Press

March 15, 2023

Spring Meadow Nursery and the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022-2023 Spring Meadow - Proven Winners® Endowment Fund scholarships. Three students were awarded scholarships for the 2021-2022 granting period. The students were chosen from a competitive national applicant pool for their academic achievements, outstanding leadership abilities, and commitment to pursuing horticulture careers.

January 30, 2023

American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS™) recently announced trial results for the 2023 season, and Oso Easy® Urban Legend ® landscape rose has landed among a group of five awardees as a Regional Award Winner. Bred by Christopher Hugh Warner and introduced by Spring Meadow Nursery, Oso Easy® Urban Legend® shrub rose offers bright red, doubled blooms with contrasting bright yellow stamens.

January 09, 2023

Spring Meadow Nursery is proud to unveil 25 new Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrub varieties for 2023, many of which will be available for viewing this January in the Spring Meadow booth at trade shows across the country. Attendees of the MANTS trade show will find Spring Meadow in booth #1038. Spring Meadow will also be in attendance at Northern Green (MN), Green & Grown’ (NC), INLA Hort Expo...

October 20, 2022

The creative team at Spring Meadow Nursery received a Gold Medal of Achievement at the 2022 Media Awards, presented by GardenComm: Garden Communicators International, at their mid-October virtual conference. This national award recognizes individuals and companies who achieve the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications. The 2022 competition had more than 165 entries in 67 categories.  Recipients of the Gold Medal represent the best in their category.

September 15, 2022

This year 61 new varieties were showcasedat the Farwest Show, and Proven Winners® plants earned five awards across three categories. Eight New Varieties Showcase awards are presented overall in the Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice categories. Of those eight, half were Proven Winners® varieties. Three awards went to Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs, and one was earned by a Proven Winners® perennial.

May 24, 2022

Already the recipient of 10 awards overseas, Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Oso Easy Double Red® rose is making news this spring, earning important U.S. regional awards.

May 09, 2022

Projects like the University of California Landscape Plant Irrigation Trials are giving the horticulture and landscaping industry data they can use to identify plants that can withstand minimal irrigation over a sustained period. Over the course of the trials, plants are evaluated for overall appearance, flowering time and duration, and pest or disease problems on their lowest irrigation treatment. Those that perform best earn a Blue Ribbon™ designation.

April 26, 2022

The American Rhododendron Society has released the results of its 2022 Rhododendron of the Year Awards and two Proven Winners® ColorChoice® cultivars have earned regional awards.

April 14, 2022

The Chicago Botanic Garden completed a 20-year staggered trial of Hydrangea paniculata cultivars and the program has compiled and released Plant Evaluation Notes with observations and results.

April 01, 2022

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® crowns the 2022 Shrub Madness winner as the world’s only plant bracket competition comes to a close. The contest is populated with a wide variety of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs, which compete throughout the month of March for the chance to be crowned the leader of the pack!

March 03, 2022

Shrub Madness brackets are now open in prediction mode until March 6. Players can create an account and fill out a bracket with their predictions as to which shrubs will win each faceoff to the final round. Participants are eligible for month-long plant drawings, and at the end of Shrub Madness, four players are randomly selected to win a collection of the top four Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs standing.

January 28, 2022

Spring Meadow Nursery and the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) are pleased to announce the recipients of 2021-2022 Spring Meadow - Proven Winners® Endowment Fund scholarships. A total of 39 Spring Meadow-Proven Winners® Endowed Fund scholarships have been awarded to students since 2004. Scholarship applications for the 2022-2023 granting period will open in April 2022.

December 17, 2021

The National Garden Bureau has released its choices for the 2022 Green Thumb Awards, and Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Simply Scentsational® Calycanthus has been named winner of the shrub category. This win follows the 2019 awards for Spring Meadow Nursery's Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Illuminati  Tower® Philadelphus and Peppy Le Pom™ Punica, and the 2018 Green Thumb Award for Invincibelle Wee White® Hydrangea arborescens.

November 18, 2021

​​​​​​​The American Rose Center has released results of their 2021 trials, and Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Oso Easy® Double Pink rose has once again proved to be a top competitor.

July 27, 2021

Grand Haven’s Spring Meadow Nursery and the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) are pleased to announce that the Spring Meadow - Proven Winners® Endowment Fund has topped $1 million. Dale & Liz Deppe established the Spring Meadow - Proven Winners® Endowment Fund with HRI in 1999 with the belief that bright, well-trained, and qualified people are essential to the green industry and that backing motivated students plays a vital role in protecting and growing the industry.

