The winner: Catmint, 88/100. Runner-up: Hellebore at 87.
The hardest combination a northern garden asks for: shade, zone 4 winters and deer, all at once. Three gates run before a single point is scored, and what survives is ranked on the Rutgers deer rating, bloom in low light and upkeep.
The picks
The flowers that won
The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
How deep a shade it takes10 pointsthrives even in full shade 10; part shade as its true home 7; prefers sun but accepts part shade 4 Read from: the light it is documented in.
Months in bloom25 pointseight or more months 25; six to seven 22; four to five 19; three 12; two 6; one 3; no bloom data 6 Read from: the months it is in bloom.
Care while it grows25 pointslow upkeep 25; middling 14; demanding 4; sources disagree, we average the range; no rating 12 Read from: how much upkeep extension guides report.
Not ranked here: needs more light than a shade bed offers; not rated hardy to zone 4; Rutgers rates it C or D: documented deer damage.
The full method ↗
The leaderboard
The top ten
The 10 highest of 20 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
How deep a shade it takes4 / 10full sun, part shade
Months in bloom19 / 255 months
Care while it grows25 / 25low
Considered, not chosen
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this question is not theirs.
needs more light than a shade bed offersRoses, Tulips, Sunflower and 11 more
Rutgers rates it C or D: documented deer damageLily, Azaleas, Balloon Flower and 8 more
not rated hardy to zone 4 (zones 7 to 10)Anemone, Alstroemeria, Amaryllis and 2 more
not rated hardy to zone 4 (zones 5 to 9)Lavender, Irises, Chrysanthemum and 2 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Catmint
The badge is generated by this ranking, not awarded by hand. When the
table changes, it re-scores itself.
How we rank
We keep one table of 85 flowers,
with 25 documented facts each, drawn from university and extension sources. Every ranking is
a published formula worth 100 points; tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made
it. A flower that does not fit the question is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
shown. When the table changes, every score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
