Now that is a tongue twister. Proven winners has become and icon in American gardening, with the help of several influencers. And because the plants are as good as they say, we sell them. A lot of them. And because many of our customers want to know what plants to pick, I am going to go over my Proven Winners perennial plant picks for the coming season. I just want you to remember that these plants that I have selected are best suited for the Central Great Plains Region, where I live. But you can add them to your gardens too!
Now, these are just the ones I like the best from those I have tried in my own gardens. I hope you all choose your own Proven Winners for your gardens. Perennials in my gardens go into a variety of places. My gardens are designed to be a mixture of perennials, herbs, grasses, shrubs, trees, and annuals. But I rely heavily on perennials to attract pollinating insects. These selections do not include grasses.
Proven Winners Perennials for Sun
No matter where you live, you likely have some need for sun loving perennials from Proven Winners. I find even shaded woodlands have open glades or meadows where part sun plants like daylilies and coral bells can thrive. But my gardens are also brutal for many of the perennials, because of the intense summer sun in August and September. The following perennials are the best of the best in my trials.
Yarrow -Firefly Series
Any of the Firefly series of yarrow (Achillea), will do well in the garden. I was really impressed with ‘Sunshine’ and ‘Peach Sky’ when we added them to our list. Yarrow in general is a tough plant, tolerant of heat and drought once established. And there are new colors coming to the series, including a red which we will have in spring of 2025.
Agastache
Hummingbird mint has always been one of my favorite plants for its long bloom time and heat tolerance. In the garden, ‘Queen Nectarine’ has the stature and flower power to make it a stunner. ‘Royal Raspberry’ is a nice selection too, but with less overall flower power.
Baptisia Decadence Series
Baptisia is one of my favorite plants. These are nativars, selected or hybridized from several native species. Overall, I have more than 11 varieties of baptisia in my gardens, and several of the Decadence and Decadence Deluxe series. Besides being one of the longest lived perennials, they are great for cut flowers and are drought and heat tolerant.
- Cherries Jubilee
- Blueberry Sundae
- Sparkling Sapphires
- Pink Lemonade
- Pink Truffles
- Dark Chocolate
- Vanilla Cream II
Echinacea
It can be hard to sort through the many different species, cultivars and nativars of the Echinacea genus. There are several hundred to choose from, and many of them are not fit for the garden, either being too leggy in the landscape or short-lived. But Proven Winners does have some great selections to go with other varieties. I tried ‘Summersong Firefinch’ in my garden in 2024, and it was an absolute stunner.
The Color Coded Series has some catchy names like ‘Frankly Scarlet’ and ‘Orange You Awesome’, but I have yet to see their performance in the garden. There are also some double flowering Echinacea available.
Daylilies
Over the years, I have trialed many daylilies in my garden. I really do have an affinity for them, despite my dislike of ‘Stella D’Oro’. Proven Winners Rainbow Rhythm Series has some truly exceptional varieties. Of them, the following are my favorites:
- Blood, Sweat, And Tears
- Lake of Fire
- Primal Scream
- Ruby Spider
- Storm Shelter
- Star of the North
- Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
Hardy Hibiscus
Despite the ever present Japanese beetle in Northeast Kansas, hardy hibiscus performs very well. I have been surprised to find that since the beetles have first showed up, we only get a little damage to the flowers each season. And its mostly on older varieties. I have seen very little damage on the Proven Winners selections. And again, there are not very many which have come to my garden, mainly because I am limited on space for such a large plant.
- Cookies and Cream
- Holy Grail
- Spinderella
- Perfect Storm
- Berry Awesome
Red Hot Poker
These are one of my favorite perennials for attracting hummingbirds. And with the new Proven Winners varieties there is increased length of bloom time, which trumps the older cultivars. I really like all the different colors too. ‘Rockets Red Glare’ and ‘Backdraft’ are two of my favorites.
Catmint
Who can forget about ‘Cats Pajamas’ catmint? This is probably the number one selling perennial right now. And why not? It is compact, blooms all summer long, and is tough as nails. I will not that if it has had regular irrigation and then the irrigation is turned off, it will likely fade and die. So do not water to start with and it will grow great root systems that need less water.
Ornamental Oregano
‘Drops of Jupiter’ ornamental oregano is a great low growing perennial for the garden. And the almost chartreuse colored leaves, along with the purple flowers make it a very attractive plant. I like to use it as a border plant or spilling slightly over a retaining wall.
Russian Sage
I used to have a strong dislike for Russian Sage, because of its tendency to aggressively spread throughout the landscape, even under weed fabric and concrete. But these new varieties are shorter and much tamer. I will not say they will not spread, because they do. They just do it at a slower rate. ‘Denim n’ Lace’ is the better of the Proven Winner varieties, though ‘Sage Advice’ is nice too.
Garden Phlox
Tall garden phlox is one of the best late summer blooming perennials for attracting large night moths, butterflies, and even hummingbirds. I often can find both eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies and giant swallowtail butterflies on it at the same time. The old-fashioned flowers often remind us of our childhoods and our grandma’s gardens. ‘Luminary Ultraviolet’ is the best of the Proven Winners cultivars.
Salvia
Salvias have come a long way in recent years. It used to be ‘May Night’ everywhere, with maybe a few other colors. Now we have a host of new colors and varieties in the garden. Salvia is another long-blooming, drought and heat tolerant perennial for full sun.
- Azure Snow
- Pink Dawn
- Back to the Fuschia
- Perfect Profusion
- Violet Profusion
Sedums
Sedums can come in two basic styles, either upright or groundcovering. And again, there are a variety of these to choose from. But the newer Proven Winners varieties have mostly praiseworthy ones. I really like upright species for their pollinator power of attraction, but it is nice to add some groundcover varieties among rocks and along walkways.
Proven Winners Shade Perennials
While Proven Winners has not dived deeply into the shade garden, they do have a nice collection of shade hostas and coral bells. And I expect that they will continue to bring new plants to the market to fill voids in the garden. I have always loved the shade garden and I keep looking to add to my garden spaces.
Hostas
Hostas are often considered bad to native plant enthusiasts, because they are not native. But I think they help fill a niche within the overall landscape. Nearly every American home is put into a changed environment, making even native plants struggle. So hostas can fill in, and even put alongside native shade plants. Proven Winners Shadowland Series has some great cultivars.
- Autumn Frost
- Coast to Coast
- Echo the Sun
- Empress Wu
- Waterslide
- Sound of Music
Coral Bells
Coral bells are unique as shade plants because they can take more sun than many other shade loving perennials. They are drought tolerant too, unlike many other shade perennials. And they can grow under a black walnut. So they have a lot of potential within the overall landscape.
- Wildberry
- Spearmint
- Wild Rose
- Appletini
- Black Pearl
- Silver Gumdrop
Other Shade Perennials by Proven Winners
These are some other shade perennials which I have or will add to my garden, because I know they will grow well there.
- Spigelia ‘Apple Slices’
- Ligularia ‘Bottle Rocket’
- Pigsqueak ‘Miss Piggy’
- Foamy Bells ‘Capture the Flag’
Conclusion
Proven Winners fill a lot of spots with their plants. And because they have been trialed and tests for a variety of conditions, they work well in most landscapes. It will be exciting to hear form those who are using Proven Winners perennials and other plants more and more as they become more available.
Happy planting!
