Gold Medal Plants

Since its inception in 1978, the Gold Medal Plant Award program of The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has recognized trees, shrubs and woody vines of outstanding merit. The program was originally conceived by noted nurseryman Dr. J. Franklin Styer, who realized homeowners and gardeners needed to learn about superior woody plants for their landscapes. These plants are evaluated and chosen for their superb eye-appeal, performance, and hardiness in the growing region of Zones 5-7. Many winners are hardy in a much broader geographic range.

When a gardener acquires a plant designated a Gold Medal winner, he or she can be assured the plant will exhibit standards of excellence for pest and disease resistance, as well as ease of growing, when planted and maintained by recommended methods. Gold Medal Plants are also chosen for their beauty through many seasons, whether it be foliage, flower, form or bark.