RHS Award of Garden Merit® Plants

Huge 4-5" double blooms are intensely fragrant! Aimee Yoshioka is the largest flowered of all Gardenias with large, glossy, dark green foliage on a vigorous and moderately fast growing evergreen shrub. The large dark foliage provides a wonderful foil for the large white flowers. Easily trained into a tree standard. Aimee is also considered to be one of the largest growing Gardenias, particularly in mild winter climates where it is known to reach 10-12' high but 5-6' may be more typical. Item# 1154.

An American Camellia Society Camellia Hall of Fame Award winner and an RHS Award of Garden Merit Winner selection! The large, semi-double, rich rose colored flowers are centered by a boss of yellow tipped stamens and are produced from early to midseason. Lady Clare Camellia, its name upon import into the US, is a large vigorous Camellia with a somewhat weeping habit with large dark green foliage. This Japanese heirloom, originally known as Akashigata, has also been known by Pink Empress, Akashi Bay, and Nellie Bly. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and a deep organic mulch. See our Camellia and Sasanqua Growing Guide for an in-depth guide to properly planting and growing these beautiful, long-lived, large evergreen shrubs. Item# 9144

Up to 2" wide, deep rosy pink daisies with a complimentary bright yellow eye are produced in abundance over an extended period beginning in late summer and into fall attracting a variety of mainly smaller pollinators but migrating Monarchs may seek these as well. Alma Pötschke New England Aster, a selection of our native Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, is a medium to tall, clump forming, herbaceous perennial growing to about 3-4' high. Its actual full name is Andenken an Alma Pötschke, which translates from the German to Souvenir of Alma Pötschke. An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, Alma Pötschke is an older German cultivar but it is still one of the best of the larger growing pink flowered forms. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Staking may be needed if plants are grown in overly rich fertile soils. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13328

A 2020 All American Selections Herbaceous Perennial award winner! 2-3" wide dark-eyed golden yellow daisies are produced throughout the summer and even into fall atop a dense and compact well-branched plant. American Gold Rush Rudbeckia was selected with disease resistance in mind as well as this plant's ability to flower throughout summer and a compact habit. It may be most similar to and is considered to be a hybrid of Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, or the Brown-Eyed Susan, which can reach 3' in height. Like its parent, expect this hardy clump forming perennial to revel in the heat and sun of summer with its disk flowers providing nectar for smaller pollinators and the ripened seeds of fall and winter are sure to attract songbirds. Provide American Gold Rush Rudbeckia with a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Add this easy to grow perennial to the garden and landscape but it is also compact and free-flowering enough to provide a summer long show as a container plant. Item# 12167

Clusters of sweetly fragrant, 2" wide, starry, pure white flowers are produced throughout the growing season and may flower nearly year-round under warm tropical conditions. The flowers attract butterflies and pollinating moths. Angel Wing Jasmine, Jasminum laurifolium f. nitidum, is a naturally evergreen, scandent, tropical shrub cloaked in deep dark green, glossy foliage that acts as the perfect foil for the bright white flowers. It has a moderate rate of growth and is typically grown as a 3-5'H x 3-5'W shrub but it can put out long vine-like canes, to 15' or more, that can be trained as an espalier to a support or these can be headed back to keep the plants fuller and bushier. This is one of the easiest and most rewarding of the true Jasmines and it boasts some of the largest flowers in the genus. It can be utilized as a specimen or hedge in areas where the plants are hardy but makes an easy container plant that can be overwintered indoors. Provide an acid, rich fertile, average moist soil with good drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Tolerant of full sun to light shade. Its reliability has earned it the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Item #9030

Clusters of sweetly fragrant, 2" wide, starry, pure white flowers are produced throughout the growing season and may flower nearly year-round under warm tropical conditions. The flowers attract butterflies and pollinating moths. Angel Wing Jasmine, Jasminum laurifolium f. nitidum, is a naturally evergreen, scandent, tropical shrub cloaked in deep dark green, glossy foliage that acts as the perfect foil for the bright white flowers. It has a moderate rate of growth and is typically grown as a 3-5'H x 3-5'W shrub but it can put out long vine-like canes, to 15' or more, that can be trained as an espalier to a support or these can be headed back to keep the plants fuller and bushier. This is one of the easiest and most rewarding of the true Jasmines and it boasts some of the largest flowers in the genus. It can be utilized as a specimen or hedge in areas where the plants are hardy but makes an easy container plant that can be overwintered indoors. Provide an acid, rich fertile, average moist soil with good drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Tolerant of full sun to light shade. Its reliability has earned it the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Item# 9292

