Voting Is Open for Greenhouse Grower’s 2025 Readers' Choice Award!

It's time for you, our readers, to decide which variety is chosen as the best new introduction in 2025. Breeders have entered their best new varieties for you to decide which one is worthy of the Readers’ Choice Award. This year, there are eight entries in the Finalist round, so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to learn about all your choices prior to voting.

Voting ends June 13 for the Finalist round, so cast your vote today!

Only one voting ballot per person allowed.

We’ll announce the overall Readers’ Choice Award winner during Greenhouse Grower's Evening of Excellence reception, held Monday, July 14 at Cultivate'25 in Columbus, OH.

Voting Rules and Conditions

Scroll all the way to the bottom of this page to view photos and descriptions of the three Finalist contenders for the Readers' Choice Award.

Choose ONE variety from the Finalists. Please note: You will find the voting form below the entries at the bottom of the page.

Begonia iCandy Series (Syngenta Flowers)

Begonia iCandy Series (Syngenta Flowers)

Colors: Lemon Yellow, Inferno, Coral Pink, Sunset, Vanilla Cream
Uses: Baskets and pots
Plant Habit: Mounding
Type: Annuals

Experience sugar-coated color with new iCandy hybrid begonias. iCandy features large double flowers in vibrant, bright colors against dark-chocolate foliage. This series is ideal for quarts and larger pots. iCandy flourishes in part sun and shade, making it an excellent choice for adding color to porches and patios. Captivate retail shoppers with eye-catching hanging baskets that bring elegance to any outdoor space.

Dahlia ‘Summer Bees’ (Dümmen Orange)

Dahlia ‘Summer Bees’ (Dümmen Orange) 

Colors: Purple Bicolor
Uses: 1.25 quart and larger premium potted containers and landscape use
Plant Habit: Medium to vigorous upright habit with strong flower stems
Type: Annuals

 

The new Dahlia ‘Summer Bees Purple Bicolor’ is a vibrant, pollinator-friendly choice with large, two-toned single blooms and bright yellow centers. Its open structure attracts bees and butterflies, providing nectar from May through September. Quicker to flower than comparable series, it delivers early, abundant blooms on strong stems. With a medium to vigorous upright habit, it's ideal for 1.25-quart to larger containers. Highly photogenic and charismatic, this dahlia stands out at retail, making it a top impulse buy for gardeners and pollinator lovers alike.

Pansy ‘Top Wave’ (PanAmerican Seed)

Pansy ‘Top Wave’ (PanAmerican Seed) 

Colors: Full series of eight dynamic colors
Uses: Hanging baskets, spring and fall landscapes, patio containers
Plant Habit: spreading
Crop Time: Spring Crop Time: 6" / 1-gal. 1-2ppp 7-8 weeks; 10" basket / 3-gal. 3-4ppp 9-10 weeks ... Autumn Crop Time: 6" / 1-ga. 1-2ppp 5-6 weeks; 10" basket / 3-gal. 3-4ppp 7-8 weeks
Type: Annuals

 

Meet the big-sister addition to the Wave Pansies lineup with the largest-flowered spreading pansy on the market. Top Wave beats the competition at point-of-sale for its visual shopper appeal with 25% larger blooms and launching with eight dynamic colors. For shoulder sales, it will be your top choice for premium pots, baskets, or mixed seasonal containers. Top Wave also creates a colorful, low-maintenance landscape design as it is faster to fill than standard pansies with the flower color resting “on top” of each plant. This upgraded plant structure and leaf shape help disguise all the branching as you approach shipping.

