1. home and garden

GEORGIA
G LD
MEDAL
PLANTS
SUMMER ANNUAL
HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
Spurge
®
Cora Vinca
Catharanthus
roseus
Euphorbia wulfenii
‘Shorty’, and
Euphorbia x martinii
‘Ascot Rainbow’
Full sun to
part shade
Full sun to
part shade
Zones 7-9
(Shorty)
and 5-9 (Ascot
Rainbow)
2015
Vinca is known as a deer-resistant
annual, but has had a tough time
growing in the Southeast – until
Cora® Vinca, bred for disease, heat
and humidity resistance, was in.
troduced. With larger flowers and a
more uniform growing habit than
common periwinkle, Cora® Vinca is
a tough annual for full sun to semishade. It is suitable for bedding,
containers, groundcover, poolside
plantings, and hanging baskets (Cora® Cascade™ Vinca
is the trailing form). Expect the plants to grow 14-18” high
and 24” wide, and make sure that there is good drainage.
Large, abundant blooms in apricot, burgundy, dark red,
lavender, white and violet last from early summer until the
first frost. Since all bloom colors are on similar size plants,
a color mix is an attractive option.
Many new annuals are only available as plants, but
Cora® Vinca is also available to grow from seed. Start
seeds indoors 12 weeks before the last frost; outdoor sowing is not recommended. Do not plant outside too early –
Cora® Vinca loves the heat.
Cora® Cascade™ Vinca is a natural for hanging baskets and containers, but also spreads out when planted
in the ground, creating a low, full mass of flowers in the
landscape.
Looking for a colorful planting for the hot Georgia sun?
Mix Cora® Vinca with the blooming spires of Angelonia, the
low, chartreuse foliage of Angelina Stonecrop, and the airy
Pink Muhly Grass – all Georgia Gold Medal winners.
There are many species and varieties
of Euphorbia. In fact, the Christmas
poinsettia is a Euphorbia. We’d like
to award the 2015 perennial status to
two garden euphorbias that combine
colorful, evergreen, architectural
structure with strangely beautiful,
attention-getting, yellow blooms to
create what Atlanta garden designer
Dottie Myers calls “Dr. Seuss plants.”
If George Jetson had a garden, this
plant would certainly have been growing in it! These
deer-resistant plants are great for rock gardens, borders,
containers, or wherever you want a tropical look in a dry
setting. They suffer during a wet spring or if overwatered,
but laugh at drought and thrive among thirsty tree roots.
‘Shorty’ (Euphorbia wulfenii ‘Shorty’) forms a 12-24”
compact, sculptural, rounded mass of silver-grey in the
landscape. Yellow blooms appear in early spring and the
foliage is flushed with burgundy in fall. ‘Ascot Rainbow’
(Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’ PP 21,401) has variegated leaves of green and yellow on a 20-24” tall plant,
with burgundy on the newest foliage each fall and yellow
blooms in early spring. Both are low maintenance and will
spread to form a colony.
Planting these next to a plant with purple foliage, such
as Loropetalum, will bring out the burgundy tinge in the fall
and contrast against the yellow blooms and green foliage.
The milky sap that makes it unpalatable to deer and
rabbits can be a skin irritant and poisonous if ingested. We
suggest that you use gloves when working with this plant.
winners
Take home a Gold Medal Plant . . . and take home a winner!
Georgia Gold Medal Winners are selected each year by the Georgia Plant Selection Committee
in order to promote the production, sale and use of superior ornamental plants. For information on
other Georgia Gold Medal Winners visit www.georgiagoldmedalplants.org.
GEORGIA
G LD
MEDAL
PLANTS
SUMMER ANNUAL
HERBACEOUS PERENNIAL
Spurge
®
Cora Vinca
Catharanthus
roseus
Euphorbia wulfenii
‘Shorty’, and
Euphorbia x martinii
‘Ascot Rainbow’
Full sun to
part shade
Full sun to
part shade
Zones 7-9
(Shorty)
and 5-9 (Ascot
Rainbow)
2015
Vinca is known as a deer-resistant
annual, but has had a tough time
growing in the Southeast – until
Cora® Vinca, bred for disease, heat
and humidity resistance, was in.
troduced. With larger flowers and a
more uniform growing habit than
common periwinkle, Cora® Vinca is
a tough annual for full sun to semishade. It is suitable for bedding,
containers, groundcover, poolside
plantings, and hanging baskets (Cora® Cascade™ Vinca
is the trailing form). Expect the plants to grow 14-18” high
and 24” wide, and make sure that there is good drainage.
Large, abundant blooms in apricot, burgundy, dark red,
lavender, white and violet last from early summer until the
first frost. Since all bloom colors are on similar size plants,
a color mix is an attractive option.
