The winner: Hellebore, 93/100. Runner-up: Virginia Bluebells at 79.
Every flower here is scored by the same 5 published rules, using one open table of 85 flowers. No taste, no sponsors: tap any score and it unfolds into the lines that made it.
The picks
The flowers that won
The top score, plus the qualifier that asks least of you.
Shade fitness25 pointsthrives in deep shade 25 Read from: the light it is documented in.
Cold reach20 pointsRead straight from the zones it survives.
Bloom window12 pointsRead straight from the months it is in bloom.
Set-and-forget upkeep8 pointsRead straight from how much upkeep extension guides report.
Not ranked here: needs more light than a shade bed offers; a full-sun plant that merely tolerates shade; not rated deer-resistant by Rutgers (A or B). Scores are never sponsored
and never sold. The full method ↗
The leaderboard
Every qualifier, ranked
The 3 highest of 3 that qualified. Tap any score to open the lines behind it.
Not qualifying is a verdict too: the table simply says this job is not theirs.
a full-sun plant that merely tolerates shadePeonies, Lily, Dahlia and 56 more
needs more light than a shade bed offersRoses, Tulips, Sunflower and 11 more
not rated deer-resistant by Rutgers (A or B)Hydrangea macrophylla, Anthurium, Azaleas and 6 more
The winner's badge
Generated by the ranking above, and re-scored whenever the table changes.
Hellebore
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 a job is not scored lower: it is excluded, and the reason is
named. Nothing here is sponsored, and no score can be bought. When the table changes, every
score and stamp updates itself.
The full method ↗
