2025 GreatPlants Recommendations for the Great Plains
The goal of the GreatPlants for the Great Plains program is to assist gardeners in their quest to discover new or overlooked plants that deserve to be planted more. The 2025 GreatPlants of the Year were voted on by members of the Nebraska Nursery & Landscape Association (NNLA)—represented by nursery professionals, landscape designers and horticulture educators. Make plans to include this year’s winners in your landscape design; they deserve to be in every garden.
Tree of the Year: Yellow Buckeye (Aesculus flava) – The yellow buckeye is a tough but attractive shade tree suitable for the yard or landscape. Maturing at 50-60 feet, with a spread of 35 feet, and native to the Ohio Valley and Appalachian Mountains, this is the largest of the buckeyes. It is one of the first trees to leaf out in spring, with lush, dark green foliage, composed of five-fingered leaflets that give it a tropical look. By mid-spring, the yellow buckeye is adorned with upright, six-inch spikes of yellow-green flowers that attract bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. In autumn, the tree features colors ranging from butter yellow to pumpkin-orange, as well as smooth, leathery fruit capsules, each with between one and three shiny brown nuts inside (buckeyes). Yellow buckeye prefers fertile, well-drained soils but overall is a very adaptable, easy tree to grow. The nuts, which squirrels love, can be a bit messy in the landscape, so it’s best to mulch beneath the tree out to the canopy dripline, ensuring that the buckeye fruit falls on the mulch and not the lawn.
Perennial of the Year: Salvia ‘Rose Marvel’ (Salvia nemorosa 'Rose Marvel') – This hardy, easy-to-grow salvia features rose-pink flower spikes in late spring and into the heat of summer. ‘Marvel Rose’ has the largest flowers of the meadow sage (Salvia nemorosa) group, nicely clustered around burgundy stems. It blooms over a long period of time—even reblooming without having to be cut back. The flowers attract myriad pollinating insects, and the gray-green aromatic foliage is deer- and rabbit-proof. Growing to a height and width of 14 inches, it has an attractive mounded habit after emerging in the spring, with more of an upright habit once the flower spires appear. It thrives in hot, full sun and is very drought-tolerant once established.
Shrub of the Year: 'Iceberg Alley' Sageleaf Willow (Salix candida 'Iceberg Alley') – This northern native willow was discovered by the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador Botanical Garden. Maturing at four to five feet high and wide, this relatively small, elegant shrub prefers six hours of direct sunlight daily. Iceberg Alley Sageleaf Willow works particularly well in tough areas in the landscape, woven into a shrub border or as a backdrop to perennial flowers. In early spring before the leaves emerge, it produces silvery catkin flowers with reddish stamens and yellow anthers along the ends of its branches. The flowers are an excellent, early season nectar and pollen source for emerging bees. It has attractive gray-green foliage with white undersides and tinges of silver. The soft, fuzzy, pointy leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any significant fall color, while the smooth bark and white branches remain attractive all through the winter.
Grass of the Year: ‘Prairie Blues’ Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Prairie Blues’) – Little bluestem was designated as the official state grass of Nebraska in 1969, and since then, several selections have been made to improve its productivity as an important pasture grass for the cattle industry. Today, there are many exciting new selections of little bluestem for landscape use. Because it’s easy to grow in hot, sunny locations and has outstanding drought and heat tolerance, little bluestem has become a popular choice for prairie-style landscapes in Nebraska and throughout the Great Plains. ‘Prairie Blues’ is a seed selection little bluestem from a western origin, with intense powder blue foliage and a sturdy, upright habit. Blue linear leaves form an attractive fine-textured clump by late spring. In late summer upright, purple-tinted stems emerge from the basal growth and later transform into small clusters of fluffy seed heads.
