NEWS RELEASE
Media Contact: Diane Blazek
630-963-0770
Executive Director
National Garden Bureau
ngb.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Subject: National Garden Bureau Announces 2026 Green Thumb Award Winners: The Year’s Most Innovative Plants and Products
DOWNERS GROVE, IL, December 18, 2025 — National Garden Bureau (NGB) is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 Green Thumb Awards. This year’s recipients represent the absolute pinnacle of horticultural innovation, recognized for their unique features, great growth habits, exceptional resilience and groundbreaking aesthetics.
The Green Thumb Professional’s Choice Awards are judged by a panel of industry experts based on five criteria: innovation, garden performance, appeal, durability, and reliability. In addition, the Green Thumb People’s Choice Award winners are voted on by thousands of home gardeners to determine the People’s Choice winners.
“This year’s winners showcase a shift toward ‘purposeful gardening,’” says NGB President Alicain Carlson. “From a disease resistant basil to plants for celebrations, these plants aren’t just beautiful—they also solve problems for the modern gardener.”
The 2026 “Professional’s Choice” Green Thumb Award Winners Include:
- Annual: Dipladenia Sun Parasol FiredUp Coral from Suntory Flowers
- Edible: Basil Treviso from GardenGenetics and Seeds by Design
- Garden Product: WaterPlants from Unique Gardener
- Houseplant: Streptocarpus Lady Slippers Blue Vein from GreenFuse Botanicals
- Perennial: Crocosmia Dark Fire from Monrovia Nursery
- Shrub: Hydrangea Centennial Ruby™ from Monrovia Nursery
The 2026 “People’s Choice” Green Thumb Award Winners Include:
- Annual: Sunflower Sunfinity™ Yellow-Red Bicolor from Syngenta Flowers
- Edible: Tomato BadaBing! From A.P. Whaley Seeds
- Garden Product: Sunshine Black Bear Potting Mix from SunGro Horticulture
- Houseplant: Pothos Yellow Sunrise from Costa Nursery
- Perennial: Festuca Glow Sticks from Concept Plants
- Shrub: Azalea Encore Autumn Kiss from Plant Development Services Inc.
For more information about the National Garden Bureau and the Green Thumb Awards, please visit ngb.org.
National Garden Bureau is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 with a mission to disseminate basic instructions for home gardeners. NGB publishes and sponsors the annual “Year Of” program featuring ornamentals, edibles and more, including new introductions, which are especially suited to home gardens.