Tuff Stuff Hydrangea Earns Gold

Four Proven Winners® ColorChoice® varieties received honors during the 30th annual Plantarium trade show in the Netherlands, August 22-25, 2012. The prestigious awards, juried by the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society, granted  Hydrangea serrata ‘Mak20’ (Tuff Stuff™) a  gold medal, Hibiscus syriacus “JWNWOOD4’ (Pink Chiffon™) a silver medal, and buddleia ‘Ice Chip’ (Lo & Behold® ‘Ice Chip’) a bronze medal during the main competition while buddleia ‘Lilac Chip’ (Lo & Behold® ‘Lilac Chip’) won the ‘Colour Your Life’ award, competing with the previous ten years’ Best of Show gold medal winners and voted on by the public at the show and on Facebook. Four gold, 12 silver, and 22 bronze medals were awarded out of 70 new plant introductions from the Netherlands and 14 other countries.

“The jury felt that the quality of the entries was very high,” said the secretary of the jury, Ronald Houtman. “Last year's critical comments seem to have been taken to heart. The aim must be to come up with new plants which truly enhance the range and which stand out because of their innovative qualities.”

The jury remarked that Tuff Stuff™ hydrangea, marketed as Flair & Flavours Cotton Candy and Blueberry Cheesecake in Europe, had “attractive compact habit; rich flowering; flowers have a beautiful colouration and are suited for "bluing"; likely to give attractive autumn colours.” Pink Chiffon™ hibiscus was awarded for its “elegant habit with good dark green foliage and handsome flowers in an excellent colour.” Lo & Behold® ‘Ice Chip’ buddleia was noted as “well-branched, compact plants; pure white flowers; attractive.”

For more information or high-resolution electronic photos of these plants, please contact Shannon Springer at shannon@springmeadownursery.com.

About Proven Winners ColorChoice

Proven Winners ColorChoice is the brand name of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc., a market leader in flowering shrubs, potted liners and starter plants.  Located in Grand Haven, Michigan, Spring Meadow Nursery has over 500 varieties in their catalog, including more than 100 varieties marketed under the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® brand, including Incrediball® Hydrangea, ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea, My Monet™ Weigela, Wine & Roses® Weigela, Quick Fire® Hydrangea and Invincibelle® Spirit Hydrangea.  For more information, visit www.colorchoiceplants.com and www.springmeadownursery.com.

Source: Proven Winners ColorChoice