Calylophus ‘Superlophus Sunglow’ (Proven Winners)

Calylophus ‘Superlophus Sunglow’ (Proven Winners) 

Colors: Yellow flowers with deep-green foliage
Uses: Landscapes, mass plantings, edges, borders, and containers
Plant Habit: Mounding, trailing

 

One of our most dependable, heat- and drought-tolerant annuals, this dynamic cultivar is derived from a native Texas species. In trials, ‘Superlophus Sunglow’ has proven that it thrives in hot, arid, sunny conditions. Even in 100°F weather, established plants only need watering every few days. Additional trials have revealed its versatility and merit in warm, humid climates, making this one of the best annuals that everyone can grow well. It’s ideal for growing in containers and landscapes where radiant yellow flowers cover the finely textured foliage while attracting beneficial pollinators all season.

Leucanthemum maximum ‘Sweet Daisy Kylie’ (Dummen Orange)

Colors: White
Uses: Landscape planting in garden beds as a background plant
Plant Habit: Mounding foliage with tall, upright blooms

 

The Leucanthemum Sweet Daisy series is truly first-year flowering, featuring a collection of unique flower forms and habits all demonstrating exceptionally long bloom periods, setting them apart from many other series. Kylie is one of the new additions, reaching 18 to 24 inches tall when in full bloom. Kylie features exceptionally large blooms that are approximately 8 inches across. The flower form is a traditional-looking white daisy-style bloom with a double row of pure white petals. When in full bloom, the foliage of the plant is hidden almost completely beneath the canopy of huge flowers.


Rudbeckia ‘Suntacular’ (Darwin Perennials)
Colors: Bicolor Yellow
Uses: Landscape or tall, seasonal thriller in large containers
Plant Habit: Upright

Stunning bicolor flowers and a tall, columnar habit not seen in other rudbeckia are the unique draws to the new Suntacular Rudbeckia from Darwin Perennials. This black-eyed Susan emerges in spring but puts on a full seasonal-color show in late summer through the fall. Its flowers attract butterflies while its textured foliage resists deer. The plants grow tall and wide for an amazing value for perennial gardeners. Trials across the country have resulted in stand-out color and eye-catching plant performance. It’s sure to set landscapes ablaze in your next perennial program.

Dipladenia ‘Sun Parasol FiredUp Coral’ (Suntory Flowers)
Colors: Coral Pink
Uses: Thriller in containers, landscape beds
Plant Habit: Upright

Sun Parasol FiredUp dipladenias are a completely new product as naturally, freestanding upright thrillers full of pinwheel-shaped blooms. ‘Sun Parasol FiredUp’ Coral is a bright hot coral pink. Great on their own in planters and beds or stunning as a focal point in a summer mixed container. FiredUp Coral is more compact than FiredUp Orange, which has a taller, looser growth habit. Future introductions will be modeled after Coral. This new product form is opening possibilities to growers who may not have considered growing mandevillas/dipladenias in the past.

Magical Hydrangea (Opal Blue)
Hydrangea ‘Magical’ (Plants Nouveau)
Colors: Blue, Pink, Purple, Red, White, Bicolor
Uses: Patio, balcony, garden
Plant Habit: Upright, yet well-branched and bushy

Step into a world of wonder with Magical hydrangeas — the hardy, color-changing marvels that transform your balcony or patio into a living fairytale. These hydrangeas don’t just bloom — they perform, dazzling you with vibrant hues that shift not once, not twice, but three times over their spectacular six-month show. And the best part? They’re as kind to the Earth as they are to your eyes, thriving with less water, no staking, and needing no plant growth regulators (PGRs). That means more beauty, less fuss, and a greener planet. Why settle for ordinary when you can have 150+ days of extraordinary?

More About the Medal of Excellence Awards

In Greenhouse Grower’s Medal of Excellence Awards tradition, three awards are presented for breeding:

The Readers’ Choice Award is voted on online by our readers. Breeders submit their top plants for consideration for this award.

The Industry’s Choice Award is selected by a panel of industry members who attend California Spring Trials and see introductions in person.

The Editor’s Choice Award is chosen by Greenhouse Grower Senior Editor Julie Hullett.

See Greenhouse Grower's Medal Of Excellence Award Winners for 2023.

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  • Readers' Choice Finalists

  • Choose one variety from the 8 selections.