Many new annuals are only available as plants, but
Cora® Vinca is also available to grow from seed. Start
seeds indoors 12 weeks before the last frost; outdoor sowing is not recommended. Do not plant outside too early –
Cora® Vinca loves the heat.
Cora® Cascade™ Vinca is a natural for hanging baskets and containers, but also spreads out when planted
in the ground, creating a low, full mass of flowers in the
landscape.
Looking for a colorful planting for the hot Georgia sun?
Mix Cora® Vinca with the blooming spires of Angelonia, the
low, chartreuse foliage of Angelina Stonecrop, and the airy
Pink Muhly Grass – all Georgia Gold Medal winners.
There are many species and varieties
of Euphorbia. In fact, the Christmas
poinsettia is a Euphorbia. We’d like
to award the 2015 perennial status to
two garden euphorbias that combine
colorful, evergreen, architectural
structure with strangely beautiful,
attention-getting, yellow blooms to
create what Atlanta garden designer
Dottie Myers calls “Dr. Seuss plants.”
If George Jetson had a garden, this
plant would certainly have been growing in it! These
deer-resistant plants are great for rock gardens, borders,
containers, or wherever you want a tropical look in a dry
setting. They suffer during a wet spring or if overwatered,
but laugh at drought and thrive among thirsty tree roots.
‘Shorty’ (Euphorbia wulfenii ‘Shorty’) forms a 12-24”
compact, sculptural, rounded mass of silver-grey in the
landscape. Yellow blooms appear in early spring and the
foliage is flushed with burgundy in fall. ‘Ascot Rainbow’
(Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’ PP 21,401) has variegated leaves of green and yellow on a 20-24” tall plant,
with burgundy on the newest foliage each fall and yellow
blooms in early spring. Both are low maintenance and will
spread to form a colony.
Planting these next to a plant with purple foliage, such
as Loropetalum, will bring out the burgundy tinge in the fall
and contrast against the yellow blooms and green foliage.
The milky sap that makes it unpalatable to deer and
rabbits can be a skin irritant and poisonous if ingested. We
suggest that you use gloves when working with this plant.
winners
Take home a Gold Medal Plant . . . and take home a winner!
Georgia Gold Medal Winners are selected each year by the Georgia Plant Selection Committee
in order to promote the production, sale and use of superior ornamental plants. For information on
other Georgia Gold Medal Winners visit www.georgiagoldmedalplants.org.
DECIDUOUS SHRUB
Drift® Roses
Rosa varieties
Sun
Zones 4-10
familiar but the glossy evergreen leaves are quite different
from our native dogwood.
Empress of China® will brighten any shade garden
each spring. Later, red fruits stand out against glossy green
leaves and feed songbirds. This tree matures at 15-18’ high
and 13-15’ wide and is best located where it gets morning
sun and afternoon shade. It can take the heat and humidity of Georgia, but do keep it out of the afternoon sun.
NATIVE PLANT
Drift® roses are a cross beween groundcover roses and
miniature roses, offering the best of both: disease resistance and repeat blooming on lower-growing shrubs. This
low, spreading rose from the same company that brought
us Knockout® roses matures at about two feet tall and
three feet wide. This makes them ideal for planting beds,
containers, or on a slope in home landscapes and to add
reliable color in commercial plantings.
We feel that Apricot and Peach Drift® Roses have
proven to be the showiest, most compact, and toughest of
this series for Georgia, but blooms are also available in
pink, coral, red, and pale yellow that turns to white. There
can be different colors for buds, new blooms and aged
blooms on the same plant at the same time, creating a
kaleidoscope effect. The foliage is glossy green. The flowers are abundant
and season-long, with the heaviest blooms in spring and
fall and sporadic blooms throughout the summer. Cutting
off spent blooms can encourage more blooming and stronger branching.
For best display and plant form, cut these shrubs back
right before they leaf out in spring. Roses do like regular
watering, but must have good drainage. Spraying with
chemicals to fight off blackspot is not necessary, but you
do need to spray with repellent if deer visit your garden.
EVERGREEN TREE
Empress
of China
Dogwood
Cornus
angustata
‘Elsbry’ PP 14,537
Shade to
part shade
Zones 6-9
Dwarf
Oakleaf
Hydrangeas
Hydrangea
quercifolia
Shade to
part shade
Zones 6-9
Our native oakleaf hydrangea offers four seasons of
interest: large leaves, summer blooms, red fall foliage, and
interesting winter bark, which is why it was one of the first
Georgia Gold Medal winners. Now there are more compact
forms of this deciduous, bold, easy-to-grow shrub that fit
easily into home landscapes, yet retain the remarkably
large blooms and leaves.
