Pacific Sunset® Maple, June Snow Dogwood and Golden Raindrops® Crabapple are among the trees and conifers recognized this year for outstanding performance the Pacific Northwest. Eighty trees, conifers, vines, shrubs, perennials and bulbs are included on the new list, which advises gardeners about plants that have outstanding garden merit. Selection criteria includes hardiness, ease of care, pest and disease resistance, adaptability to varied soils and growing conditions, multiple seasons of interest, and more.

Many of the 2003 Great Plant Picks will be on display at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, which runs from February 19-23 at the Seattle Convention Center. Staff of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden, sponsors of the Great Plant Picks program, will be on hand to answer questions about the plants and the program. Richie Steffan, Coordinator of Horticulture for the Miller Garden, is scheduled to speak about the award-winning plants at 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, February 20.

Several of the trees honored this year are ornamental crabapples, due in part to a visit by the Great Plant Picks committee to our arboretum and crabapple test plots last April 26, when trees were in full bloom. Ornamental crabapples recognized for excellent garden performance (in addition to Golden Raindrops® Crabapple) include Adirondack Crabapple, Red Jewel™ Crabapple, Strawberry Parfait Crabapple, Sugar Tyme® Crabapple and Sargent Tina Crabapple. Read about these by clicking here.

The 2003 Great Plant Picks include several other trees that we grow. They are:

Katsura Tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) (Read more by clicking here.)
Weeping Katsura Tree (C. magnificum pendulum, syn. ‘Morioka Weeping’)
Oyama Magnolia (Magnolia sieboldii)
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
Persian Parrotia (Parrotia persica)
Akebono Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis ‘Akebono’)
Shishigashira Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira')
Tamukeyama Japanese Maple (Acer palm. diss. 'Tamukeyama')
Autumn Gold Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold')

The Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden sponsors the Great Plant Picks program, which honors outstanding garden plants each year. The goal of the program is to identify and promote a list of superb plants for home gardeners in the maritime Pacific Northwest. The Miller garden is located on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula. It embraces more than 3,600 different kinds of plants, and is a must-see site for plant lovers. To learn more about the garden, go to www.millergarden.org or call (425) 788-4307. Information about the Great Plant Picks program is located at www.greatplantpicks.org, or by visiting the Northwest Flower and Garden Show, www.gardenshow.com or 206-789-5333.