For the past two weeks, I’ve been writing about the All-America Selections (AAS) winners. The AAS program trials the plants at test gardens all over the country and judges rate the plants during the growing season. The Green Thumb Awards program winners have been announced, so let’s talk about them today.
Winners of the 2023 Green Thumb Awards (GTA) were chosen by an independent panel of National Garden Bureau members who are garden writers, breeders, retailers, brokers, and growers. The winning products were selected based on their uniqueness, technological innovation, ability to solve a gardening problem or provide a gardening opportunity, and potential appeal to gardeners. The awards are sponsored by the National Garden Bureau (NGB), a nonprofit organization that exists to educate and inspire home gardeners.
The first plant winner in the GTA also won an AAS award this year. As I wrote before, I want this plant in my garden. I’ve grown colocasias with plain green leaves, but never again as this plant is very striking. Waikiki was entered into the non-seed container trial, but it can be grown in the garden. It has large, glossy leaves with a bold leaf coloration featuring pink veins and creamy white centers. Waikiki is part of the Royal Hawaiian series of colocasias and produces these striking colors earlier than other variegated leaf colocasias. The deep burgundy stems produce a lush, compact plant that holds up well even in wind and rain.
Starflower Paper Moon is a cultivar of Scabiosa stellata and is probably not on many people’s list of annuals to plant in the garden this spring. It has clusters of pale blue flowers on two- to three-foot-tall stems that aren’t particularly showy. But after blooming, the seed heads that form are unique. They are decorative, bronze-colored, geometric, and globe-shaped seed heads. Plants are grown primarily for their papery seed pods, which are useful for both fresh and dried bouquets. This variety will probably be sold in seed packets rather than as plants.
The tomato Sun Dipper is figure-eight shaped so that it’s easy to hold while you dip into your favorite dressing. The orange flesh fruit looks great on a vegetable platter and tastes delicious. Plants are indeterminate and have great resistance to in-ground diseases, so you'll harvest trusses of Sun Dipper tomatoes until the frost.
Most dark-colored leaves make the plant blend in unless used as a contrast to other lighter-colored leaves. Dark Side of the Moon astilbe has purple flowers held high above the leaves to make it even more attractive. Emerging leaves are yellow with a dark margin and a glossy sheen that becomes completely dark as they age.
The rose Eau De Parfum is a fragrant, double flowering cream-colored rose that has good disease resistance. It will bloom repeatedly over the summer. It will grow to 4 feet high and into hardiness Zone 5.
Tradescantia Pistachio White has green- and white-striped leaves that are great in hanging baskets and as a focal point houseplant.
Many gardeners try to put ugly plastic pots into pretty decorative pots, but they often don’t fit right. The TruDrop Flex Planters solve all of the problems while still being attractive. The inner shell can be moved into different styles of outer shells. The outer shell is a water reservoir so that plants get water when they need it.
The Dibby XL Dual Purpose Gardening Tool is more than a pretty stick. On one end it creates planting holes at just the right depth. The other end is a scoop for digging up tiny, tender seedlings for transplanting. This is the gardening tool that you didn’t know you needed until you tried it.
