Two Proven Winners ColorChoice cultivars earn Retailers’ Choice Awards at 2026 Farwest Show

Grand Haven, MI – The Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) Farwest Show once again delivered a strong lineup of innovative plants, and two Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs from Spring Meadow Nursery were selected as Retailers’ Choice Award winners: Featherman® Vitex (Vitex ×) A sterile, non-invasive chastetree with soft, feathery foliage on an upright, densely branched habit.

Pale purple flowers bloom in summer, drawing in pollinators, while heat tolerance, drought tolerance, and deer resistance keep upkeep to a minimum. It grows 3–5’ tall and 2–3’ wide and is hardy in USDA Zones 5b-10. Candybox® Ugni (Ugni molinae) This compact, self-fertile evergreen offers fine-textured, dark green foliage that makes it an excellent boxwood alternative. Delicate pink spring flowers give way to sweet, edible fall fruit, and its drought and heat tolerance keep maintenance low. It grows 2–3’ tall and wide and is hardy in USDA Zones 7-9.

The Retailers’ Choice Awards are determined by a panel of volunteer judges coordinated by The Garden Center Group. The judges scour the show for new plants and products with strong consumer appeal and marketplace potential and award accordingly.

This recognition builds on recent successful track records for Proven Winners ColorChoice at the Farwest show. Last year, two Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs from Spring Meadow Nursery, Kodiak Jet Black® Diervilla and Mop Top™ Fountain Butterfly Bush, were named Retailers’ Choice Award winners. In 2024, Proven Winners® ColorChoice tree Starway to Heaven® Styrax was awarded the Judges’ Best in Show, Retailers’ Choice and People’s Choice awards, and Paisley Pup® Leucothoe was recognized with an award for merit. In 2022, cultivars Invincibelle Sublime™ Hydrangea arborescens, Vinho Verde® Weigela, and Midnight Sun® Weigela received awards across multiple categories.