July 20, 2021

The Proven Winners Landscape Roadshow is back in person and is coming to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden this summer. Attendees are invited to meet Proven Winners landscape experts and enjoy a lineup of landscape presentations covering a wide range of topics, including new plants, tried & true shrubs for the Midwest, and landscape design tips & stories.

July 16, 2021

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Suñorita® Rosa has been honored with the 2022 Award of Excellence by the American Rose Society. In 1973 the American Rose Society Board of Directors established the Award of Excellence (AOE) to recognize new miniature and miniflora rose varieties of superior quality and marked distinction. Since the inception of the award, there have been 137 AOE winners.

June 25, 2021

‘Aphrodite’ sweetshrub is one of six plants chosen for the 2021 Theodore Klein award. Plants are selected based on their ability to be efficiently propagated and produced; found established in Kentucky, and to be non-invasive and pest resistant.

May 11, 2021

Nominated by his industry peers, Dr. LeCompte is one of 40 trailblazers under the age of 40 who exemplifies superior leadership, creativity, innovative thinking, excellence, and compassion in and outside the horticulture field.

March 19, 2021

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) has included Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Bobo® Hydrangea paniculata in its 2021 list of Gold Medal Plants.

February 22, 2021

It’s year eight for Shrub Madness, the thrilling contest that pits shrub-against-shrub in a fierce single-elimination tournament where 64 Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs will once again compete in a no-holds-barred battle for the chance to be crowned National Champion. Making sure year eight is ever more great, Shrub Madness has partnered with Corona® Tools to create a grand prize that is bigger and better than ever.

February 05, 2021

Horticulture students Hunter Hall, Davis Harmon, and Erin Pfarr were each awarded $3000 scholarships for the 2020-2021 granting period, bringing the total amount of awards distributed through the fund to $92,750. The students were chosen from a competitive national applicant pool for their academic achievements, outstanding leadership abilities, and commitment to pursuing horticulture careers. 

January 15, 2021

As part of its online educational event series, Proven Winners® will be presenting a Landscape Roadshow on the afternoons of February 9 and 11, 2021.

January 08, 2021

Spring Meadow Nursery is proud to unveil 27 new Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrub varieties as part of the virtual MANTS trade show press package.

January 04, 2021

Spring Meadow Nursery, the manager of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® flowering shrubs, heads into its third year of offering its hardy shrub roses in bare root stock, and the timing couldn’t be better.

October 22, 2020

As part of its virtual event series, Proven Winners® will be presenting a Landscape Roadshow on the afternoons of November 2, 4, and 6, 2020. Professional CEU credits are available for ASLA and APLD members.

August 31, 2020

Awards were recently presented by the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society (RBHS) to two Spiraea in the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® DOUBLE PLAY® series. The KVBC-Award Gold Medal was awarded to Proven Winners® ColorChoice® DOUBLE PLAY BIG BANG® Spiraea, and the Plantarium Digital Expo 2020 presented Spiraea DOUBLE PLAY DOOZIE® the single gold award in the summer edition and named it the overall winner.

July 20, 2020

Spring Meadow Nursery introduced three new cultivars of panicle hydrangeas at the Cultivate’20 Virtual conference and trade show. Attendees were able to learn more about three new cultivars of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® panicle hydrangeas: FIRE LIGHT TIDBIT™, QUICK FIRE FAB™, and LIMELIGHT PRIME™.

May 12, 2020

The American Rose Society has released its choices for the 2021 Award of Excellence, and Oso Easy® Double Pink rose was honored with the top award in the no spray division.

April 09, 2020

Spring Meadow Nursery has introduced 27 new Proven Winners ColorChoice shrub varieties available to growers for the 2020 season.

April 03, 2020

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® crowns 2020 Shrub Madness winner as the world’s only plant bracket competition comes to a close.

March 16, 2020

With the recognition that every member of the worldwide community needs to go the extra mile to slow down the spread of COVID-19, Spring Meadow is doing its part by putting in place internal policies that reference the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local government and health authorities.

February 10, 2020

It’s lucky seven for the world’s only plant bracket competition, Shrub Madness. Spanning March 2-31, a selection of proud and determined shrubs will move through six rounds of competition.

