Horticulture: Extension: Gold Medal Plants

1998 Gold Medal Winners at a Glance

• Summer annual growing to 18-24 inches high with an equal spread.
• Tough, unusual annual sought for its foliage; thick, fuzzy leaves with yellow-green in the center.
• Gives off spicy fragrance similar to fresh oregano when touched.
• Great for the garden and patio containers or for softening hard surfaces.
• Combines well with shrubs having dark green leaves and even with herbs such as rosemary.
• Tiny white inconspicuous flowers appear in mid-summer.
• Prefers full sun to light shade; does best when shaded from hot afternoon sun.
• Moist, well-drained soils enriched with organic matter preferred (adapts to clay or sandy soils).
• Only a single application of 10-10-10 (1 lb. per 100 sq. ft.) in early spring is necessary.
• To propagate, take cuttings below a node; will root in 7-10 days.
• If overgrown or leggy, pinch back to encourage branching.

• Herbaceous perennial growing to 2 feet high with equal spread.
• Tough, durable plant with long bloom period (May-August).
• Pure white, double, daisy-like flowers are about 1 inch across with yellow stamins.
• Full sun preferred but will adapt to light shade.
• Excellent in perennial borders or shrub beds; look good with a variety of plants.
• Prefers moist, well-drained fertile soils enriched with organic matter (adapts to sand or clay).
• Light application of a balanced fertilizer in March or April (avoid over-fertilization).
• May need to be divided every two to three years (spring or fall).
• Cut back old foliage to the ground in early March to prepare for new spring growth.

• Deciduous shrub growing 8-12 feet high with 8- to 15-foot spread.
• Large white panicles of small white flowers 8-12 inches long and 2-4 inches wide.
• Few plants can match the summer flowering of bottlebrush buckeye.
• Native to Georgia, it is a large, mounded shrub for shady locations (under pines).
• Looks good when grown in clumps of three to five plants as a background to smaller shrubs or perennials.
• Pest free and deer resistant.
• Acid, well-drained soil preferred.
• Light fertilization in spring.

• Deciduous tree growing to 25-30 feet with equal spread.
• Lustrous green leaves in summer turning red, orange and yellow in fall; three-lobed.
• Grayish-brown bark that exfoliates with age (very attractive).
• Makes an excellent small tree for the landscape.
• Can be grown single- or multi-trunk.
• Grows best in full sun or partial shade.
• Adapted to most Georgia soils.
• Fertilize twice with 16-4-8; apply near drip-line.
• For best results, begin shaping as a young tree.

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