2026 Proven Winners® Plants of the Year

The Proven Winners® Plants of the Year sets the standard for beauty, reliability, and garden performance. Each year, Proven Winners selects this honor after extensive trialing. That means the winner truly represents the best in color, vigor, and season-long impact. It's a standout choice for gardens of all sizes, from containers to full landscape beds.

At Garden Crossings, we're excited to offer the 2026 Plants of the Year. It's also part of our carefully curated Proven Winners® collection. This featured plant delivers show-stopping performance with easy care and impressive results. Whether you're refreshing your garden or trying something new, this plant has earned its reputation for being reliable, beautiful, and ready to perform.

Bushy plants with dark purple, serrated leaves and tall stalks topped with bright pink feathery flower spikes growing in a garden, with other green foliage in the background.
Clusters of vibrant pink flowers and tiny buds surrounded by bright green leaves make Double Play Dolly® Spiraea a compact shrub that beautifully showcases its fresh, dewy blooms. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Top-down view of a Double Play Dolly® Spiraea, features clusters of small purple flowers and vibrant green leaves, thriving in garden beds next to lush grass. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Double Play Dolly® Spiraea

$22.99
$22.99
Clusters of vibrant purple and pink Señorita Rosalita® Spider Flower (Cleome) with long, narrow petals stand out among lush green foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A dense cluster of Señorita Rosalita® Spider Flower (Cleome) blooms with green leaves fills the foreground, while purple and pink flowers blur into a vibrant spring garden backdrop - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Señorita Rosalita® Spider Flower (Cleome)

$10.99
$10.99

Close-up of a Limelight Prime® Panicle Hydrangea cluster with pink and white blooms and green leaves, set against a backdrop of blurred flowering shrubs. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Tall, cone-shaped clusters of pale green Limelight Prime® Panicle Hydrangea flowers bloom among lush leaves in a sunlit garden, making this hardy shrub a standout feature amid trees and other shrubs. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Limelight Prime® Panicle Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

Supertunia® Hoopla™ Vivid Orchid™ Petunia features bright magenta, bi-color blooms with white edges and a dark center, funnel-shaped flowers, and lush green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A close-up of Supertunia® Hoopla™ Vivid Orchid™ Petunia, a striking bi-color petunia with white-edged petals, surrounded by green foliage and other purple blooms - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Supertunia® Hoopla® Vivid Orchid™ Petunia

$10.99
$10.99

A cluster of vibrant pink Let's Dance Lovable® Bigleaf Hydrangea flowers, a reblooming variety, is surrounded by large, dark green leaves with pale green buds visible in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A lush Let's Dance Lovable® Bigleaf Hydrangea blooms by the lawn, displaying clusters of purple, pink, magenta red, and blue flowers among green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Let's Dance Lovable® Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99
Clusters of 'Dark Side of the Moon' Chinese Astilbe feature dark foliage and tall stems with vibrant pink and purple blooms, growing in a garden bed amidst green leafy plants and hostas in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A dense cluster of 'Dark Side of the Moon' Chinese Astilbe, with jagged greenish-brown and purple leaves, grows closely in a garden bed, while small yellow and pink flowers can be seen in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

'Dark Side of the Moon' Chinese Astilbe

$19.99
$19.99

A lush Shadowland® 'Hope Springs Eternal' Hosta, a prized shade perennial with large blue-green leaves edged in creamy white, thrives in dark soil near a wooden lattice and has yellow-green foliage in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Close-up of Shadowland® 'Hope Springs Eternal' Hosta boasts large green leaves with creamy white edges, prominent veins, and wavy margins. Overlapping foliage creates a dense, textured look typical of this shade-loving perennial hosta - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Shadowland® 'Hope Springs Eternal' Hosta

$21.99
$21.99

Jazz Hands Variegated® White Chinese Fringe-Flower (Loropetalum) features dense, dark green leaves adorned with bright pink and white variegation, creating vibrant, eye-catching foliage for your garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A close-up of Jazz Hands Variegated® White Chinese Fringe-Flower (Loropetalum) shows delicate, thin white petals with water droplets, framed by muted purple and green variegated leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Jazz Hands Variegated® White Chinese Fringe-Flower (Loropetalum)

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of Rise Up Lilac Days® Climbing Rose (Rosa) in full bloom, showcasing delicate pink petals, yellow stamens, and healthy green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Rise Up Lilac Days® Climbing Rose (Rosa) displays vibrant pink blooms with yellow centers, set among green leaves and flourishing outdoors in sunlight - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Rise Up Lilac Days® Climbing Rose (Rosa)

$22.99
$22.99

A garden scene with vibrant purple Safari™ Dusk™ South African Phlox (Jamesbrittenia), a heat-tolerant trailing plant, nestled among lush foliage and white blooms - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A cluster of vibrant purple Safari™ Dusk™ South African Phlox (Jamesbrittenia) flowers with yellow and red centers, surrounded by green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Safari® Dusk™ South African Phlox (Jamesbrittenia)

$10.99
$10.99

A cluster of Heart to Heart® 'Chinook' Caladium plants featuring large, heart-shaped salmon pink leaves with white centers and green borders, thriving in dark soil - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCA beige speckled ceramic pot features the Heart to Heart® 'Chinook' Caladium, with large, heart-shaped salmon pink leaves accented by green and white veins spreading in various directions - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Heart to Heart® 'Chinook' Caladium

$24.99
$24.99