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Editorial Advisory Board

  • Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
  • Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
  • James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
  • Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
  • Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
  • Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
  • Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
  • Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
  • Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
  • Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

Transform Your Garden in 2025 with These 10 Award-Winning Plants and Products

(BPT) - As winter turns into spring, it's time for gardeners to consider which plants they'll cultivate in planters, pots and gardens. If you're in the midst of planning your garden and need inspiration, Green Thumb Award-winning products are a great place to get inspiration.

The Green Thumb Award is an annual competition recognizing outstanding and innovative new plants and garden products. Winners are selected through two categories: the People's Choice Award, voted on by the public, and the Professional Choice Award, determined by a panel of expert horticulturists from the National Garden Bureau (NGB).

Whether you're a novice or an old pro, check out these 10 remarkable plants and tools that can help you take your gardening to the next level in 2025.

1. Calibrachoa LIA™ Abstract Lemon Cherry

The LIA™ Abstract Lemon Cherry Calibrachoa is the newest addition to the LIA™ series. It dazzles with vibrant golden-yellow blooms accented by a bold cherry-red splash, making it an irresistible choice for any garden. Designed with a controlled, semi-trailing growth habit, this lovely annual variety is perfectly suited for hanging baskets and combinations.

Calibrachoa, with its bright yellow and red flowers, planted in a terra cotta pot.

2. Broccoli Purple Magic F1

Purple Magic is the first purple-stem, purple-headed broccoli in the world! These nutritious large, dome-shaped heads weigh about 1 pound each and are very high in anthocyanin - a plant-based chemical called a flavonoid thought to be useful in preventing cancer and inflammation. This annual grows well in all regions of the U.S. and matures about 90 days after harvest from transplant.

Sakata Broccoli Purple Magic with its deep purple stems and greenish purple flowerettes.

3. Crescent Too® Circular Positive Planter Collection

Winner of both the People's Choice and Professional's Choice awards in the garden product category, the Crescent Too® Circular Positive™ planter collection is revolutionary. Each planter is made with UBQ™, a climate-positive material upcycled from landfill waste, helping gardeners of all levels minimize waste. With TruDrop Flex Self-Watering Containers and Emma Planters, these products promote a circular economy and sustainable consumption.

An arrangement of five planted pots with various colors and textures of flora on a lovely stone patio.

4. Philodendron Prismacolor™ Orange You Gorgeous™

Winner of both the People's Choice and Professional's Choice awards in the houseplant category, this tropical philodendron is a living kaleidoscope of citrus-inspired colors with a warm orangey glow reminiscent of a sunrise over a tropical grove. Its elongated, spade-shaped leaves emerge with a mottled bright orange color, then slowly fade to a marbled tapestry of gold and green, brightening your space even in the dim days of winter.

A Prismacolor Orange-you-Gorgeous Philodendron in a small pot.

5. Butterfly Bush Little Rockstars Red

Check out the Butterfly Bush Little Rockstars Red, a People's Choice-winning perennial that is part of a new compact series of Buddleia. Its beautiful, large, cone-shaped inflorescences are perfect for small pot production, offering a complete color assortment and all-season flowering.

Dummen Orange Butterfly Bush Little Rockstars Red planted in a garden with other flowers.

6. Hydrangea FlowerFull® Smooth

The FlowerFull® Smooth Hydrangea stands out with bold blooms and sturdy upright stems that won't flop in the wind and rain. With two to three times more blooms per season than other smooth hydrangeas, this perennial shrub makes an outstanding focal point plant for your garden. Disease-resistant, low-maintenance, and maturing at just 3 to 4 feet tall, it's the perfect choice for small and big landscapes.

Bailey Hydrangea FlowerFull Smooth, with its while puffy flowers, planted in a garden.

7. Cosmos Sea Shells Red

Cosmos Sea Shells Red is a charming and unique flower that brings a delightful touch to any garden. This Professional's Choice winner is known for its distinctive, tubular petals that resemble seashells. Its beautiful palette of soft pinks and whites adds a romantic flair to flower beds and arrangements. The blooms also make excellent cut flowers and offer a long vase life (7-10 days) that ensures that you can enjoy their beauty indoors as well.

Sahin Cosmos Sea Shell Red with its cylandrical petals and bright yellow center planted in a garden.

8. Basil Everleaf Lemon

Basil Everleaf Lemon is the first lemon basil bred for this collection, which features basil plants that are tall, upright and highly branched, offering plenty of harvest potential. This particular annual is very late to flower - up to eight weeks later than standard basil - so you can enjoy its tasty leaves all season long. Its bright lemon flavor is a perfect addition to dressings, marinades and fresh salads. This versatile plant performs well in ground and in patio containers.

PanAmerican Basil Everleaf planted in a garden.

9. Hellebore JWLS Endless

Hellebores are a must-have plant for gardeners wishing to join in on this year's Garden of Nostalgia and Romance design trend. This plant was selected as a Professional's Choice winner for its abundant and long-lasting blooms and features glossy, dark green foliage topped with upward-facing flowers that start out green and transition to a beautiful white. Best of all? This perennial variety offers an extended bloom season in zones 5-9.

Close-up of Monrovia-Hellebore-Endless and its pretty white flowers.

10. Burning Bush Fire Ball Seedless™

Burning Bush Fire Ball Seedless is the only seedless, sterile, non-invasive burning bush (Euonymus alatus) on the market! Developed by Dr. Tom Ranney and his crew at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station in North Carolina, this shrub has won the Professional's Choice award for being truly innovative. It has all the durability and inferno-red color that you expect from burning bush but no risk of spreading into wild areas like its conventional counterparts.

Spring Meadow Burning Bush planted in a landscaped area.

Whether you choose one (or all) of these extraordinary plants and products, your indoor and outdoor green spaces will be sure to please and impress. To learn more, visit NGB.org.

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