Handpicked for You® plants are trusted favorites, regionally tested and certified to thrive so you can plant with confidence.
Handpicked for You® certification is awarded to plants that demonstrate superior performance during both regional grower trials along with feedback from local garden centers on how the plants performed in their unique geographic area. Handpicked for You® plants must meet or exceed expectations on the following performance criteria:
- Overall Performance
- Reliability for Garden Success
- Different and/or an Improvement over what is Currently Available
- Low Maintenance
- Foliage and Bloom Interest
- Heat and Cold Tolerance
- Disease Resistance
- Non-Invasiveness
- Retail Appeal
- Ease of Production
The goal of the core performance criteria is to ensure Handpicked for You® plants are evaluated not only on general plant quality but also on those factors that help to make a plant successful in your garden or yard.
In addition to these core criteria, a number of value-added factors are considered as well. While each plant might not meet all of these additional criteria, their performance on these factors are considered in the selection process. Value-added criteria include:
- Multi-Season Interest
- Multiple Uses in the Garden or Landscape
- Size Suitable for Small Yards
- Stress Tolerance
- Salt and/or Pollution Tolerance
- Adaptable to Several Soil Types
- Deer Resistance
- Low Water Usage
- Native Origins
- Additional Features (such as being a pollinator species or having edible fruit or berries)
