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    Home » Gardening

    2021 Plants of the Year - Award Winning Plants for Your Garden

    January 4, 2021 by Patti Estep 2 Comments

    Rose of Sharon white with pink center

    Be inspired by this list of 2021 plants of the year from leading gardening sites and organizations. A great place to start when planning this year's garden.

    2021 plants of the year collage of flowers, beebalm, calamintha, sunflowers and rose of sharon.

    For many years I have shared a compilation of the top choices different organizations have chosen for the new year. Typically the winners are those plants that are easy to grow and are hardy to a large area of the nation.

    I personally like to see if there is anything that I want to add to my wish list for the coming year and there always are several plants that I want to add to my own gardens. Maybe you will find a few too.

    Garden Organizations Picks for 2021 Plants of the Year

    Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta
    Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta

    Perennial Plant Association

    The perennial plant association's "Perennial of the Year" was probably the first annual award that I learned about. Perennial flowers are definitely a favorite of mine and I continue to add some every year. Sometimes the chosen plant is one that I already have but this year's Calamintha is new to me so it's going on my list.

    I love the cottagey feel this plant has and adding white in the garden is always a good idea. It's relatively short in height and thrives in full-sun, so I think it will look great on my back hillside.

    Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta

    • Hardiness Zones: 5 to 7
    • Height: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
    • Bloom Time: June to September
    • Sun: Full sun
    • Water: low

    Proven Winners Plants of the Year

    Proven Winners has a whole group of plant favorites that they refer to as their National Plants of the Year. I picked just a few but you can click on the headlines of any of the organizations to see more details about all the plants and additional information about the organizations.

    Proven Winners® 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint Nepeta hybrid
    Proven Winners® 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint Nepeta hybrid

    Proven Winners Perennial of the Year - 'Cat's Pajamas' Catmint

    What a cute name, cat's pajamas! It certainly is a great looking perennial. Catmint is one of my favorite perennials. I have the 'Walker's Low' variety but this one looks like it has more flowers so I may have to add it to my list.

    Proven Winners® Supertunia Mini Vista® Pink Star
    Proven Winners® Supertunia Mini Vista® Pink Star

    Proven Winners Annual of the Year - Supertunia Mini Vista® Pink Star

    Supertunias grow well in containers. This pink and white variety is beautiful. Add it to the list!

    Proven Winners® Kodiak® Orange - Diervilla x
    Proven Winners® Kodiak® Orange - Diervilla x

    Proven Winners Landscape Plant of the Year - Kodiak® Orange - Diervilla x

    How beautiful is this shrub? I have never heard of this one and it looks like it grows in shade as well as sun. It reaches only 3-4 feet tall and wide. I know that I'll have a space for this beauty in my garden.

    National Garden Bureau 2021 plants of the year.

    National Gardening Bureau - Year of Plants 2021

    The national gardening bureau selects one annual, one perennial, one bulb, one edible, and one shrub every year to promote. They are chosen because they are popular, easy to grow, and versatile. You may already know of or grow some of these plants but if you click on their links you can learn more details about the plants, different varieties, and helpful tips.

    • Year of the Hibiscus
    • Year of the Garden Bean
    • Year of the Hyacinth
    • Year of the Monarda
    • Year of the Sunflower

    2021 AAS - All American Selection Winners

    This last organization, the All American Selection chooses winners that will grow well all over North America. They utilize a huge list of judges with tons of gardening experience, so you can bet that these winners are a good choice for your own garden.

    AAS Winner - Celosia Kelos® Candela Pink
    AAS Winner - Celosia Kelos® Candela Pink

    2021 AAS Annual Winner - Celosia Kelos® Candela Pink

    Celosia Kelos® Candela Pink is a gorgeous annual with such bright Barbie-like pink flowers. I bet this would look wonderful with any number of combinations in a container or alone. I hope I can find it in the nursery this spring.

    AAS Winner - Leucanthemum Sweet Daisy Birdy
    AAS Winner - Leucanthemum Sweet Daisy Birdy

    2021 AAS Perennial Winner - Leucanthemum Sweet Daisy Birdy

    Sweet Daisy Birdy is a pretty perennial that blooms for a long time. Similar to Shasta Daisy, a well-known perennial, but this one is more compact and has a sweet feathery petal growth around the yellow center that's unique.

    These are just two of the winners that I'm interested in. However, you can read more about some of the other 2021 AAS winners and see if there are any that you want to add to your list this season.

    Previous Plants of the Year Posts

    • 2020 Plants of the Year
    • 2018 Plants of the Year
    • 2017 Plants of the Year
    Calamintha with a text overlay saying Year of the 2021 Plant Picks.

    More Gardening

    • Maidenhair Fern - A Lovely Houseplant
    • Cooking with Parsley - Growing, Harvesting and Recipes
    • 2023 Plants of the Year - Easy Picks for this year's garden
    • Hanging Teacup Planter Upcycle

    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Julia Hofley

      January 06, 2021 at 8:43 pm

      Great information, plant choices and writing.
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        January 07, 2021 at 6:13 am

        Thanks Julia. Happy garden planning!

        Reply

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