Shrub Madness Round One Recap

Round One of Shrub Madness has left the Proven Winners ColorChoice marketing department scratching our heads. We know our 200+ shrubs better than anyone, the varieties of which we have great photography, and how our die hard fans react to a blue flower, but there are outcomes no one saw coming. Every hydrangea won its match up. Every. Single. One. Soft Serve® false cypress dominated Fine Line® Rhamnus in a match that left our jaws brushing against the dusty nursery floor. Dream Catcher™ beauty bush, a plant that next to no one talks about, beat Show Off® forsythia by 13 points. Spring starts this Friday. How was forsythia not everyone's very favorite thing?

Yes, Shrub Madness has been a learning experience. I invite you to take a look at which plants advanced to round two, which began today. Are you surprised? Do you think your readers would vote the same way?

Round One Standings:
(6) Coppertina™ ninebark vs. (11) Ghost™ weigela: 151 to 104
(6) Oso Easy® Paprika rose vs. (11) Lil' Kim™ rose of Sharon: 201 to 64
(6) Black Beauty™ elderberry vs. (11) Crème Fraiche® deutzia: 184 to 65
(6) Big Lifeberry® goji berry vs. (11) Double Take™ 'Scarlet Storm' quince: 44 to 208
(3) Cityline® Mars hydrangea vs. (14) Summer Shandy™ hop: 216 to 29
(3) 'Sweet Summer Love' clematis vs. (14) Vanilla Spice® summersweet: 217 to 60
(3) Home Run® rose vs. (14) Castle Spire® blue holly: 178 to 76
(3) Fire Light® hydrangea vs. (14) Sugar Shack™ buttonbush: 197 to 69
(4) Summer Wine® ninebark vs. (13) Spice Girl™ viburnum: 193 to 105
(4) Pinky Winky® hydrangea vs. (13) Azurri Blue Satin® rose of Sharon: 160 to 139
(4) 'Miss Ruby' butterfly bush vs. (13) Berry Heavy® winterberry holly: 179 to 108
(4) Let's Dance® Rhapsody Blue hydrangea vs. (13) Oso Happy® Candy Oh! rose: 195 to 77
(8) Brandywine™ viburnum vs. (9) 'Amy Cotta' rhododendron: 150 to 91
(8) Dream Catcher™ beauty bush vs. (9) Show Off® Sugar Baby forsythia: 122 to 109
(8) Let's Dance® Diva! vs. (9) Chardonnay Pearls® deutzia: 185 to 67
(8) Sugar Tip® Rose of Sharon vs. (9) Tuff Stuff™ hydrangea: 93 to 156
(7) Lavender Chiffon™ rose of Sharon vs. (10) Glow Girl™ spirea: 192 to 59
(7) Fine Wine™ weigela vs. (10) Bloom-A-Thon® Red azalea: 153 to 104
(7) Double Play® Big Bang™ spirea vs. (10) Sunjoy® Gold Pillar barberry: 146 to 95
(7) Lo & Behold® 'Purple Haze' butterfly bush vs. (10) Petit Bleu™ bluebeard: 129 to 115
(2) Invincibelle® Spirit hydrangea vs. (15) Marie Rose™ New Jersey tea: 195 to 44
(2) Incrediball® hydrangea vs. (15) Pinky Bells™ abelia: 149 to 105
(2) Oso Easy® Mango Salsa rose vs. (15) Sky Pointer® Japanese holly: 186 to 62
(2) Bobo® hydrangea vs. (15) Handsome Devil™ viburnum: 209 to 48
(5) Little Henry® sweetspire vs. (12) Arctic Fire™ red twig dogwood: 168 to 99
(5) Spilled Wine® weigela vs. (12) Abracadabra® Star hydrangea: 95 to 145
(5) My Monet® weigea vs. (12) Red Wall® Virginia creeper: 211 to 32
(5) Fine Line® buckthorn vs. (12) Soft Serve® false cypress: 61 to 198
(1) Sonic Bloom™ Pink weigela vs. (16) Happy Face® White potentilla: 192 to 48
(1) Lo & Behold® 'Blue Chip' butterfly bush vs. (16) Good Vibrations® Gold juniper: 189 to 28
(1) Bloomerang® Purple lilac vs. (16) 'Frozen Flame' hebe: 82 to 35
(1) Little Lime® hydrangea vs. (16) Celtic Pride™ Siberian cypress: 116 to 14

(#) denotes bracket seed placement