Two Proven Winners® ColorChoice® cultivars earn Retailers’ Choice Awards at 2025 Farwest Show

The Oregon Association of Nurseries (OAN) Farwest Show once again delivered a strong lineup of innovative plants, and three Proven Winners® introductions were selected as Retailers’ Choice Award winners. Of those, two were Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs from Spring Meadow Nursery:

Kodiak Jet Black® Diervilla (Diervilla ×)
A native shrub cultivar with nearly black foliage that stays dark all season. In summer, bright yellow flowers pop against the dark leaves, adding multi-season beauty and pollinator appeal. Adaptable, drought-tolerant, and shade or sun-loving, it grows 3–4’ tall and wide and is hardy in USDA Zones 3-8.

Mop Top™ Fountain Butterfly Bush (Buddleia hybrid)
With its gentle, mounding habit, Mop Top™ offers a fresh twist on the butterfly bush category. Long, slender, weeping branches are covered in lavender spring flowers, drawing in butterflies and other pollinators. Its relatively compact 3-5’ size makes it ideal for foundation or low hedge plantings. Hardy in USDA Zones 4-8.

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 Proven Winners® ColorChoice tree Starway to Heaven® Styrax was awarded the Judges’ Best in Show, Retailers’ Choice and People’s Choice awards. 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.