The world’s only plant bracket competition, Shrub Madness®, is about to embark on its fifth year of the thrilling contest that pits shrub-against-shrub in a fierce single-elimination tournament. Based on the college basketball playoffs, 64 Proven Winners® ColorChoice® shrubs will compete in a no-holds-barred battle for the chance to be crowned National Champion.
Spanning March 1-30, a selection of proud and determined shrubs will move through six rounds of competition. Winners of each shrub matchup will be chosen by popular vote via the user-friendly website,www.ShrubMadness.com, where participants fill out their bracket predictions online and root for their favorites. “Shrub Madness is a good way to find out what people really want and challenge our misconceptions. Every year we’ve seen some really bodacious competitors get beaten…” said Shannon Downey, Marketing Specialist for the brand.
Exciting new varieties will enter the fray this season, including Oso Easy Hot Paprika® rose, Wabi-Sabi®viburnum, and Invincibelle Wee White® hydrangea. Will one of these plants take it this year? Will
No. 16 seeded Gold Splash® Wintercreeper pull an upset and oust No. 1 seed Tiny Tuff Stuff® hydrangea? Last year, Oso Easy® Double Red rose blew by No. 1 seeded freshman plant, Lime Rickey® hydrangea, making it all the way to the third round before being overtaken by Pearl Glam® beautyberry. Now with a full season under its belt, how will Lime Rickey® hydrangea fare in the first round of voting against its cheery yellow challenger, Bangle® genista? We will just have to wait and see.
For now, let’s relive last year's drama when over 89,000 votes were cast by over 2,600 registeredparticipants, culminating in a Floral Four that included Invincibelle® Spirit II smooth hydrangea, Let’s Dance Rave® hydrangea, Czechmark Trilogy™ weigela, and 2017 reigning National Champion, Tuff Stuff™ mountain hydrangea.
This year there are once again several opportunities to score dozens of prizes. At the end of each round, samples of top-scoring plants will be awarded via a random drawing of registered participants. At the end of Shrub Madness, four bracket voters will be randomly selected to win a collection of the last four plants standing, known as the Floral Four. The player with the bracket prediction closest to the tournament’s results will win a grand prize pack, the coveted Floral Four and Plant Geek Swag Bag.
There are three ways to join the excitement of Shrub Madness. The public can cast their votes for their favorite plants during the plant matchups at www.ShrubMadness.com at any time during the month of March. No registration is required to vote. To be eligible for end-of-round random prize drawings, go to the Shrub Madness website and register for an account any time from February 15 to the last round of the competition. To be eligible for all prizes, you must register for an account and submit a completed bracket containing your winning predictions between February 15-28. Shrub Madness voting begins March 1 and continues to March 30. For more exciting information about Shrub Madness, including a thrilling promotional video, broadcasts by the Shrub Madness panel of experts, bracket competition updates, and more, go to www.ShrubMadness.com.
Source: Proven Winners® ColorChoice®