3" double white, wonderfully fragrant flowers are produced over an extended period beginning in about midspring and continuing into midsummer on mature plants and they attract the hummingbird-like Sphinx moths as a pollinator. August Beauty Gardenia is a naturally evergreen, medium-sized shrub, growing to about 4-6'H x 4-6'W that makes an easy specimen plant or informal hedge for the garden or landscape. Provide Gardenias with a full sun to partially shaded site in a well-draining, average moist, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. In the hottest summer climates of its range the Gardenia often benefits from midday to afternoon shade. August Beauty Gardenia has long been a favorite in southern gardens for its fragrance, vigor, and reliability. Item# 310

An RHS Award of Garden Merit selection that produces silvery-pink, small to medium sized, double peony form to perfect or rose form flowers with the show beginning as early as October and continuing well into January. Ave Maria Camellia is a Large Type Japonica with a slow growth rate eventually developing into a dense, naturally upright to rounded, large evergreen shrub reaching 8-10' high and 6-8' wide at maturity. For optimum growth and vigor provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. See our Camellia Growing Guide for in-depth planting and care instructions. Item# 9106

4-5" wide flowers with white petals and sepals are topped by a crown of white filaments with a light purple halo surrounding the central portion of these exotic looking flowers. Bahama Blue Passion Flower is a beautiful and vigorous free flowering selection of the Blue Crown Passion Flower, Passiflora caerulea, with all its hardiness and reliability. The nectar rich flowers are adored by larger bees and the foliage is a host to a variety of butterflies. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a moderately fertile, average moist, well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Item# 11222

Tall long-lasting spikes of lavender and purple flowers are held on sturdy stems above the beautiful rich glossy green foliage in late summer and fall. Bear's Breeches is an easy to grow slowly spreading perennial that lends its form, flowers, and foliage to the shaded garden, landscape, and even as a container plant. The leaf pattern of Acanthus mollis was used extensively in Greek architecture. Provide good to average drainage, moderate fertility and average moisture for optimum growth and flowering. Item# 3003

Two-toned semi-double flowers are dark pink at the outer edges fading to a light pink toward the center surrounding the prominent and contrasting boss of gold stamens. Berenice Boddy Camellia is a large flowered Japonica type producing medium sized flowers in mid season on this vigorous old garden favorite. Expect it to grow to about 8-12' high and 6-8' wide at maturity with a moderately dense branching habit and deep green glossy foliage. For optimum growth and vigor provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. See our Camellia Growing Guide for in-depth planting and care instructions. Item# 9528

The arching spikes of 1" long, velvety, tubular, white flowers emerge from constrasting and long lasting, velvety, purple calyxes in late summer and into fall, and potentially spring where plants are protected from freezing temperatures, attracting Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. Bicolor Mexican Bush Sage, Salvia leucantha, is a multi-stemmed, clump forming and slowly spreading perennial whose 3-4' high, upright to slightly arching stems are cloaked in velvety, narrow lance-shaped, green to gray-green foliage that adorns the young white stems. This is a heat and sunloving, salt tolerant, and deer proof plant that typically does best in an average moist, well-draining soils but are somewhat drought resistant once fully established. Its uniform habit lends it to use in formal to informal garden and landscape settings as well as medium to large containers. It is considered reliably hardy in zones 8-10 and it can be enjoyed as an annual in colder winter regions. In areas that experience hard freezes, plant out as early in the growing season as possible to ensure a strong crown before frost arrives and a breathable winter mulch and excellent drainage will further help to ensure winter survival. Selected as a Texas Super Star© Plant and as an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Item# 10284

Large clusters of nicely contrasting two-toned, deep blue and pale blue to near white, butterfly-shaped flowers with dainty recurving styles and stamens are produced during the warmer months of the year and attract a variety of pollinators. The Blue Butterfly Bush, Rotheca myricoides 'Ugandense' and once classified with the Clerodendrum, is a medium to large, naturally evergreen, vigorous growing, heat and sunloving, tropical shrub that can attain heights of 10-12' but is more commonly maintained as a 4-6' high shrub. Its long canes lend it to use as a tree standard or as an espalier where it isn't exposed to hard freezes or allow it to grow into an informal specimen or hedge. It can also be maintained as a container plant where not reliably hardy but should be protected from freezing temperatures. *Plants can act like die-back perennials into zones 8-9 with the stems freezing to near ground level when temperatures fall below about 25^oF and plants will benefit from a mulch to help the crown overwinter. Provide a full sun to partly shaded site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. The Blue Butterfly Bush's ease of care and reliability have garnered it the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Item# 10681