Cumulative List of GreatPlants 1998-2025
Tree of the Year
Baldcypress, Taxodium distichum
Birch, sweet, Betula lenta
Buckeye, Ohio, Aesculus glabra
Buckeye, yellow, Aesculus flava
Catalpa, northern, Catalpa speciosa
Coffeetree, Kentucky, Gymnocladus dioicus
Dogwood, Corneliancherry, Cornus mas
Dogwood, pagoda, Cornus alternifolia
Elm, American, Ulmus americana ‘Princeton’
Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba
Hackberry, Celtis occidentalis
Hickory, shagbark, Carya ovata
Hophornbeam, American, Ostrya virginiana
Hornbeam, American, Carpinus caroliniana
Maple, shantung, Acer truncatum
Oak, black, Quercus velutina
Oak, bur, Quercus macrocarpa,
Oak, chinkapin, Quercus muehlenbergii
Oak, Hill’s, Quercus ellipsoidalis
Oak, Shingle, Quercus imbricaria
Oak, Shumard, Quercus shumardii
Oak, swamp white, Quercus bicolor
Serviceberry, apple, Amelanchier xgrandiflora
Serviceberry, shadblow, Amelanchier canadensis
Sycamore, American, Platanus occidentalis
Tuliptree, Liriodendron tulipifera
Yellowwood, American, Cladrastis kentukea
Evergreen of the Year
Douglasfir, Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca
Fir, Canaan, Abies balsamea var. phanerolepis
Fir, concolor, Abies concolor
Fir, Korean, Abies koreana
Pine, border, Pinus strobiformis
Pine, Domingo, Pinus strobus x ayacahuite ‘Domingo’
Pine, eastern white, Pinus strobus
Pine, Japanese white, Pinus parviflora
Pine, Korean, Pinus koraiensis
Pine, lacebark, Pinus bungeana
Pine, pinyon, Pinus edulus
Pine, Ponderosa, Pinus ponderosa
Pine, red, Pinus resinosa
Pine, Swiss stone, Pinus cembra
Spruce, Black Hills, Picea glauca var. densata
Spruce, Norway, Picea abies
Spruce, Serbian, Picea omorika
Spruce, white, Picea glauca
Shrub of the Year
Buckeye, bottlebrush, Aesculus parvifolia
Buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis
Chokeberry, black, Aronia melanocarpa
Coralberry, Chenault, Symphoricarpos xchenaultii
Currant, clove, Ribes odoratum
Elderberry, American, Sambucus Americana
Hazelnut, American, Corylus Americana
Hydrangea, oakleaf, Hydrangea quercifolia
Mahonia, creeping, Mahonia repens
Mockorange, Wild or Lewis, Philadelphus lewisii 'Blizzard'
New Jersey tea, Ceanothus americanus
Purple beautyberry, Callicarpa dichomata
Rose, redleaf, Rosa glauca (R. rubrifolia)
Sageleaf willow, 'Iceberg Alley,' Salix candida
Sandcherry, ‘Pawnee Buttes’ western, Prunus besseyi
Serviceberry, Regent, Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Regent’
Seven-son flower, Heptacodium miconioides
Snowberry, Symphoricarpos albus
Spirea, Korean, Spiraea fritschiana
Spirea, 'Tor' Birchleaf, Spirea betulifolia
St. Johnswort, Kalm, Hypericum kalmianum
Viburnum, ‘Redwing’ American cranberrybush, Viburnum trilobum
Viburnum, blackhaw, Viburnum prunifolium
Viburnum, Viburnum sargentii ‘Chiquita’
Viburnum, Deam’s arrowwwood, Viburnum dentatum var deamii
Viburnum, Koreanspice, Viburnum carlesii
Wahoo, eastern, Euonymus atropurpurea
Witchhazel, Hamamelis vernalis
Perennial of the Year
Anemone, snowdrop, Anemone sylvestris
Aster, aromatic, Aster oblongifolius
Black-eyed Susan, showy, Rudbeckia fulgida var. speciosa
Blazing star, meadow, Liatris ligulistylis,
Coneflower, Echinacea species
Cranesbill, Geranium sanguineum
Dwarf blue indigo, Baptisia minor
Goldenrod, Fireworks, Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’
