PHS 2007 Gold Medal Awards (GardenDesignOnline)

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This plant is cause for celebration ... a dogwood that's said to have superb resistance to the dreaded anthracnose and powdery mildew. And, it's also cold-hardy, zones 4-8. Cornus 'Venus' is one of three gold medal award winners for 2007 from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Reaching 25 feet in height and width, this hybrid is noted for its exceptionally large, (six-inch) pure white floral bracts that cover the tree from top to bottom in early spring.

Venus is the creation of noted plant hybridizer Dr. Elwin Orton, a research professor at Rutgers University who's been working on hollies and dogwoods for the past 40 years. This hybrid was obtained by crossing the kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) with the Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii), which is native to the Pacific Northwest and the Western United States.

Dogwoods, of course, are perfect as single specimens in almost any garden, and designers should be on the lookout for this one. It's available now from Broken Arrow Nursery in Hamden, CT, Colibraro Landscape & Nursery Inc in Horsham, PA and Moon Nurseries in Chesapeake City, MD.

(photo: courtesy PHS)

Winner number two has won my heart already ... I'm a sucker for plants with chartreuse foliage because there are so many other plants a designer can use to play off against the yellow hue. This is staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger'), complete with purple-pink stems and filagreed leaves.

It starts out chartreuse in spring, turns vibrant yellow in summer, then fades? to brilliant scarlet-orange in autumn. This plant is compact for a staghorn sumac (6' x 6') and it's said to be non-invasive. It's tolerant of drought, pollution, and poor soils, and takes full or part sun. Zones 4-8. This looks like a must-have as a specimen, in a container, or massed in the shrub border. Available from Broken Arrow, Colibraro & Moon, mentioned above, or Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, MN, Hickory Grove Nursery in Maribel, WI, Klehm's Song Sparrow in Avalon, WI, Meadowbrook Farm in Meadowbrook, PA, Willoway Nurseries in Avon, OH and Sheridan Nurseries in Georgetown, ON, Canada.

And finally, a crape myrtle that's won a gold medal award... Lagerstroemia indica 'Whit III' or Pink Velour Crape Myrtle. You have to admit that the color is vibrant. But I think I'd have to see this crape myrtle in person before I decide whether I'd want it in my garden... it might be a little too hot pink for some. However, it's only 10' high by 6' wide, so it would definitely work well in small gardens, and it's cold hardier than some of its cousins (zones 6-9) and resistant to powdery mildew as well.