All right, garden writers, it's time to get your game on. On March 3, we're kicking off the first ever Shrub Madness Plant Playoffs, a basketball tournament-style bracket where 64 Proven Winners ColorChoice shrubs will fight for glory and the title of National Champion.
All the action will take place on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/PWColorChoice), with popular vote determining the winner of each match up. Throughout the tournament, plants will be given away, and we'll celebrate crowning the victor by awarding five fans Floral Four grand prizes - that's the last four plants standing, so you know they're going to be good. To be entered, all you need to do is vote.Garden Writers Bracket Contest
While all that voting is well and fine, you, dear garden writers, are Plant Geeks, and I want to see your picks, so I'm holding a side-competition just for you. In true basketball tradition, it's bracket based. Whoever has the closest bracket will win the Floral Four. These aren't small quart-sized liners, either. We're talking large and in charge, landscape-ready plants.To enter, fill out your bracket and send it to me by mail (12601 120th Ave. Grand Haven, MI 49417) or e-mail (shannon at springmeadownursery dot com) by February 28th.
How Does a Bracket Work?
Sixty-four plants were chosen by the Plant Selection Committee and separated into four groups. Within those groups, each plant was awarded a "seed" number, from one to sixteen. First seeds are popular, widely available varieties like Little Lime™ hydrangea and Lo & Behold® 'Blue Chip' butterfly bush. Sixteenth seeds, conversely, are lesser known varieties like 'Frozen Flame' hebe. The higher seed numbers are often considered the underdogs or Cinderellas of the tournament.In the first round, first seeds and 16th seeds compete, second and 15th, third and 14th, etc. To fill out your bracket, look at each match up, and decide which plant you like more/will get more votes. That plant moves to the next round. For example, will Sonic Bloom™ Pink weigela (1) or Happy Face® White bush cinquefoil (16) move on? Will Dream Catcher™ beauty bush (8) or Show Off® forsythia (9) win?
In the second round, the winners of the first round will compete against each other, following the lines on the bracket. If Sonic Bloom Pink weigela and Dream Catcher beauty bush were the winners in the first round, they would compete against each other in the second. Continue your picks, round by round, until it comes to the final match up, determining the National Champion.
{UPDATE} Fill out the entire bracket and submit it before February 28th. The bracket scoring will be point based. For every correct Round One pick, one point will be awarded; for every correct Round Two pick, two points will be awarded; and so on. Whichever garden writer has the most points at the end of the competition will win the Floral Four prize. I will announce the standings at the end of each round.
Good luck!
View the original Shrub Madness press release.
