EACH YEAR, a panel of Kentucky plants-people come together to choose—after some debate—a handful of trees, shrubs and perennials to highlight as particularly valuable players in the gardens of the Bluegrass State (and beyond). The agreed-upon species and cultivars are added to the list of Theodore Klein Plant Award winners, which has been growing since its 1999 inception.
To achieve the status of Theodore Klein winner, a plant must thrive in Kentucky’s climate, which tends to see hot, humid,
