Each year the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society (PHS) recognizes six outstanding plants that a group of nursery owners, horticulturists, expert gardeners, and professional growers singe out as among the best performing and most beautiful for inclusion into the Mid-Atlantic Region Gold Medal program.

All seven perennials perform equally well in the mid-South (Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and Northern Counties of North and South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

‘Jeana’ Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata) is a great summer blooming perennial phlox that is also highly resistant to powdery mildew.  Data collected at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware reported that butterflies love its fragrant tubular, bright lavender pink flowers. This native perennial is heat and drought-resistant. It grows 2-3 feet tall and blooms for weeks in the hot summer. 

‘Hot Lips’ Pink Turtlehead (Chelone lyonia) produces unique pink summer flowers that resemble a turtle’s head in shape. Enjoy over a month-long flowering period way into the fall. ‘Hot Lips’ excels in partial shade and humus-rich moist soils; an exceptional performer in a rain garden or nearby a pond or any other water feature.

Japanese roof Iris (Iris tectorum) offers beautiful showy flowers in shades of lavender blue, blush violet, and blue lilac. It performs best on a humus-rich, medium moist, well-drained soil and in full sun to partial shade. Provide shelter from dry winter winds and winter mulch. Its foliage is arranged in fans of narrow, lance-shaped, ribbed, glossy, upright leaves. It is deer resistant and grows 12 to 18 inches tall in maturity.  (USDA hardiness zones 6-9).

Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) is a native perennial that blooms in early summer featuring red tubular flowers with yellow throats held above green foliage. Flowers sit atop 18-24 inches stems and are attractive to hummingbirds. It grows best in mostly full sun and average to moist soils. Deadhead this clump-forming perennial for blooms from May into late September. It is deer proof but not rabbit resistant. (USDA hardiness zones 6-9).

‘Brandywine’ foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) is an early spring long blooming, native ground cover perennial. Foamflower thrives in part to full shade and grows best in moist soils; one-year established plants demonstrate good drought tolerance.  Delicate fuzzy white flowers emerge through clean spring green foliage and bloom almost 2 months. Foamflowers attract specialist bee species and other pollinators. Deer snub the fresh green spring foliage which grows 8-18 inches tall and turns reddish bronze in fall. (USDA hardiness zones 4-8).

‘Iron Butterfly’ (Vernonia lettermannii) is a superior ironweed clone. This tough native perennial thrives in a wide range of soils and survives in hot humid or dry sites. It grows 18 inches tall. In fall the stems are topped with many fine bright purple flowers. The thread-like foliage is showy and turns brilliant golden hues in the fall. ‘Iron Butterfly’ is a great pollinator attracting plant. (USDA hardiness zones 4-8). 

‘Caramel’ Coral bells (Heuchera x ‘Caramel’) is a vigorous, clump-forming coral bells that struts unique apricot foliage that stands out through spring, summer, and fall.  Plant several in the landscape as a ground cover, or en masse in a perennial border. ‘Caramel’ grows best in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soils in part shade; it grows in full sun under adequate watering. ‘Caramel’ is deer resistant. (USDA hardiness zones 4-9).

*Visit the PHS Gold Medal website to view the entire 30-year-old listing.