The Fleuroselect Gold Medal is one of the most prestigious – and technically rigorous – awards in the European ornamental plant industry. Often dubbed the 'European All-Star' for new flowers, a Gold Medal signals that a variety represents a breakthrough in breeding, combining innovation and proven performance, and creating exceptional beauty. Unlike awards based on a quick wow-factor, the Gold Medal demands data-backed excellence: each contender is trialed across 10-15 independent test locations in Europe, observed over a full growing season, and benchmarked against the best existing varieties.
Here's a full explanation on the Fleuroselect Gold Medals, and how to become a future winner...
A Season-Long, Pan-European Trial
Earning a Gold Medal is no easy feat. Fleuroselect’s trials span multiple climate zones, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. Entries are sown or planted at 10 to 15 private trial grounds — depending on the sort of trial, the number of trial grounds is different — across Europe under standard production conditions.
Expert and independent judges – including seasoned breeders, growers, and young plant producers – evaluate each entry side-by-side against leading market varieties. Crucially, these trials run for an entire season, so judges see how each plant performs from initial growth and bloom timing to peak summer display and eventual fade. This long-term approach means a variety must shine consistently over time, not just flash and fizzle.
At each site, judges score the newcomers on a strict set of criteria (read more about this below) encompassing everything from sheer flower power to robustness. They note whether a candidate brings a true innovation – e.g., a never-before-seen color or form – and whether it has practical improvements like better branching or faster crop times. The trials deliberately include 'comparators', existing popular varieties grown nearby, so that the bar for winning is literally the best in the market. By season’s end, the organization compiles the scores from all judges. Only those varieties that 'clearly surpass existing varieties in terms of breeding innovation and beauty' rise to the top.
In many years, just a handful of Gold Medals are awarded (only 2 to 6 per year), underscoring that this honor is reserved for the cream of the crop. A great example is the recent Gazania rigens Zany Sunny-Side Up. This trailing Gazania was grown and scored in trial gardens from the Netherlands to Poland. It impressed judges everywhere with an extraordinary color combination of golden-orange petals with light yellow tips, numerous large blooms that kept opening even on cloudy days, and an early, compact habit that outperformed the comparisons. It earned high marks across all trial sites – a surefire sign of a Gold Medal-worthy innovation.
Gold Medal Judging Criteria (What the Judges Demand)
Fleuroselect’s expert judges score entries on several key performance indicators:
- Flowering Performance: Abundance, timing, and duration of blooms. Does it flower earlier or longer than others? Does it keep a continuous display of color?
- Plant Habit & Vigor: The growth form and robustness. Is it well-branched, compact, or taller as needed, and generally uniform and sturdy? Does it eliminate the need for growth regulators or special treatments?
- Visual Appeal: Overall beauty and novelty to the eye. Are the colors or patterns unique and striking, drawing immediate attention? Is the foliage attractive? Essentially, is the “wow” factor combined with elegance?
- Durability & Garden Performance: How it stands up to real-world conditions. Can it handle rain, heat, or cold snaps? Does it bloom through cloudy weather? Is it disease-resistant or weather-tolerant, providing long-lasting beauty in the landscape?
- Grower & Retail Efficiency: Production and market advantages. High germination and uniform seedling growth? Short crop time or fewer inputs required? Shelf life and transportability for retail?
These criteria ensure each Gold Medalist isn’t just gorgeous, but also a reliable performer from greenhouse to garden. In other words, does it make life easier for producers and sellers while still dazzling consumers?
FleuroSelect Gold Medal vs. FleuroStar Award: Proven Performance vs. Instant Impact
It’s important to note the difference between a Fleuroselect Gold Medal and the organization’s other well-known award, the FleuroStar Award. Both are run by Fleuroselect, but they celebrate different moments of a plant’s success. The FleuroStar Award is about retail impact – one moment, one plant, one visual punch – usually judged during a single event when a plant is in its peak display. In contrast, Gold Medals are decided after a full season of trials across Europe, focusing on horticultural performance and innovation over time. You could say that the FleuroStar Award is the red carpet award, while the Fleuroselect Gold Medal is about breakthroughs in breeding and grower/garden performance.
