GNPS Plant of the Year 2019 Nominations Open October 1

2018 Plant of the Year: American beautyberry, Callicarpa americana

Trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, herbaceous annuals and perennials—there are beautiful and ecologically important species in every category; yet, so many fly under the public radar. If you have a favorite native plant that you think everyone should know about, why not nominate it for GNPS Plant of the Year (POY) 2019? Besides beauty, some characteristics to consider are adaptability, seasonal interest, fragrance, wildlife support, and ease of propagation.

POY 2019 nominations will open at 7pm sharp on Monday, October 1, 2018, and continue until six (6) acceptable submissions have been received. Nominations generally close within the first 24 hours after opening, so don’t delay! (On the other hand, please don’t submit before nominations open. Premature submissions will not be accepted). Only current GNPS members can nominate, so check now to make sure your membership is up to date!

Submissions must include the common and Latin names for the species, as well a reason why it would make a great GNPS POY. A sentence will suffice, but feel free to elaborate as much as you’d like. We welcome information, especially regarding ecological significance or wildlife sustainability. Photos are encouraged, but not required. Feel free to re-submit a plant that you’ve nominated previously, just as long as it has never been selected as POY.

Send nominations to: PlantOfTheYear2019@gnps.org

Submissions will be confirmed upon receipt, so if you don’t get a reply in a few minutes, please try again immediately.

All acceptable nominees must be:

• Native to Georgia (you can type USDA after the plant name in a Google search to look up its native distribution);
• Underutilized in gardens and landscapes and/or vital to the GA ecology;
• Adaptable enough to grow in most gardens;
• NOT a previous GNPS Plant of the Year. Previous winners can be found on the on the table below, as well as on the GNPS website.

The GNPS membership will be notified by email when nominations close. POY 2019 online voting will commence on Tues, Oct 23 and end on Tues, Nov. 13.  Members will also be able to vote by paper ballot at our November 13 meeting.  Further information will be posted in October, closer to the voting date.