Plants of Merit Plant List
The following is a list of plants that have been selected as Plants of Merit since program inception in 1998. Some of these plants have been moved to an "emeritus" list having been in the program for a number of seasons. But all of the plants are considered Plants of Merit no matter if they are in the list of the current year or in the emeritus list.
Criteria for selecting plants for the Plants of Merit were established by experienced horticulturists from industry, professional plant societies and botanical gardens. The following are those criteria.
- Grows consistently well in Missouri, central and southern Illinois, and the Kansas City Metro area
- Easy to grow and maintain
- Not known to be invasive in our area
- Resistant or tolerant to diseases and insects
- Has outstanding ornamental value
- Reasonably available to purchase
The Plants of Merit Program serves to promote plants that are proven to be well-adapted to the Lower Midwest for the purpose of increasing plant diversity in the home landscape.
Select a plant type:
