The Floras: Garden's Best Plants Honored with Academy Awards-Style Awards

Plants Deserve Their Own Oscars

Journalists have Pulitzers, musicians have Grammys, and actors have Oscars. But what about plants that deliver stellar performances year after year? In honor of Hollywood's award season, we present the Floras—our own awards for horticultural excellence, judged by Sunset staff, nursery experts, and landscape architects.

Best Costume Design: Calla Lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica)

With lustrous, curvaceous blooms up to 8 inches deep in sophisticated hues, callas combine cool elegance with voluptuous form. Yet they're tough as nails—Phoenix landscape architect Greg Trutza notes they thrive in desert heat with an eastern exposure. Growing 2–5 feet tall from rhizomes, they're hardy in zones 5, 6, 8, 9, 12–24, H1, H2.

Best Visual Effects: 'Tropicanna' Canna

This canna's massive leaves are a Technicolor explosion—tiger stripes of red, pink, yellow, and green on a purple backdrop. Hot orange summer flowers are almost an afterthought. Designer Scott Spencer recommends mass planting for maximum impact. Perennial in zones 6–9, 12–24, H1, H2; elsewhere, lift and store after frost.

Best Dramatic Performance: Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia)

This South American shrub commands attention with massive (15-inch), pendant, pastel trumpets that perfume a 50-foot radius. Large tropical leaves add to the drama. Grow in ground or large containers. Zones 12, 13, 16–24, H1, H2.

Best Soundtrack: Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Nature's wind chimes: the dainty leaves of this native Western tree (20–60 ft.) tremble in the slightest breeze, creating a soothing rustle. Plant in small groves within enclosed spaces to amplify the effect. Zones A1–A3, 1–7, 14–19.

Best Supporting Role: Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Sheen'

This evergreen shrub (15–25 ft. tall) provides a shimmering backdrop with small, silvery leaves that dance in the light. More open than the species, it adds movement without stealing the scene. Zones 9, 14–17, 19–24.

Best Art Direction: Bougainvillea

No plant says "Mediterranean West" like bougainvillea—tough, vivid, thorny, and heat-loving. It thrives on neglect, prefers alkaline soil, and blooms brilliantly in strong light. Hardy in zones 22–24, H1, H2; widely grown in containers in zones 5, 6, 12–17, 19–21.

Lifetime Achievement: Matilija Poppy (Romneya coulteri)

Called "the queen of all our flowers" by 1897 author Mary Elizabeth Parsons, this California native produces huge, crinkled white flowers with golden centers on 6–8 ft. stems. Plant on slopes or isolated borders—it spreads aggressively. Zones 4–12, 14–24, H1.