DOWNERS GROVE, IL – The National Garden Bureau (NGB) is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 Green Thumb Awards. This prestigious annual competition recognizes outstanding and innovative new plants and garden products that represent the future of horticulture.
Winners are selected across two distinct categories: the People’s Choice Award, determined by a public vote, and the Professional Choice Award, selected by a panel of expert horticulturists from the National Garden Bureau.
“The Green Thumb Awards celebrate the intersection of beauty and utility,” says Diane Blazek, Executive Director at National Garden Bureau. “From sustainable potting mixes to breakthrough genetics in edibles and ornamentals, the 2026 winners represent the very best for the modern gardener.”
2026 People’s Choice Winners
Chosen by the gardening public for their appeal and performance.
Annual: Sunflower Sunfinity Yellow-Red Bicolor (Syngenta Flowers)– A stunning breakthrough offering continuous blooms for up to 12 weeks with unique burgundy shades.
Edible: Tomato BadaBing! F1 (All-America Selections) – An AAS 2026 Winner, this game-changing large cherry tomato is crack-resistant, blight-resistant, and incredibly early to harvest.
Garden Product: Sunshine® Black Bear® Potting Mix (Sun Gro) – A sustainable 8-quart mix using Black Bear® biochar to replace perlite for better aeration and carbon reduction.
Houseplant: Pothos Yellow Sunrise (Costa Farms) – A golden-yellow showpiece that develops Monstera-like fenestrations as it matures.
Perennial: Fescue Glow Sticks (Concept Plants)– A low-maintenance, Zone 3b hardy grass featuring bright yellow flower spikes and year-round green foliage.
Shrub: Azalea Encore Autumn Kiss® (Plant Development Services Inc) – A mid-dwarf variety offering semi-double flowers with a “kiss” of hot pink that bloom from spring through fall.
2026 Professional Choice Winners
Selected by a panel of horticultural experts for technical merit and innovation.
Annual: Dipladenia Sun Parasol FiredUp Coral (Suntory) – A freestanding, upright “thriller” with vibrant coral-pink blooms that requires no trellis.
Edible: Basil Treviso (All-America Selections) – An AAS-winning variety bred for heat tolerance and vigor, resisting bitterness and flowering all season.
Garden Product: WaterPlants (Unique Gardener) – An all-in-one kit that allows gardeners to grow aquatic plants from seed easily with a glass planter and LED lights.
Houseplant: Cape Primrose Lady Slippers Double Blue Vein (Green Fuse Botanicals)– The first-ever double cape primrose, delivering fresh blooms every day of the year.
Perennial: Crocosmia Dark Fire (Monrovia) – A unique combination of smoky purple foliage and red/yellow flowers that attracts hummingbirds while remaining deer-resistant.
Shrub: Hydrangea Centennial Ruby™ (Monrovia) – A 100th-anniversary release featuring long-lasting ruby-red mophead blooms on a compact, sturdy frame.
For more information on the Green Thumb Awards, please visit ngb.org/green-thumb-award-winners/ For photos, please visit this Dropbox link.
To provide further insight into these award-winning selections, an upcoming webinar, Ask Me Anything about the 2026 Green Thumb Award Winners Webinar is open to the public on Tuesday, May 21 at 12:00 PM CST.
About the National Garden Bureau
Founded in 1920, the National Garden Bureau is a non-profit organization whose mission is to disseminate basic instructions for home gardeners and promote the joys of gardening.
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