2026 PHS Gold Medal Standouts
Gold always looks good! Two of our favorite plants have earned 2026 PHS Gold Medal Plant honors from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society! Chosen for their beauty, reliability, value, and outstanding landscape performance, these standouts are ready to shine in gardens across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond...
2026 PHS Gold Medal Standouts
Some plants are good. Some are great. And every once in a while, a few earn gold...
Every year, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) recognizes exceptional plants that prove themselves to be beautiful, dependable, and well-suited for Mid-Atlantic landscapes. Their Gold Medal Plant Program, established in 1979, highlights outstanding trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, and edibles that combine ornamental appeal with real-world garden performance. These plants aren't chosen simply because they're attractive; they're selected for their adaptability, ease of cultivation, multi-season interest, resistance to common challenges, value to wildlife, and proven success in the landscape.
Think of it as the horticultural equivalent of bringing home the gold 351;. They're the plants that show up year after year, thrive with minimal fuss, and continue to impress long after planting day!
Drumroll, please... This year's winners include two powerhouses that we're proud to grow here at North Creek:
Sorghastrum nutans Golden Sunset ®
Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird'
Both selections showcase exactly what today's landscapes need: resilient plants that support pollinators, thrive in a variety of growing conditions, and provide exceptional beauty throughout the seasons!
“Gold Medal" Worthy?
A PHS Gold Medal is more than just another plant award. Before a plant earns this recognition, it is evaluated by a committee of horticulturists, nursery professionals, growers, and garden experts who consider several important characteristics, including:
- Outstanding ornamental value
- Dependable landscape performance
- Ease of growing and maintenance
- Commercial availability
- Adaptability to Mid-Atlantic conditions
- Resistance to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses
- Benefits to pollinators and other wildlife
The result is a carefully curated list of plants that professionals and home gardeners alike can recommend and grow for years to come.
Sorghastrum nutans Golden Sunset™
A refined selection of the native Sorghastrum nutans, this ornamental grass begins the growing season with attractive blue-green to olive-green foliage before airy golden flower plumes appear in late summer. As temperatures cool down, the foliage transforms into rich shades of yellow-orange and warm golden tan, giving you a show well into fall and winter. When autumn arrives, this grass really earns its name. It's like someone flipped on the golden hour filter across the entire planting!
Standing 4 to 6 feet tall, Golden Sunset™ has the structure, movement, and texture perfect for naturalistic plantings, prairie-inspired designs, meadow gardens, and mixed perennial borders. Even after flowering, the upright seed heads and foliage continue to upstage others throughout the dormant season.
Beyond its ornamental appeal, Golden Sunset™ is a workhorse. The flowers attract butterflies and other beneficial insects, while the dense clumps provide habitat and seasonal cover for wildlife. Its excellent deer resistance, vigorous growth, and adaptability make it a winner for both public landscapes and residential gardens.
Whether planted in sweeping drifts or woven among flowering perennials, Golden Sunset™ has four-season appeal with remarkably little maintenance, exactly the type of performance the PHS Gold Medal program was designed to recognize.
Symphyotrichum laeve 'Bluebird'
Just when many gardens start thinking about calling it a season, 'Bluebird' says, "Not so fast!!" This outstanding selection bursts into bloom from September well into late fall, covering itself with masses of soft purplish-blue, daisy-like flowers with bright yellow centers. The colorful display provides one of the final, and most important, nectar sources of the growing season.
Late-season blooms are worth their weight in nectar. While other plants are closing down, ‘Bluebird' is rolling out the welcome mat for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators. When floral resources become scarce, it provides an abundant food source while adding vibrant color.
Equally impressive is its versatility. 'Bluebird' performs beautifully in perennial borders, pollinator gardens, native plantings, meadow designs, and naturalized landscapes. Once established, it demonstrates excellent drought tolerance and thrives in average, well-drained soils with full sun to partial shade. Growing approximately 3 to 4 feet tall with an upright habit, it mixes with ornamental grasses and other fall-blooming natives, creating dynamic combinations that stay attractive long after summer has passed. Pair it with Golden Sunset™, and you've got a fall display that's hard to beat!
Why They Matter
Gardening has changed over the years and so has our expectations for the plants we grow. Today’s landscapes aren’t expected to be pretty but to work harder, too. Homeowners, landscapers, and designers are increasingly looking for plants that support biodiversity, tolerate changing weather conditions, require fewer inputs, and provide season-long interest. These two plants are proof that you really can have the best of both worlds.
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