State plant programs from universities and gardens
Many states run trials and name plants that do well locally. Here are the programs we know of, who runs them, and whether they are still active, with links to the official pages. For Texas, see plants for Texas.
| State or region | Program | Run by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Texas Superstar® and Earth-Kind® (low-care roses) | Texas A&M AgriLife | Active. Summarized on this site. |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Super Plants | LSU AgCenter | Active. About 60 selections since 2010, chosen after multi-year LSU AgCenter trials; an index by year. |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Medallion | Mississippi Nursery & Landscape Association with Mississippi State University Extension | Active since 1996. A few plants named each year. |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Proven | Oklahoma State University Extension | Active since 1999. Yearly selections with A–Z profiles in fact sheet E-1052. |
| Georgia | Georgia Gold Medal Plants | Georgia Gold Medal Plant Committee with the University of Georgia | Ended in 2017. About five plants a year were named from 1994 to 2016; historical lists survive on garden-writer sites. |
| Florida | Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Plant Guide | UF/IFAS Extension | Active. A searchable guide of about 500 plants, plus invasive species with alternatives. |
| Colorado and the High Plains | Plant Select® | Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University and regional growers (nonprofit) | Active. Plants chosen for the High Plains and Intermountain West, sold through participating growers. |
| Kansas | Prairie Star Flowers | K-State Research and Extension | Active. Annual flower cultivars scored in K-State trials (publication MF2769). K-State notes it is not a commercial brand. |
| Nebraska | GreatPlants | Nebraska Statewide Arboretum | Active. A few plants named each year. |
| Missouri | Plants of Merit | Missouri Botanical Garden with University of Missouri Extension | Active. Yearly lists. |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Select | University of Arkansas Extension | Ended around 2005. Archive publications only. |
Program details as of Oct 17, 2026. Program names are trademarks or names of their owners and are used only to identify each program. YardThisWeek is not affiliated with any program listed. Corrections welcome.
Not affiliated. Texas Superstar® is a registered trademark of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. Earth-Kind® is a registered trademark of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. YardThisWeek is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas A&M University or any program listed here. Program names are used only to say which plants each program selected. Plant lists are names only; see each program's official site for descriptions, photos and growing details.
Never miss a frost: get The Dial
Weekly yard timing, plus frost and soil-temperature alerts for your ZIP code.
Free. One weekly email plus alerts when your ZIP has a frost or a soil-temperature change worth acting on. After you submit, Kit (our email provider) sends a confirmation email: check your email and click the link to confirm. You aren't subscribed until you do. We collect only your email address and ZIP, sent to Kit to deliver The Dial. Unsubscribe anytime.