UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State Master Gardeners have chosen 'Tidal Wave Cherry' as the Pennsylvania Gardener Selects Plant of the Year for 2002. This petunia was selected from among the 22 flowering annuals in the evaluation program as the best-performing plant in the 44 Gardener Selects gardens across Pennsylvania.

"The Master Gardener evaluators found this plant truly outstanding in both 2001, when it shared the plant of the year award with Angelonia 'Angel Mist Purple Stripe,' and this year when it stood out as the single most highly rated plant," says Robert Berghage, associate professor of horticulture. The plant of the year in 2000 was the petunia 'Misty Lilac Wave.'

Pennsylvania Gardener Selects is an educational and plant promotion program of the Horticulture Trial Gardens in the College of Agricultural Sciences. It is sponsored by the Master Gardener program, the Pennsylvania Floral Industry Association, the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture marketing program.

Gardener Select plants for 2002 are listed below. "Each of these plants grew and flowered well in the evaluation gardens and is an excellent choice for home gardens and commercial plantings across the commonwealth," says Berghage.

Annuals: Argyranthemum 'Butterfly,' French Marigold 'Bonanza Bolero' Ornamental Pepper 'Super Chili,' Petunia 'Purple Wave,' Petunia 'Pink Wave,' Petunia 'Kahuna Violet,' Rudbeckia 'Indian Summer,' farinacea Signum Verbena 'Aztec Dark Lavender,' Verbena 'Tapien Blue Violet' and Zinnia 'Profusion Orange.'

Perennials: Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus,' Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Russian sage' and Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm.'

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EDITORS: Contact Robert Berghage at 814-863-2190 or rdb4@psu.edu.

Contact:

Jeff Mulhollem jjm29@psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax