The PHS Gold Medal Plant Program is a resource for anyone looking for the perfect tree, shrub, edible, vine, or perennial plant to add to their garden. Gold Medal Plants have been selected for their ease of cultivation, multiple seasons of interest, commercial availability, appropriateness for the Mid-Atlantic region, and value to wildlife.
Each year, PHS convenes nursery owners, horticulturists, expert gardeners, and professional growers to conduct a review of both newly available and classic species and cultivars, selecting the best performing and most beautiful for inclusion in the Gold Medal Program.
How to Use the Gold Medal Plant Database
Watch our user video on how to best navigate the database, including sorting, alphabetizing, viewing images, printing a shopping list, and more!
The Acer rubrum Redpointe®, red maple, is native to North America. Redpointe® possesses an improved branching habit and is great at enduring heat and drought. It thrives best in well-drained, moist, rich, slightly acidic soil, but is also tolerant of wet conditions. Exceptional red fall color will occur when grown in full sun. It attracts a myriad of bee species. RedPointe® can grow up to 45 feet tall. It is hardy in zones 4 - 8.
Redpointe®
2. Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’ – Tree
Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’, apple serviceberry, is an exceptional deciduous shrub or small tree that has an upright spreading habit and round canopy. Its brilliant fall colors of red and orange leaves give it its cultivar name. In early to mid-spring, the tree is adorned with clusters of star-shaped white flowers. Following the flowers, it produces small round edible berries that transition from red to deep purple when mature. It attracts songbirds, pollinators, and is adaptable to a variety of soil conditions. It can grow to be 15-25 feet tall. It is hardy in zones 3 - 9.
Autumn Brilliance
3.Carex cherokeensis – Perennial
Carex cherokeensis, Cherokee sedge, is a stately species with grass-like foliage that is nearly evergreen in the mid-Atlantic region, making it a great alternative to common landscape groundcovers like Pachysandra terminalis and Liriope spicata. While this species has the most impact in the landscape when planted in masses, it is also large enough to be planted singly or in smaller numbers in the garden. The spring flowers and subsequent seed heads are attractive and add visual interest and texture until fall. It is 12-24 inches tall and wide at maturity. It is hardy in zones 6 - 8.
Cherokee sedge
4. Leucothoe axillaris 'ReJoyce' – Shrub
Leucothoe axillaris ‘ReJoyce’, coast leucothoe, is a native evergreen shrub that provides four season interest. This deer-resistant shrub is adaptable to a wide range of light exposures and is particularly shade tolerant. It’s an excellent plant for small space gardens too. Beginning in spring, new red leaves emerge. White, urn-shaped flowers form in short clusters on gently arching branches. In the fall, foliage turns deep bronze-purple. It can grow to be 2-4 feet tall. It is hardy in zones 5 - 7.
ReJoyce
5. Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet' – Perennial
Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet', beebalm, is an attractive clump-forming perennial with masses of vibrant red flowers that grows well in well-drained, humus-rich soils. It’s great as a cut flower too. ‘Gardenview Scarlet' attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators. It is deer resistant and selected for its resistance to powdery mildew. 'Gardenview Scarlet’ can grow up to 3 feet tall in clumps. It is hardy in zones 4 - 9.
Gardenview Scarlet
6. Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' – Perennial
Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks', rough goldenrod is one of the best goldenrods for home gardens. It has a relatively compact habit, and it attracts scores of pollinators when it is in bloom in late summer and fall. The yellow flowers are small, fragrant, and resemble fireworks. Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' can grow to be 3-4 feet tall and can spread to be 3 feet wide in 3-4 years. It is hardy in zones 4 - 8
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