UGA Trial Gardens announces 2022 Classic City award winners

On Oct. 11, UGA disseminated an email to industry members announcing the winners of this year’s Classic City Awards. Read the announcement and check out the winners below:

“We have many great people to thank this year and many great plants to share. We are presenting the 2022 Classic City award winners! Please enjoy this collection of trials that have impressed us from start to finish, and truly represent the best and brightest of the bunch. Thank you to all our UGA students, staff, volunteers, visitors, and supporters for making 2022 a year to remember.”

Calibrachoa Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade by Proven Winners

It is impossible not to smile when passing by this phenomenal beauty! Our visitors have regularly asked me if there are two different plants. This effect is fabulous and full of summer fun, and we are happy to highlight Prism Pink Lemonade as one of our favorites. Perhaps there will be more in this series to come!

Caladium ‘Crystal Moon’ by Classic Caladiums

There were so many caladiums for both sun and shade at the top of our list this year, it was hard to choose the best one! The Crystal Moon is a shade variety that lights up any wooded space. This plant was also a gardener’s favorite and was selected by our entire staff as a top plant this year!  

Catharanthus Soiree Flamenco 'Senorita Pink' by Suntory

This new Vinca hybrid is a part of the beloved Soiree collection that has wowed us for many years before. The new swirling introductions this year did not disappoint! The Senorita Pink had the most interesting shape, and healthy foliage in both moist and bone-dry locations and is still looking as good as it did on day one.

Coleus Premium Sun ‘Ruby Heart’ by PanAmerican Seed

This seeded coleus crop has been outstanding. The plant is made up of waves of red heart-shaped centers and golden edges. Plants form a perfect arrangement when planted in a group. Stems are sturdy without bolting, lodging, or stretching and pruning was not required.

Double Impatiens Glimmer ‘Appleblossom’ by Ball FloraPlant

Our garden visitors agree that the Glimmer series has been outstanding in our concrete planters and hanging fiber baskets. Both locations are partially shaded and require frequent water and fertilization, but they have produced bountiful double blooms all summer long and are all disease-free.

Gerbera Garvinea Sweet Sparkle by HilverdaFlorist

This larger variety has surprised us with continuous blooms all summer long on flawless crowns of foliage. The flower heads are upright, and the colors are very bright and cheerful. This climate can sometimes inhibit flowering during the hottest summer months, but we have not seen any wilting or crown-rot from this series of daisies.

Hibiscus Hollywood ‘America’s Sweetheart’ by J. Berry Nursery

We look forward to the new colors and patterns in the tropical hibiscus world each year, and J. Berry does not disappoint. This variety has been successful in both containers and in the ground. This swirling beauty is as sweet as can be!

Lantana Gem 'Compact Orange Fire’ by Danziger

Lantana is a necessity in the southeastern garden for heat, drought, pollinators, and deer resistance. The Gem series provides a unique selection of color pallets. The ‘Orange Fire’ makes a very bold statement with deep red-orange clusters. The plants are perfectly round on very solid stems, making life easier for the gardener.

MixMasters ‘Meant to Bee’ by Ball FloraPlant

This combination of calibrachoa was literally meant to be grown together! Words cannot describe the color-power of these little bells, with hues that grow deeper in the center and explode with a perfect yellow star. This combo is outlasting many others and continues to shine brightly.

Petunia DuraBloom ‘Electric Lilac’ by Dümmen Orange

The best petunia of the bunch is the ‘Electric Lilac’ from Dümmen Orange! Both hanging baskets and containers were overflowing with gigantic purple blooms all summer. The color intensity of these petunias is amazing! We love a petunia that lasts all through the summer here in Georgia.

Portulaca Mojave ‘Yellow 2023’ by Proven Winners

With so many great Portulaca entries this year is it hard to pick a favorite, but ‘Mojave Yellow’ is special not only because of its larger flower heads and strong branching structure but remains open longer during the day while others have already closed before the afternoon hours.

Rex Begonia Jurassic Jr. Fire Spike by Ball Ingenuity

We were honored to be invited to the American Begonia Society convention this year, and we could not stop talking about this series! Once again, the shade-loving colorful foliage has blown us away. The complex foliar patterns and abundant flowers on ‘Fire Spike’ had the best performance of all in both baskets and the landscape beds.