ranked best. The vigorous mounding plants were covered with attractive blue flowers. No dieback occurred with this variety and it did well in full sun.

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Best Osteospermum -‘Tradewinds Purple Bicolor’ from GoldFisch by Goldsmith Seeds

The plant was selected for the unique flower color on a very floriferous, well branched plants. The compact and uniform growth habit makes it an excellent choice for containers as well as in the ground. Plants were noted for good vigor.

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Best Pentas – ‘Northern Lights Lavender’ from Benary Seed

This variety was noted for great flower power due to the many light lavender, large, blooms. The flowering continued well into September. The dark green foliage made a great contrast for the light colored flowers. Plants were vigorous and uniform in growth habit.

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Best Petunia (mini-spreading) – ‘Littletunia Rose’ from Danziger

This variety was selected for the intense rose flower color and prolific flowering. The plants had vigorous growth with a uniform mounding habit. They looked great both in ground and containers.

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Best Petunia (spreading, seed propagated) – ‘Opera Supreme Pink Morn’ from Takii & Co.

A spectacular variety that had flowers that glowed. They were so numerous that no foliage was visible. The overall appearance was a uniform groundcover of color.

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Best Petunia (spreading, vegetatively propagated) – ‘Supertunia Vista Bubblegum’ from Proven Winners

An award winner in our trials for the 2 nd year in a row. This plant is a consistent “Wow!” plant. It has outstanding features such as flowers that are so prolific they hide the foliage and a uniform, mounding vigorous growth habit.

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Best Rudbeckia – ‘Prairie Sun’ from Benary Seed

Another multi-year winner in our trials due to the huge flower size and bright yellow color. It is extremely showy even from a distance. Plants were vigorous, uniform and dependable.

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Best Verbena – ‘Lanai Lavender Star’ from GoldFisch by Goldsmith Seeds

The many large flower heads produced an interesting star shaped pattern. The plants were uniform with no mildew. Plants looked good even into September.

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Best Vinca – ‘Pacifica Burgundy Halo’ from PanAmerican Seed

This variety had exceptional plant vigor and large burgundy flowers. The flowers were prolific and had a striking central eye which was showy. The plants were very uniform in growth habit.

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Additional "Plants Rated as Superior" for 2007

Begonia ‘Dragon Wing Red’ from PanAmerican Seed

This variety was a standout not only because of the unusual wing-like leaf shape but also because of the strong vigor, prolific red flowers and uniform growth appearance.

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Dianthus ‘Garden Spice Coral’ from Fides North America

A carnation flower with a spicy fragrance and abundant blooms. It was early to flower and performed well in both containers and in the ground. The vigorous plants produced bright coral colored flowers throughout the summer.

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Geranium (zonal) ‘Fantasia Cardinal Red Improved’ from Ball FloraPlant

The large flowers had a striking color which were held above the dark foliage for a very "eye-catching" contrast. This plant was a heavy bloomer with a very uniform overall appearance.

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Geranium (zonal) ‘Fantasia Violet Improved’ from Ball FloraPlant

The flowers appeared to glow with a fluorescent magenta/violet color that were held high above the foliage. Plants were very healthy, problem free and had an excellent growth habit.

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Petunia (spreading) ‘Supertunia Vista Fuchsia’ from Proven Winners

This variety had all the great qualities as its sister ‘Supertunia Vista Bubblegum’ but with a unique fuchsia flower color. The numerous flowers hide the foliage. Plants were extremely vigorous with a uniform, mounding habit.

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