“Ruby Slippers, with deeper fall coloring, and Munchkin, with the smallest stature, are our favorites” reports
Gene Griffith of Wilkerson Mill Farms in Chattahoochee
Hills, GA. ‘Munchkin’ matures at three feet tall by four feet
wide. ‘Ruby Slippers’ matures at three and a half feet tall
and five feet wide, with showy, upright blooms that can be
nine inches long and transition from cream to pink to ruby.
‘Peewee’ is slightly larger, at four feet tall and wide and
creamy blooms.
Oakleaf hydrangeas can take the dry shade under a
tree better than other hydrangeas. If they are planted in an
irrigated area, plant high to avoid overwatering. Pruning is
not necessary, but if you do, then it is best to prune them
in late summer after the blooms fade. Oakleaf hydrangeas
would look great at a woodland edge or mixed with
evergreen azaleas.
Take home a Gold Medal Plant . . .
and take home a winner!
The Georgia Gold Medal program is based at the State
Botanical Garden of Georgia.
This small, graceful tree is a prolific bloomer in May and
June, when long-lasting cream blooms seem to overwhelm
the bright green foliage and turn the tree into an early
summer snowdrift. The 1½” four-petal blooms will look
Shelly Prescott
Chairman, Georgia Gold Medal Committee
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia
706-369-5884
sprescot@uga.edu
DECIDUOUS SHRUB
Drift® Roses
Rosa varieties
Sun
Zones 4-10
familiar but the glossy evergreen leaves are quite different
from our native dogwood.
Empress of China® will brighten any shade garden
each spring. Later, red fruits stand out against glossy green
leaves and feed songbirds. This tree matures at 15-18’ high
and 13-15’ wide and is best located where it gets morning
sun and afternoon shade. It can take the heat and humidity of Georgia, but do keep it out of the afternoon sun.
NATIVE PLANT
Drift® roses are a cross beween groundcover roses and
miniature roses, offering the best of both: disease resistance and repeat blooming on lower-growing shrubs. This
low, spreading rose from the same company that brought
us Knockout® roses matures at about two feet tall and
three feet wide. This makes them ideal for planting beds,
containers, or on a slope in home landscapes and to add
reliable color in commercial plantings.
We feel that Apricot and Peach Drift® Roses have
proven to be the showiest, most compact, and toughest of
this series for Georgia, but blooms are also available in
pink, coral, red, and pale yellow that turns to white. There
can be different colors for buds, new blooms and aged
blooms on the same plant at the same time, creating a
kaleidoscope effect.
The foliage is glossy green. The flowers are abundant
and season-long, with the heaviest blooms in spring and
fall and sporadic blooms throughout the summer. Cutting
off spent blooms can encourage more blooming and stronger branching.
For best display and plant form, cut these shrubs back
right before they leaf out in spring. Roses do like regular
watering, but must have good drainage. Spraying with
chemicals to fight off blackspot is not necessary, but you
do need to spray with repellent if deer visit your garden.
EVERGREEN TREE
Empress
of China
Dogwood
Cornus
angustata
‘Elsbry’ PP 14,537
Shade to
part shade
Zones 6-9
Dwarf
Oakleaf
Hydrangeas
Hydrangea
quercifolia
Shade to
part shade
Zones 6-9
Our native oakleaf hydrangea offers four seasons of
interest: large leaves, summer blooms, red fall foliage, and
interesting winter bark, which is why it was one of the first
Georgia Gold Medal winners. Now there are more compact
forms of this deciduous, bold, easy-to-grow shrub that fit
easily into home landscapes, yet retain the remarkably
large blooms and leaves.
“Ruby Slippers, with deeper fall coloring, and Munchkin, with the smallest stature, are our favorites” reports
Gene Griffith of Wilkerson Mill Farms in Chattahoochee
Hills, GA. ‘Munchkin’ matures at three feet tall by four feet
wide. ‘Ruby Slippers’ matures at three and a half feet tall
and five feet wide, with showy, upright blooms that can be
nine inches long and transition from cream to pink to ruby.
‘Peewee’ is slightly larger, at four feet tall and wide and
creamy blooms.
Oakleaf hydrangeas can take the dry shade under a
tree better than other hydrangeas. If they are planted in an
irrigated area, plant high to avoid overwatering. Pruning is
not necessary, but if you do, then it is best to prune them
in late summer after the blooms fade. Oakleaf hydrangeas
would look great at a woodland edge or mixed with
evergreen azaleas.
Take home a Gold Medal Plant . . .
and take home a winner!
The Georgia Gold Medal program is based at the State
Botanical Garden of Georgia.
This small, graceful tree is a prolific bloomer in May and
June, when long-lasting cream blooms seem to overwhelm
the bright green foliage and turn the tree into an early
summer snowdrift. The 1½” four-petal blooms will look
Shelly Prescott
Chairman, Georgia Gold Medal Committee
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia
706-369-5884
sprescot@uga.edu