December 16, 2019

Spring Meadow Nursery and the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) are pleased to announce the recipients of 2019-2020 Spring Meadow - Proven Winners® Endowment Fund scholarships.

September 30, 2019

The 2019 Farwest Show in Portland, Oregon, hosted more than 5,000 industry professionals from 20 countries, with nearly 400 exhibitors.

September 23, 2019

Spring Meadow Nursery received Gold and Silver Medals of Achievement at the 2019 GardenComm Media Awards. This national award recognizes individuals and companies who achieve the highest levels of talent and professionalism in garden communications.

August 05, 2019

The Deppe Family and Spring Meadow Nursery were given a milestone recognition for commitment to Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) at Cultivate ‘19 on Saturday, July 13, 2019.

July 31, 2019

Dale Deppe was presented a Horticulture Industries Leadership Award (HILA) at a special dinner and presentation ceremony, Sunday, July 14, during the Cultivate 2019 conference in Columbus, OH.

July 17, 2019

Every year, the trade publication Greenhouse Product News (GPN) announces a new class of 40 men and women, under the age of 40 in the horticulture industry, who refuse to conform to the average and instead, strive to keep moving the industry forward.

June 20, 2019

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® is introducing the Decked Out™ deco planter program, giving retailers a new way to offer consumers its extensive line of flowering shrubs.

May 20, 2019

The boxwood blight that is wiping out generations-old plants across the southeast, hit Wake Forest University’s Reynolda Gardens in the fall of 2018, prompting experts to connect with Spring Meadow Nursery, growers of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrub liners, to identify a boxwood replacement that is both consistent with the historic landscape and resistant to disease.

April 22, 2019

Spring Meadow Nursery is adding Proven Winners® ColorChoice® ornamental trees to its already wide variety of woody plants in the 2019 growing season. Spring Meadow has partnered with the horticulture firm UpShoot, owned and run by the longtime industry professional Maria Zampini.

April 05, 2019

After a month of voting, Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha® Hydrangea serrata has been crowned the 2019 Shrub Madness National Champion. Coming from a crowded field of 64 contenders, the competition narrowed to the Floral Four, and then the final two after multiple rounds of voting. This year’s Floral Four included Pugster® Blue Buddleia, Let’s Dance® Rhythmic Blue® bigleaf hydrangea, Suñorita™ rose, and champion, Tuff Stuff Ah-Ha® mountain hydrangea. 

March 18, 2019

The 100-page reference guide is part of the company’s direct-to-consumer advertising and provides gardening information, colorful photos, planting and landscaping ideas and growing tips about a wide variety of Proven Winners ColorChoice flowering shrubs. The 2019-20 edition organizes a wide variety of shrubs according to their landscape roles. From specimen plants to winter interest, beginning and experienced gardeners alike will gain inspiration and get valuable tips about how to use shrubs to create the landscapes of their dreams.

March 04, 2019

With a goal to reach broader audiences of gardening enthusiasts in 2019, Proven Winners® ColorChoice® has scheduled increased media exposure with the largest broadcast and internet radio campaign they have ever planned, generating over 80 million impressions this year.

March 01, 2019

The world’s only plant bracket competition, Shrub Madness, has just embarked on its sixth year of the thrilling contest that pits shrub-against-shrub in a fierce single-elimination tournament where 64 Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs will compete in a no-holds-barred battle for the chance to be crowned National Champion.

January 30, 2019

Spring Meadow Nursery owner Dale Deppe was presented with the 2019 Western Legend Award which recognizes “accomplishments that have contributed to the advancement of the green industry, bringing the realization of significant value to society.”

January 25, 2019

The Direct Gardening Association (formerly called the Mailorder Gardening Association) has presented Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Illuminati Tiny Tower™ Philadelphus and Peppy Le Pom™ Punica granatum, with 2019 Green Thumb Awards for best new plants in the plants, bulbs and seeds division.

December 19, 2018

Horticulture students William Lewis, Yufei Qian, and Aaron Sledge were each awarded $3500 scholarships for the 2018-2019 granting period, bringing the total amount of awards distributed through the fund to $73,750. The students were chosen from a competitive national applicant pool for their academic achievements, exemplary leadership abilities, and commitment to pursuing careers in horticulture. 