A crown of deep sapphire blue filaments create a striking contrast with the white petals and sepals that are held against the rich green foliage throughout the growing season. The Blue Crown Passionflower is a vigorous growing tropical vine and can easily reach 20' once well-established. This is also one of the most reliably cold hardy Passionvines with foliage remaining evergreen in the mildest 8B winters but dying back to the ground in severe winters and returning readily in spring. The Blue Crown Passionflower may spread somewhat by rhizomes but it is generally much more tame than the Maypop. Cross pollination may produce tropical tasting tangy fruit that surrounds the dark seeds inside. Click on "More Details and Growing Info" or the image to learn more about growing Passionvines as perennials in containers or in the garden and landscape. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Item# 733

Masses of dense blue spikes of fragrant, tubular flowers are held above the licorice scented, rich green foliage in summer on this highly sought after Agastache. The nectar rich flowers of Blue Fortune Agastache attract hordes of native pollinators and other beneficials to the garden. The beautiful form, fragrance, and flower power, and proven performance of this Agastache have made it a hit in gardens across the US. Use Blue Fortune in mass at the back of the border or in small specimen groupings to make a splash of long lasting color. Item# 10882.

Large clusters of lightly fragrant lavender-blue flowers are produced in early spring and are held well above the deep dark green foliage. Blue Moon Phlox was selected for its clusters of large full flowers and vigor. This is an excellent choice for lightly shaded gardens or as a groundcover under deciduous trees. Provide shade during the hottest portion of the day in hot summer climates and well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Easy and reliable once established. The flowers provide early spring nectar to butterflies and other pollinators. Blue Moon Phlox along with the straight species Phlox divaricata tied for the Top Performer in Mt. Cuba Center Phlox for Shade trials. Item# 11217

Clusters and chains of large 3" wide purple-blue trumpet shaped flowers with contrasting yellow throats are produced throughout much of the growing season and attract larger bees and butterflies as well as the occassional hummingbird. The Blue Sky Vine, Thunbergia grandiflora, is an exceptionally popular tropical vine that is easy, reliable, has excellent flower power and it can be grown as a die-back perennial in zones 8-9 if established early in the growing season (click the "More Details and Growing Info" link or the plant's image to learn more). It may remain evergreen in warm frost free tropical climates where it can flower nearly yearround. The Blue Sky Vine is a heat and sunloving twining vine suitable for metal fences, smaller arbors, and medium to large trellises or other sturdy supports. Provide a well-drained, moderately fertile soil. The Blue Sky Vine can also be enjoyed as an easy and low-maintenance container plant. Item# 1108.

Deep dark red wavy petals surround and often intermingle with the boss of brightly contrasting golden yellow stamens. Bob Hope Camellia produces large to very large flowers in mid to late season (March and April in our gardens) on a moderately vigorous upright to rounded evergreen shrub. Another beautiful introduction from Nuccio's Nurseries. Item# 11339

Spikes of 1/2" long, tubular, two-lipped, deep azure blue flowers have a contrasting bright white bee-guide and throat are produced in late spring or early summer and continue into fall atop the tall wispy stems. The nectar rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Bog Sage, Salvia uliginosa, is a rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial producing a multitude of tall thin wiry stems that can reach 5-6' high in rich fertile moist soils but tends to remain shorter, 3-4' high or so, under average moist garden conditions, which it can tolerate quite well, despite its name, once fully established. it tends to be more restrained under drier conditions as well. Its long flowering season and ease of care have garnered Bog Sage the RHS Award of Garden Merit. It can tolerate full sun in the cooler portions of its range but may be at its best where it receives a little midday shade in areas with hot summer climates. Item# 12906

Spikes of large, 2" long, vivid fuchsia, velvety, tubular flowers emerge from dark colored calyxes and are held atop the dark green, glossy rounded foliage from spring to fall attracting a wide array of larger pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Buchanan's Sage, Salvia buchananii, is a naturally evergreen, loosely branching, clump forming, herbaceous perennial growing to about 16-24" high and wide. It is small enough to enjoy as a container specimen or in mixed container gardens as well as in the garden and landscape. This is a popular and easy to grow Salvia that is now considered to be rare in its native habitat of Mexico. Provide a full sun to partly shaded site in an average moist, fertile, soil with average or better drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Its reliability as a garden plant have earned it the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Item# 9857

The Buddha's Belly Bush or Gout Plant produces long lasting clusters of bright reddish orange flowers that open a few at a time on sturdy stems held well above the large tri-lobed, rounded tropical foliage. The base of the plant develops into a swollen caudex providing the Buddha's belly. These are easily grown and rewarding plants that flower throughout the warmer months and will often flower sporadically through winter on established plants. Its drought tolerance lends it to a well-drained soil and is an excellent choice for the porch, patio, or even indoors. Item # 339.