Oct 3, 2008

American Garden Award Recognizes Popular FlowersSource: American Garden Award

No more guessing games. A new honor – The American Garden Award – aims to recognize the most popular flowers as voted by American consumers.

Competing flowers will be grown at prestigious gardens and visitors, patrons and gardeners will be able to pick their favorites using mobile marketing. Garden visitors can send a text message or dial an 800 number to cast their vote. Garden centers will be equipped with signage to coach people through the voting process.

The venture, which aims to benefit gardeners and plant producers alike, as well as give direction to plant breeders, marks the first time people will be able to use mobile marketing to vote for their favorite flower.

The competition will launch in the summer of 2009, with winners announced in the fall.

To pique interest, a website, www.americangardenaward.org, will be launched in April 2009 with a live count of the voting.

The following prestigious gardens, botanical leaders in their communities, are participating in the American Garden Award competition:

• Birmingham Botanical Gardens
• Boerner Botanical Gardens
• Cantigny Gardens
• Chicago Botanic Garden
• Chicago Park District
• Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden
• Denver Botanic Gardens
• Massachusetts Horticultural Society
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• Nebraska State Fair Park & Arboretum
• Oklahoma State U-Oklahoma City
• Park Seed Co., Inc.
• Pier 39, Inc.
• Rotary Botanical Gardens
• San Francisco Botanical Garden

For more information, e-mail aas.ngb@attglobal.net.