The Cary Award is a program to promote outstanding plants for New England gardens. Named in honor of Shrewsbury plantsman Ed Cary, it highlights home landscape plants that have proven their performance in New England.

Any person may nominate a plant they think is worthy of receiving this award. The award is given to the plant, not the person nominating it. Plants bearing this symbol have been selected annually since 1997 by a committee of horticulturists from across New England.

The Cary Award Program is a collaborative effort of the Worcester County Horticultural Society, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the New England Nursery Association, the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association, and numerous other organizations across New England.

Purpose of the program

• To inform home gardeners which plants would be good choices in their landscape  
• To instill confidence in the home gardeners' plant selection  
• To increase the diversity of plant material utilized by gardeners, landscape designers and architects
  

Winners for the Year 2011
	Picea orientalis Oriental Spruce An elegant and underused spruce which has many fine qualities that make it ideal for the modern landscape. Hailing from Caucasia and Turkey, this tree is hardy to zone 4, unattractive to deer and other pests, and grows at a moderate rate to 50 or 60’ tall. Its width can be as much as 20 feet, but selections and cultivars offer moderate size and vibrant color. One of the most remarkable conifers in the winter season is Picea orientalis ‘Skylands’, a slow-growing, yellow-needled form named after the famed New Jersey Botanical Garden known as “Skylands.” The yellow needles glow year round but truly stand out in the winter months. Severe, wind-whipped winters can cause the upper surface of the needles that are exposed to full sun to burn a bit in the late winter, so site it out of the winter winds. The cultivar ‘Gowdy’ develops a particularly narrow form and can be seen in the Secret Garden at Tower Hill. Look also for other dwarf cultivars such as ‘Shadow’s Broom’, ‘Nana’, ‘Weeping Dwarf’ (Pendula), and ‘Tom Thumb’.		Rhododendron ‘Weston’s Sparkler’ Rhododendron ‘Weston’s Sparkler’ A fine example of the type of plant suitable for the Cary Award. In addition to being a beautiful plant, it is durable, hardy to zone 4, and pest and disease resistant. Its rich pink flowers, with elegantly ruffled petals, open in early July and perfume the air with a spicy fragrance.   The deciduous leaves have blue green cast in summer and take on lovely burgundy hues in the fall before dropping. When grown in full sun or partial shade ‘Weston’s Sparkler’ has the potential to reach 12’ tall. This cultivar, which was selected by the late Ed Mezitt of Weston Nurseries, was named a Proven Performer by the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society.

Previous Winners:

2010 Panicle Hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata and cultivars
2009 Green Gem Boxwood/Green Mountain Boxwood Buxus 'Green Gem', Tupelo Nyssa sylvatica
2008 Fragrant Sumac Rhus aromatica ‘Gro Low’, Golden Hinoki Falsecypress Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Crippsii’, Three Flowered Maple Acer triflorum
2007 Fringe Tree, Rhododendron "Olga Mezitt", Little King River Birch
2006 Weeping Katsuratree, Japanese Umbrella Pine
2005 Korean Fir, Miss Kim Lilac, Low Bush Blueberry
2004 Magnolia 'Elizabeth', Three-toothed Cinquefoil, White Pine 'Soft Touch"
2003 Paperbark Maple, Little Leaf Laurels
2002 'Ken Janek' Rhododendron, Korean Dogwood, Seven Son Flower
2001 Green Sheen Pachysandra, Chinese Witchazel Pallida, Donald Wyman Crabapple
2000 Hybrid Andromeda, Japanese Tree Lilac, Summersweet Clethra
1999 Bearberry, Cornelian cherry dogwood, Holly, 'Blue Princess' & 'Blue Prince'
1998 Climbing hydrangea, Winterberry holly 'Red Sprite', Magnolia 'Leonard Messel', Siberian carpet cypress, Pinkshell azalea
1997 Alaska cedar 'Pendula', Redvein enkianthus, Large fothergilla, Magnolia 'Centennial', Japanese stewarti

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