Hyssop, 'Blue Fortune,' Agastache
Ironweed, 'Iron Butterfly,' Vernonia lettermanii
Joe-Pye plant, Gateway, Eupatorium maculatum ‘Gateway’
Bluestar, narrowleaf, Amsonia hubrichtii
Prairie smoke Geum triflorum
Leadplant, Amorpha canescens
Lupine, Carolina, Thermopsis villosa
Milkweed, butterfly, Asclepias tuberosa
Milkweed, swamp, Asclepias incarnata
Pasque flower, Pulsatilla species
Penstemon species
Phlox, woodland, Phlox divaricata
Poppy mallow, purple, Callirhoe involucrata
Primrose, Fremont’s, Oenothera macrocarpa var fremontii
Queen of the Prairie, Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’
Salvia 'Rose Marvel,' Salvia nemorosa
Solomon’s seal, variegated, Polygonatum multiflorum ‘Variegatum’
Turtlehead, Chelone lyonii
Virginia Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum virginianum
Grass of the Year
Bluestem, big, Andropogon gerardii
Bluestem, big, Andropogon gerardii 'Blackhawks'
Bluestem, little, Schizachyrium scoparium
Bluestem, little, 'Prairie Blues,' Schizachyrium scoparium 'Prairie Blues'
Bluestem, little, Schizachyrium scoparium ‘MinnBlue’
Dropseed, prairie, Sporobolus heterolepis
Giant sakaton, Sporobolus wrightii
Grama, blue, Bouteloua gracilis
Grama, sideoats, Bouteloua curtipendula
Indiangrass, Sorghastrum nutans
Lovegrass, sand, Eragrostis trichodes
Miscanthus, Autumn Red, Miscanthus sinensis v. purpurascens ‘Autumn Red’
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’
Reedgrass, Korean feather, Calamagrostis brachytricha
Ruby Crystals grass, Melinus nerviglumis
Sedge, Blue Zinger, Carex flacca
Sedge, bristleleaf, Carex eburnea
Sedge, Gray’s, Carex grayi
Sedge, palm, Carex muskingumensis
Sedge, Pennsylvania, Carex pennsylvanica
Sedge, rosy, Carex rosea
Switchgrass, ‘Dallas Blues’, Panicum virgatum ‘Dallas Blues’
Switchgrass, Northwind, Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’
Switchgrass, Shenandoah, Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’
GreatPlants® Releases and Introductions
(plants below are Releases unless specified as Introductions after the year)
Allium senescens ‘Mongolian Gem’
Aspen, Prairie Gold quaking, Populus tremuloides ‘Prairie Gold’
Aster fendleri ‘My Antonia’
Big bluestem, Andropogon ‘Silver Sunrise’™
Clematis fremontii
Clematis fruticosa ‘Mongolian Gold’
Clematis tenuiloba ‘Pixie Parasols’
Dianthus ‘Prairie Pink’
Dianthus ‘Wink’
Dwarf spiderwort, Tradescantia tharpii
Eupatorium ‘Prairie Jewel’
Evening primrose, Oenothera macrocarpa 'Comanche Campfire'
Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Pink Clouds’
Iris spuria ‘Fontenelle’
Juniper, Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor
Lemon Lace vine, Fallopia ‘Lemon Lace’
Liatris microcephala ‘White Sprite’
Liatris pycnostachya ‘Eureka’
Monarda ‘Prairie Gypsy’
Mongolian Silver Spires littleleaf peashrub, Caragana microphylla
Oak, dwarf chinkapin, Quercus prinoides
Penstemon grandiflorus ‘Prairie Snow’
Penstemon grandiflorus ‘War Axe’
Penstemon x ‘Prairie Splendor’
Poppy mallow, Callirhoe alcaeoides 'Logan Calhoun'
Prairie clover, purple, Dalea purpurea 'Stephanie'
Prairie Lode sundrops, Calylophus serrulatus ‘Prairie Lode’
Scabiosa superba ‘Mongolian Mist’
Sedum tatarowinii ‘Mongolian Stars’
Skullcap, Scutellaria resinosa
Skullcap, Scutellaria scoridifolia 'Mongolian Skies'
Solidago ‘Wichita Mountains’
Viburnum ‘Copper Ridges’
Viburnum ‘Prairie Classic’
