The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) has released its selection of Gold Medal Plants for 2026. Among them:
Chionanthus retusus ‘Tokyo Tower’ (Chinese fringe tree).
The great thing about this cultivar is that it’s smaller than the straight species, just 12-15′ tall and about 4-6′ wide. It has
fragrant, fluffy white flowers in spring, and in fall, they mature into blueberry-like fruit. Autumn also brings a vibrant yellow hue to the dark green foliage. Use it as a specimen or in borders. It’s particularly suitable for small gardens and it even does well in urban settings. USDA zones 5-9.
Daphniphyllum macropodum (False Daphne)
This deer-resistant broad-leaf evergreen has a rounded habit and can be grown as a shrub or small tree. It has shiny green leaves and dark pink-purple petioles, with small non-showy flowers that bloom in mid spring. It reaches 15-25 feet tall and wide and
tolerates both sun and shade. Use it in borders or as an informal hedge. It’s great as an understory shrub or tree. Zones 6-9.
Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’ (Eastern red cedar)
It’s sometimes hard to find low-maintenance evergreens, but this one certainly will not disappoint. It’s drought tolerant and resistant to deer, and this particular cultivar is a candidate for very small-space areas. It tall and narrow, with a height of about
15-25 feet and a width of only four feet. It’s hardy in zones 4-8. Suitable for those narrow spaces in the garden where very few plants will thrive.
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