Both awards are highly valuable in their own right, and in fact some varieties have managed to earn both over time. But if you see that Gold Medal label, you know that plant has undergone the horticultural equivalent of extended tests and checks across an entire season and emerged on top.
Past Gold Medal Winners: Breeding Breakthroughs That Made History
Over the decades, dozens of now-famous ornamentals got their start with a Gold Medal boost. These winners come from big and small breeders across Europe – from legacy firms like Selecta One and Syngenta to smaller houses like Van Hemert & Co., all united by a drive to push the boundaries of what’s possible in ornamental breeding. Here we highlight a few past Gold Medal champions and the innovations that set them apart.
Salvia splendens Estella Coral (2026) by Van Hemert & Co.
One of the current gardening trends is the shift towards less formality, aiming for a more naturalistic look with a milder color palette. The latest Salvia splendens Estella Coral from Van Hemert & Co fully fits within this movement and is a breeding breakthrough in many ways. This plant innovation shows a completely new habit compared to the known splendens types. Estella Coral is bigger, bushier, and well-branched, and therefore suitable for wildlife-inspired gardening, large patio containers, or landscaping where vigor is required.
Lobelia erinus F1 Masterpiece Blue with Eye (2025) by Benary
A work of art for every garden. The jury praised the luminous and eye-catching innovative color and was impressed by the early flowering and strong garden performance. The flexibility of seeds in terms of sowing, combined with the outstanding performance of cutting-raised varieties and intense blue large flowers, is a true breeding achievement indeed.
Lycopersicon esculentum Tiny Temptations F1 Orange (2024) by Prudac
The new cherry tomato Tiny Temptations F1 Orange stands out not only for its bright orange fruits but also for its wonderful flavor. The ultra-sweet cherry fruits of this variety are a real breeding breakthrough in trailing tomatoes. The bushy plants with their small, sturdy green leaves are highly tolerant to Phytophthora, not susceptible to mildew, and therefore easy to grow. In addition, the abundant flowers are a magnet for bees.
Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii Goldblitz (2023) by PanAmerican Seed
PanAmerican Seed is are true expert in breeding, and their next Gold Medal for Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii Goldblitz proves just that. This newcomer in the Kieft Brand is a first-year-flowering solution for growers who are unable to reliably finish Rudbeckia fulgida Goldsturm under their natural growing conditions. Goldblitz plugs do not require special treatment during the production process while delivering the same quality as the traditional Goldsturm. This brand-new Rudbeckia fulgida flowers approximately 14-21 days earlier, grows more uniformly in its first year, and has an excellent garden performance.
Helianthus annuus Gummy Bear (2022) by HM. Clause
Is this not the sweetest thing? Helianthus annuus Gummy Bear is real candy to the eye. Gorgeous lemon yellow, double flowers contrast beautifully with the lush green foliage and can spread up to 20 cm wide. The plants are well-shaped, uniform, and can reach a height of approximately 170 cm. The judges praised the innovative color, attractive flowers, and excellent growing performance.
Delphinium grandiflorum Cheer Blue (2021) by Miyoshi & Co. Ltd.
A popular cut flower and landscaping item, particularly in Japan, Delphinium grandiflorum F1 has also become available in a dwarf version. Cheer Blue is a variety with shorter stems and upwards-directed flowers without spurs, making this F1 hybrid from seed an excellent candidate for patio planters and first/middle line bedding. The Fleuroselect judges described Cheer Blue’s flower color as "innovative" and "striking" and praised the uniformity and garden performance of this new Delphinium. With its shorter spikes and calming color, Cheer Blue adds tranquillity to your outdoor space.
A Complete Overview
These examples illustrate the incredible diversity of Gold Medal winners – annuals, perennials, bulbs, even vegetative cuttings – and the common thread of game-changing performance. In each case, the Gold Medal helped these varieties gain early traction in the market by signaling to everyone: “This one is special.” Get a complete overview of all the awarded varieties all the way back from its very first winner in 1973.
