Horticulture: Extension: Gold Medal Plants

2006 Gold Medal Winners at a Glance

• Low maintenance summer Annual requiring full sun
• Flowers tolerant of Southern heat and humidity; attract butterflies & hummingbirds
• Work well in containers or in landscape beds; three species found in the trade

Firecracker Plant (Cuphea ignea):

• tubular, scarlet-red flowers edged in black; approx. one foot tall
• Perfect companion for containers or in front of taller plants in a perennial bed
• Light trimming midsummer will encourage branching and more compact plants - Performs best in full sun and moist, well-drained soils.

Firecracker Plant (Cuphea ignea)

Mickey Mouse Plant, Tiny Mice and Georgia Scarlet (Cuphea llavea)

• Three common names used to identify Cuphea llavea
• Georgia Scarlet was the original selection released from UGA Tifton campus.
• Names, Mickey Mouse Plant and Tiny Mice, given by the trade because the flowers resemble the face of a mouse, with two red petals tinged in purple.
• Hummingbirds and butterflies visit in abundance to collect nectar from flowers - Grows up to 2 feet tall, forming a bushy, compact plant for containers or beds - Summer cuttings root easily

Tall Cigar Plant (Cuphea micropetala)

• Great background plant for perennial borders, reaching 3 to 5 feet tall
• 2-inch-long tubular, cigar-shaped blooms in Summer, continuing until frost - Flowers are reddish, yellow and green, simulating an open flame.
• Can survive temps. as low as 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit if cut back, mulched and protected; may be a perennial in the warmer parts of Georgia.

Herbaceous Perennial * Full Sun/Partial Shade * Hardiness Zones 5 to 9 Full Sun Full Sun

• Durable, attractive flowering groundcover reaching 6 to 10 in tall and 1 to 2 feet wide
• Great for filling spaces between shrubs, adding a splash of blue, or spilling over walls
• Drought and deer tolerant; true blue flowers from late summer until frost
• Semi-woody, mat-forming perennial that spreads by rhizomes
• Dies back to the ground; leafs out late spring; interplant with spring-flowering bulbs
• Foliage shiny green up to 2 inches long, turning bronze-red in the fall
• Prefers sun, but will tolerate some afternoon shade; drought-tolerant once established
• Fertilize lightly in spring and again in early summer to encourage rapid growth

Herbaceous Perennial * Full Sun * Hardiness Zones 5 to 9

• Improved cultivar of native American wisteria, less aggressive as compared to Asian
• Climbs 20 to 30 feet, but is less vigorous, less invasive and easier to manage
• Flowers at one year of age; flowers on new growth (late April to early May in Athens)
• Light pruning can produce a second flush of blooms in the summer
• Smaller leaves and flowers than the Asian types
• Fragrant, lavender-blue flowers borne in 2- to 4-inch-long cascading racemes
• Deer and drought tolerant; good choice for pergolas, trellises or fences
• Can be trained to free-standing tree form with staking and pruning
• Prune in late winter to shape the plant and remove undesirable growth
• Late-winter application of a complete fertilizer ( 16-4-8 ) is sufficient for the year

Deciduous Shrub * Sun/Partial Shade * Hardiness Zones 6 to 9

•  Large, deciduous shrub reaching 10 to 15 feet high and wide
• Looks best used as a background plant in the perennial border or woodland garden
• Flowers consist of numerous florets, 1-1 ½ inches in diameter, clustered together in a hemispherical, ball-like structure, called a cyme; commonly used in floral arrangements
• Flowers emerge green, gradually fading to pure white; later turning light brown
• Sometimes a second flush of bloom occurs in late summer
• Prefers moist, well-drained soil and afternoon shade; not drought-tolerant
• Prune after flowering, as flowers form on old wood; then prune to thin out old branches, open up the shrub, reduce height or develop a better shape
• Rejuvenation pruning OK, but flowering may be delayed for 2 years after pruning
• Sterile, not producing fruit or seed; roots easily from summer cuttings

Deciduous Tree * Full Sun * Hardiness Zones 5 to 9

• Tough, native deciduous tree which thrives in a variety of difficult conditions
• Commonly found in wet bottom lands from Delaware to Georgia and west to Texas
• Tolerant of wet sites, but does equally well on dry, upland sites
• Typically grows 50 ft high and wide; has been known to reach 125 feet in the wild
• Tough shade tree for large landscapes, public parks, golf courses and office parks
• Much faster growth than most oaks, particularly when young; initial growth is somewhat pyramidal; gradually becoming more rounded with age
• Acorn shape gives the tree its name; warty cap almost completely covers the nut
• Acorns are a food source for wildlife, including squirrels, deer and turkeys
• Similar to its white oak cousin, including its rough-textured, gray-brown bark, deeply lobed leaves and yellow fall color

Acorns, the fruit from the Overcap Oak are a food source for wildlife

Compiled by Billy Skaggs, Hall CEA

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