Pick your favorites: Shrub Madness 2017 begins

Celebrate the start of spring with Shrub Madness, the only bracket competition that pits shrub against shrub in a no-holds-barred battle for the title of National Champion. Now in its fourth year, Shrub Madness is based on the college basketball playoffs that happen every March, but with 64 Proven Winners ColorChoice flowering shrubs as competitors. Spanning March 1-31, shrubs will move through six rounds of competition at www.ShrubMadness.com, using popular vote to determine the winner of each shrub matchup. The user-friendly website allows consumers to fill out their bracket predictions online.

“Shrub Madness is a fun and unique way for us to welcome in spring with our fans and introduce them to newer and lesser known varieties,” said Stacey Hirvela, horticulture marketing specialist for the brand. “New varieties including Lime Rickey hydrangea, Purple Pillar rose of Sharon, and Zinfin Doll hydrangea, will be introduced to the general public through the competition. It’s always interesting to see the reactions and how they fare against well-known varieties with established fan bases.”

There are three ways in which the voting public will have the opportunity to score dozens of prizes. Every day, a voter will be drawn to win competing plants. At the end of the competition, five voters will be randomly selected to win a collection of the last four plants standing, known as the Floral Four. The bracket prediction closest to the tournament’s results will also win a grand prize pack:  the Floral Four and Plant Geek swag bag. To qualify for the grand prize, brackets must be submitted on www.ShrubMadness.com between February 17-28, before the start of the competition.

Related: Relive the 2015 Shrub Madness tournament with this podcast.

Last year, over 82,000 votes were cast over the course of the competition, and over 2,600 gardeners registered to win. The Floral Four included Let’s Dance Rave hydrangea, Bloomerang Dark Purple lilac, Let’s Dance Diva! hydrangea, and National Champion, At Last rose.