Why It Matters: From Greenhouse to Garden Center to Garden Plot
Only those newcomers that clearly outperform comparable varieties in innovation, flowering, garden performance, and overall quality earn this coveted honor. In short, a Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner isn’t just a pretty face – it’s a ground-breaking plant that has proven its worth from greenhouse to garden. A Gold Medal can be a springboard for a new variety’s success. For breeders, it’s a prestigious validation from their peers that this new cultivar truly stands out. Many companies use the Gold Medal in their catalogs and marketing, knowing it sends a message that “this plant has proven merit, not just hype.”
Growers often prioritize Gold Medal winners in their production plans, since the trials confirm qualities like high germination, uniform growth, and reduced risk of crop failure – all factors that can save time and money. Garden center buyers, seeing the Gold Medal designation, gain confidence that a variety will perform as promised (leading to happy customers and fewer complaints). And consumers ultimately benefit by getting flowers in their pots or beds that have essentially been “stress-tested” across Europe. The award also generates buzz in the horticultural press and at industry events. Each year’s Gold Medal announcements are covered in trade media and presented at international fairs, effectively giving the winners a free publicity boost.
Many public gardens and flower shows also feature Gold Medal display beds, allowing gardeners to see these plants in action. It’s not uncommon for a Gold Medal variety to enjoy a surge in orders after winning, as growers rush to stock a proven winner and retailers promote it as a hot new item. As Fleuroselect notes, Gold Medalists are “lavishly displayed in more than fifty display gardens across Europe, the U.S. and Asia, representing the absolute top in breeding and beauty.”
This broad exposure helps drive demand and sets trends – in fact, some Gold Medal winners have gone on to become global best-sellers in their category. Perhaps most importantly, the Fleuroselect Gold Medal propels the industry’s innovation engine. It challenges breeders to keep pushing boundaries, knowing that truly extraordinary results will be recognized and rewarded.
By shining a spotlight on improvements like disease resistance, heat tolerance, or novel colors, the Gold Medal guides growers and buyers toward varieties that can genuinely elevate their product offerings. It’s a win-win-win for breeders, the supply chain, and gardeners.
Inspiring the Future of Flower Breeding
The Fleuroselect Gold Medal combines inspiration with scientific rigor. It appeals to our love of beautiful flowers, yet it demands the hard evidence that those flowers will thrive and delight in real conditions. This balance makes the award uniquely respected. Breeders from all over the world (including an increasing number of young, up-and-coming hybridizers) see the Gold Medal as a career highlight – a sign that their creation will leave a mark on horticulture. Seasoned growers use the annual Gold Medal announcements as a guide to which new introductions might be “the next big thing” worth trialing in their own greenhouses. And gardening enthusiasts, whether they know it or not, have likely grown a few Gold Medal winners in their home beds – those varieties that just perform a cut above the rest, providing that effortless abundance of color that makes gardening so rewarding.
In the end, the Fleuroselect Gold Medal is about celebrating innovation in the service of beauty and reliability. It’s an award where technical excellence meets creative vision. As an international industry audience, we can take inspiration from each winner’s story – the years of careful breeding behind a new Petunia pattern or the collaborative research that yielded a mildew-proof marigold. These stories remind us that horticulture is a dynamic, ever-evolving field. The Gold Medal laureates are not just plants, but milestones – markers of how far we’ve come and where we can go next.
So, the next time you spot that Gold Medal emblem on a plant tag, take a closer look. You’re looking at a champion of horticultural progress – a plant that earned its crown through season-long trial by fire (or rain or heat!), emerging as a true garden star. From breeders in labs and greenhouses to growers in the field and retailers on the sales floor, the Fleuroselect Gold Medal brings the whole industry together to applaud what’s possible when we combine ingenuity with green thumbs. It’s technically driven, internationally judged, and ultimately, all about enriching our world with better blooms.
All photos courtesy of Fleuroselect. The header image shows the Lobelia erinus F1 Masterpiece Blue with Eye by Benary (Gold Medal winner in 2025). The feature image shows the Dahlia cultivars sel® Dalaya Yogi (by Selecta One, Gold Medal winner in 2013).