November 21, 2018

Quick Fire® hydrangea paniculata was named the 2019 Woody Cut of the Year by the American Society of Cut Flower Growers.

October 26, 2018

Dale Deppe, owner of Spring Meadow Nursery, was presented the Jackson Dawson Memorial Award. This award is given for exceptional skill in the science or practice of hybridization or propagation of hardy, woody plants.

October 05, 2018

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Oso Easy® Urban Legend® Rosa has been awarded the Lord Burleigh Award for Best Disease Resistance, plus the Chauncey Beadle Award for Best Shrub Rose at the 2018 Biltmore International Rose Trials at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C.

September 07, 2018

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® plants fared well at this year’s Plantarium 2018 which took place August 22-24 in Boskoop, Netherlands. The top honor was earned by Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Pugster Blue® Buddleia, which was pronounced Novelty Plant Winner of Plantarium 2018. Buddleja davidii 'SMNBDBT' (Pugster Blue) was submitted by Valkplant BV and was chosen by judges from the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society.

July 19, 2018

Spring Meadow Nursery has made the announcement that they have surpassed their million-dollar fundraising goal for breast cancer research. Owner Dale Deppe and PR specialist Natalie Carmolli took the stage prior to the July 16 State of the Industry keynote address at the Cultivate ‘18 conference in Columbus, announcing the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign has surpassed the $1,000,000 goal that was set just under 10 years ago.

July 03, 2018

Spring Meadow Nursery has received the Association for Garden Communicators (GWA) 2018 Media Awards Silver Medal of Achievement for two of their recent publications.

June 18, 2018

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea Paniculata has been honored with the distinction of Louisiana Super Plant by the LSU AgCenter.

June 13, 2018

Spring Meadow Nursery has launched a fully redesigned website with new interactive user tools designed to improve the user experience and reinforce the updated company brand.

June 06, 2018

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Oso Easy® Urban Legend® Rosa has been honored with the 2019 Award of Excellence by the American Rose Society.

May 21, 2018

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Oso Easy® Petit Pink Rosa has been honored with the designation as a 2019 A.R.T.S. Master Rose. The distinction has been awarded by the American Rose Trials for Sustainability (A.R.T.S.)

May 14, 2018

Greenhouse Product News recently named Gary Nienhuis, Licensing Account Manager for Spring Meadow Nursery, as an honoree in its 40 Under 40 Class of 2018.

April 25, 2018

Proven Winners® will expand its National Plant of the Year program in 2019, highlighting four shrubs from the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® line, in addition to its Perennial and Annual Plants of the Year.

April 06, 2018

Shrub Madness®, has come to a close for 2018 and a champion has emerged from a contest that is populated with a wide variety of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs, which compete throughout the month of March for the chance to be crowned National Champion.

April 05, 2018

Proven Winners® Double Take Pink™ Chaenomeles took the 2018 Silver FLORALL Award for best new variety at the March 6 Belgian trade fair, FLORALL.

February 09, 2018

Spring Meadow Nursery and HRI are pleased to announce that the Spring Meadow - Proven Winners® Endowment Fund has topped $800,000. Last Nov. horticultural students Kristin Neill, Madeline Olberg, and Cornell Ph.D. student Brandon Miller, were recipients of the 2017 round of scholarships, bringing the total amount of awards distributed to over $63,000.

February 07, 2018

In response to the need for trademark usage oversight in the horticulture industry, Spring Meadow Nursery, Bailey Nurseries, Plant Development Services, Inc. and Star® Roses and Plants teamed up in 2016 to create the “competitive collaborative”, MarkWatch™.

December 04, 2017

December 4, 2017, marks the release of Spring Meadow Nursery’s bold, new logo - the first update in a decade and the most dramatic change in company branding since Deppe family started the business in 1981.

November 22, 2017

The Direct Gardening Association (formerly called the Mailorder Gardening Association) has given the Proven Winners® Invincibelle Wee White® hydrangea a 2018 Green Thumb Award for best new plant in the plants, bulbs and seeds division.

May 24, 2017

Anna Brooks of Arcadia Gardens, LLC is the newest landscaper to achieve the certification as a Proven Winners® Landscape Professional.  

May 08, 2017

Greenhouse Product News (GPN) named Aren Phillips, Assistant Propagation Manager at Spring Meadow Nursery, as an honoree in its 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. 

