Best of the Penn State Annuals: Annual Standouts for 2025

Each year, the Penn State Flower Trials showcase some of the most promising annuals from leading breeders around the world. These trials provide a rigorous real-world assessment of vigor, color, and landscape durability. The 2025 results highlighted an impressive array of high performers, but ten exceptional selections distinguished themselves for their ability to thrive in Pennsylvania's diverse summer conditions. From reliable shade color to heat-tolerant bloomers and striking textural grasses, these top choices offer outstanding value for both gardeners and landscape professionals.

1. Ageratum 'Monarch Magic' —Pollinator Magnet

Breeder: Ball FloraPlant

Ageratum 'Monarch Magic' produced consistent lavender-blue blooms atop compact, uniform mounds that remained attractive even in high heat and full sun. Its remarkable appeal to pollinators—especially monarch butterflies—made it a standout in trial beds and mixed planters. With continuous flowering and excellent adaptability, 'Monarch Magic' excelled as a season-long performer.

2. SunPatiens — Unmatched Heat and Sun Performance

Breeder: Sakata Seed America

Across both the Compact and Vigorous series, SunPatiens demonstrated why they are leaders in full-sun and part-shade landscapes. Varieties such as 'Compact Lavender', 'Pink Flash', 'Royal Magenta', 'Vigorous Pretty Pink', and 'Purple' retained their color and form throughout heat, humidity, and varying summer rainfall. Their low-maintenance needs and broad adaptability solidified their role as reliable landscape workhorses.

3. Beacon Impatiens — Disease-Resistant Shade Color

Breeder: PanAmerican Seed

Beacon Impatiens continued to redefine what shade gardens can achieve. With strong resistance to impatiens downy mildew, they thrived where traditional impatiens struggled. This series maintained vibrant color, uniform mounding habits, and excellent flower coverage throughout both calm wet stretches and mid-summer heat.

4. Coleus

Coleus continued to impress in the 2025 trials, with notable entries from both Dümmen Orange and Kientzler North America. Dümmen's Down Town 'Royalty' and Main Street™ 'Lombard Street' featured vibrant foliage colors, strong branching, and reliable performance in both sunny and shaded areas. Kientzler's TerraScape selections — including 'All That Lava', 'Midnight Majesty', and 'Solar Fire' — showcased bright, sun-tolerant leaves and sturdy, upright growth that maintained their color even in heat and humidity. Together, these coleus cultivars provided exceptional texture and color throughout the season, making them excellent choices for containers, borders, and mass plantings.

5. Petunia Supertunia Vista 'Cool Jazz™' — Vigorous, Vibrant Blooms

Breeder: Proven Winners

Supertunia Vista 'Cool Jazz' stood out for its soft lavender-blue flowers, vigorous branching, and continuous bloom. A favorite for containers, baskets, and landscape beds, this cultivar maintains outstanding uniformity and richness of color even after storms or prolonged exposure to the sun.

6. Begonia Surefire 'Red' — Dependable Shade-to-Sun Performer

Breeder: Proven Winners

Begonia 'Surefire Red' offered glossy foliage and prolific red blooms from planting until frost. Highly adaptable to both shade and partial sun, this selection retained its structure and color even with inconsistent watering and humid conditions. Its versatility and low-maintenance nature made it ideal for both containers and large landscape displays.

7. Lantana Gem Compact 'Yellow Topaz' — Heat-Loving Pollinator Favorite

Breeder: Danziger Flower Farm

This compact lantana flourished during high summer heat, producing bright yellow clusters that attracted butterflies and bees. With its controlled habit and heavy flowering, 'Yellow Topaz' is perfect for pollinator gardens, drought-prone landscapes, and high-visibility plantings that require continuous color.

8. Scaevola Fanatix™ 'Dark Blue' — Cascading Summer Color

Breeder: Syngenta Flowers

Scaevola' Fanatix Dark Blue' performed beautifully in containers and baskets, showcasing rich blue fan-shaped blooms that trailed elegantly. Its ability to withstand heat, drought, and wind sets it apart as a reliable summer performer, even in challenging conditions.

9. Petunia 'Bee's Knees' — Exceptional Color and Garden Performance

Breeder: Ball FloraPlant

Petunia 'Bee's Knees' impressed with intensely saturated yellow blooms that retained their color without fading under sun or stress. Its dense, mounding habit and self-cleaning flowers ensured continuous performance. As one of the strongest yellow petunias on the market, 'Bee's Knees' offered exceptional brightness and reliability throughout the entire growing season.

10. Ornamental Grasses — Texture, Motion, and Multi-Season Appeal

Breeder: Benary (Eragrostis & Melinis) | Must Have Perennials (Pennisetum 'Inky')

Ornamental grasses provided essential structure and movement to the trial displays. Eragrostis 'Lovey' and 'Snuggy' offered soft, airy textures and shimmering seedheads, while Melinis nerviglumis ‘Savannah' delivered rosy plumes that glowed in late summer light. The more compact Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Inky' contributed dark, bottlebrush-style blooms and rich foliage, pairing beautifully with bold annuals—making it ideal for smaller landscapes and modern plantings.

For the complete list of annuals, visit the Penn State Flower Trials website and the Best of 2025 list.