2016 Award winners announced
June 2nd, 2016
We’re excited to announce this year’s Partner Awards, including public gardens, individuals and organizations! Awards were presented on June 1, 2016 at Denver Botanic Gardens.
Individual Awards: Awards were presented to two individuals who have made significant contributions to Plant Select® through their devoted participation and plant introductions. The two winners are David Salman, plant breeder and Chief Horticulturist for High Country Gardens, and Kelly Grummons, plant breeder and owner of ColdHardyCactus.com. Both men have been active with Plant Select® since its beginning nearly 20 years ago, offering their professional expertise to help grow the program. David’s new introductions through Plant Select® include Blonde Ambition blue grama grass, Gold on Blue prairie zinnia, Thin Man Indian grass (NEW for 2017!), Red Mountain® Flame ice plant and Wee One dwarf English lavender (NEW for 2017!). New plants from Kelly include Windwalker® Garnet penstemon, Windwalker® royal red salvia, Coral Baby penstemon and Dog Tuff® grass.
Kelly Grummons (right) presents the Individual Partner Award to David Salman (left)
David Salman (right) presents the Individual Partner Award to Kelly Grummons (left)
Organization Award: This award recognizes a company or organization which has made a significant contribution toward the mission and vision of Plant Select®. This year’s winner is Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery and the award was accepted by Rick Miller, who along with Dan Wise, is co-owner of the nursery. Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery began as a vegetable farm in 1932 and has grown to become one of the region’s largest supplier of a full line of landscape nursery stock. Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery is often the primary source of shrubs and trees for new plants in the Plant Select® program. Hot Wings® maple, a nationally-recognized form of Tatarian maple, was selected from stock growing in their fields.
Rick Miller, co-owner, accepts the Organizational Partner Award from Dr. Jim Klett
Golden Shovel Award: Plant Select® partners with 65 public gardens across the Rocky Mountain region to display plants that flourish in local communities, providing provide educational opportunities to homeowners and professionals alike. This award recognizes a Demonstration Garden partner exhibiting superior design, care, and use of Plant Select® plants while providing excellent educational opportunities to visitors. The 2016 recipient of the Golden Shovel Award is the Durango Botanical Society and the Durango Botanic Gardens. Founded in 2010 by a group of local gardening enthusiasts and professionals, the garden has grown to now include extensive gardens displaying prairie plants, xeric annuals, South African gems, plants from forest and alpine areas, “tough plants for tough places” and an area described as “survival of the fittest” where no additional water is applied.
Lynn Mitzlaff, Margaret Cozine and Hollis Hassenstein of Durango Botanic Gardens accept the Golden Shovel Award from
Panayoti Kelaidis
The Showcase Garden Award acknowledges the efforts and achievements of a public garden toward education and promotion of the mission and goals of Plant Select®. This year’s recipients are the City of Aurora Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, and Conservation Garden Park at Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District in West Jordan, Utah. These gardens join 16 previous winning gardens – learn more about them all here.
Zach Versluis accepts the Showcase Garden Award from Plant Select president, Gene Pielin for the City of Aurora Xeriscape Demonstration Garden
Amanda Strack and Mike Lorenc accept the Showcase Garden Award from Gene Pielin for Conservation Garden Park