April 11, 2017

The 2017 Shrub Madness competition has come to an end after a highly competitive month of voting with Tuff Stuff™ mountain hydrangea being crowned the 2017 National Champion.

February 24, 2017

Proven Winners® has launched an all-new flagship video as a key element of their consumer marketing campaign for 2017. Posted on the Proven Winners ColorChoice® Facebook page the video has been viewed over 700,000 times in just two weeks.

February 16, 2017

Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) is pleased to announce the names of the three recipients of the 2017 Spring Meadow – Proven Winners Endowment Fund Scholarship. Each student received $3000 in scholarship funding to achieve their educational goals. 

February 13, 2017

Now in its fourth year, Shrub Madness places 64 Proven Winners® ColorChoice® flowering shrubs into brackets as competitors. Spanning March 1-31, shrubs will move through six rounds of competition at www.ShrubMadness.com, using popular vote to determine the winner of each shrub matchup.

January 16, 2017

A massive fire destroyed the main office building at Spring Meadow Nursery early in the morning on Sunday, January 15, 2017. Six fire departments responded to the blaze and were successful in keeping the fire from spreading to any greenhouses or other structures. 

December 30, 2016

The Invincibelle® Spirit Campaign has raised over $973,000 for breast cancer research and will surpass the $1 million dollar benchmark in the coming year.

November 17, 2016

Yuki Cherry Blossom™ Deutzia has been selected as the 2017 Plant of the Year by Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs.

November 08, 2016

Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs received Green Thumb Awards for Purple Pillar™ Rose of Sharon Hibiscus and Invincibelle® Ruby Hydrangea.  

November 02, 2016

Spring Meadow Nursery will be welcoming over 200 ASCFG conference attendees to their facilities in Grand Haven, Michigan from November 6-9.

September 14, 2016

Over 16,000 industry professionals and visitors attended the 34th annual "Plantarium" show, held in the Netherlands. Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs received four honors in the prestigious awards program.

September 06, 2016

Purple Pillar™ rose of Sharon, introduced by Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs, received Honorable Mention from the panel of judges for its unique upright habit and vibrant semi-double purple flowers. 

August 12, 2016

The Haslett Beautification Association (HBA) recently planted dozens of Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Invincibelle® Spirit II hydrangeas as part of their “Plant it Pink” program.

April 01, 2016

The 2016 Shrub Madness competition has come to an end after a tumultuous month of voting with At Last™ rose being crowned the 2016 National Champion.

February 26, 2016

The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College has selected Dale Deppe, president and owner of Spring Meadow Nursery, as the 2016 Scott Medal and Award recipient.

February 15, 2016

Shrub Madness, horticulture’s original bracket competition, returns for its third year, just in time to lift spirits as gardeners begin planning for spring.

January 26, 2016

Spring Meadow Nursery Inc. has entered into an exclusive partnership with Proven Winners® Europe Ltd. to introduce its flowering shrubs under the Proven Winners® brand in Europe along with ValkPlant BV.

December 21, 2015

At the end of 2015, fundraising efforts reached over $900,000 toward its million dollar goal. In addition to donating one dollar for every plant sold, it serves as the heart of hundreds of Pink Day fundraisers hosted at garden centers across the US and Canada. 

October 27, 2015

Little Lime® hydrangea has been selected as the 2016 Plant of the Year by Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs. Since its introduction, this dwarf ‘Limelight’ hydrangea has become an undeniable favorite among landscapers, gardeners, and homeowners.

August 25, 2015

Jazz Hands® Variegated Loropetalum from Proven Winners® ColorChoice® chosen by a panel of independent garden retailers as best new product at the Retailers' Choice Awards™ at SNA in Atlanta, GA.

June 26, 2015

The American Rose Society (ARS) announced at the 2015 National Conference that Proven Winners® received the Award of Excellence for Oso Easy® Lemon Zest rose. To receive the Award of Excellence, a rose must prove its mettle in six different no-spray trial locations across the United States.

March 31, 2015

Shrub Madness has come to a dramatic end this year with Fire Light® hydrangea being crowned the 2015 National Champion. Coming from a tough field of 64 contenders, the competition gradually narrowed to just two after multiple rounds of voting.

February 23, 2015

Shrub Madness, horticulture’s only bracket competition, is back for its second year, just in time to relieve stir-crazy gardeners of negative temperatures and blustering winds.