Here are some standouts from last summer:

Best overall performance Annual – 
Vinca Soiree Flamenco Salsa Red (Suntory Flowers)
This is a great addition to the Soiree Flamenco series. The vibrant dard red bicolor flowers and ruffled petals stand on dark green foliage and stunned all summer long. These maintained their mounded plant habit all summer and never stopped flowering. 

Best overall performance perennial – 
Polemonium Golden Feathers (Darwin Perennials)
This plant has golden variegated leaves that looked good all summer. Even though this is a part shade plant, it was outstanding in full sun as well. Golden feathers would be a great accent plant in the garden or a colorful component in combo pots. The early spring flowers and deer resistance are additional pluses. Golden feathers stand out all season long. 

Best Pollinator friendly Annual – 
Agastache Beelicious Pink (Kientzler) 
Beelicious pink was covered in large pink flower spikes from the start of the trials to the end. It has a compact, well branched habit, and fragrant foliage. The bees frequented this plant all summer. This is labeled a zone 6b, unfortunately this is an annual here at R2. 

Best Pollinator friendly Perennial – Echinacea SunMagic Vintage Pink (Bull Plant Genetics)
Butterflies and insects love this variety. This was a powerhouse plant with abundant blooms and uniform habit. The flower color and habit will enhance any sunny flower with the added bonus of providing food for pollinators.   

Best Cut Flower by Seed –
Scabiosa Paper Moon (Sahin)
White pincushion flowers morph into clusters of cupped shaped, bluish white, papery seed heads with green and maroon accents. The fragrant long-lasting flowers that bloom all summer long with an extensive vase life, make this unique flower great for any bouquet. 

Best Cut Flower from URC-
Dahlia Cafe' Au Lait (Syngenta)

This cut dahlia displayed 8” blossoms consisting of a creamy mixture of peach and light pink overtones. It blooms from midsummer until frost and its long-lasting vase life makes it ideal for bouquets. Café Au Lait comes from a vegetative cutting which makes it a reliable alternative to tuber production.  

• The Michigan Garden Plant Tour will be Monday through Friday from July 29^th through August 9^th.
• Our sponsored areas are full of the latest and greatest offerings from our breeder sponsors.
• This year in our comparison row trials in the sun, we will have Angelonia, Scented Foliage, Salvia (annual), French Marigold, and Cuphea. We are also showcasing Pantone's color of the year, Peach Fuzz!   
• In the Shade, we'll have Begonia tuberous, and Impatiens wallerana.
• We'll also be showing Bidens in large containers.
• In our hanging baskets, we are showing New Calibrachoa, Begonia boliviensis and Alyssum/Lobularia.
• Our 2024 Specialty Cut Flower Trial bed will display the most expansive snapdragon comparison trial in the country. Along with our showcase rows of all the newest and greatest by some of the best breeders in the market. Also, don't forget to checkout our catalog/R&D screen live and in color.   
• We are adding to our extensive perennial trials with Coreopsis, Echinacea, Grass, and Heuchera. These will be in the ground for three years and are in addition to our existing perennial trials.