Perennial Plant Association announces 2027 Perennial Plant of the Year

Vernonia ‘Summer’s Swan Song’ has been voted the 2027 Perennial Plant of the Year by The Perennial Plant Association’s members.

It was officially announced at the 2026 National Symposium in East Lansing, Michigan, the last week of July 2026.

"What makes ‘Summer’s Swan Song’ so appealing is its refinement and versatility. It brings the pollinator-friendly wildness and late-season drama of native ironweeds to gardens, but at a more manageable scale," said Shannon Currey, horticulture educator at Izel Native Plants. "The elegant foliage and larger flowerheads deliver a rich, purple punch, making it a perfect fit for cultivated spaces."

Vernonia ‘Summer’s Swan Song’, commonly known as ironweed, is covered in sprays of dark purple flowers from early September to mid-October. During this flower time, it is a magnet for butterflies and bees, providing the pollinator benefits of native ironweeds in a smaller plant, remaining a compact clump 40 inches wide by 36 inches tall. Seed heads appear as fluffy pom-poms, persisting through winter.

‘Summer’s Swan Song’ originated as a cross between V. lettermannii (native to Western Arkansas and Southeastern Oklahoma) and V. angustifolia (native to the Southeastern Coastal Plain, from North Carolina to Mississippi) ‘Plum Peachy’ by Jim Ault at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Vernonia species also occur widely across the eastern and central United States.

"’Summer’s Swan Song’ is sized right for almost any garden. Its form doesn’t lean, flop or fall, with finely textured foliage and bright purple flowers at a time when most gardens are calling it a season," said Scott Beuerlein, host of the Let’s Garden podcast and manager of botanical garden outreach at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. "Just give it full sun, any reasonable soil, some water in heavy drought and let it do its thing. It’s deer-resistant and is an all-star native that benefits pollinators. ‘Summer’s Swan Song’ is everything you could want in a perennial."

‘Summer’s Swan Song’ requires full sun and tolerates a wide range of moisture levels and types. It is very resistant to powdery mildew and rust resistance, keeping the foliage pristine throughout the season.

It is a fantastic plant for mass plantings in pollinator gardens, rain gardens and naturalistic plantings, pairing well with asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.), little bluestems (Schizachyrium scoparium), Joe Pye weeds (Eutrochium spp.), sunflowers (Helianthus spp.) and switchgrasses (Panicum virgatum).

The Perennial Plant of the Year program began in 1990 to showcase a perennial that is a standout among its competitors. Selected perennials are suitable for a wide range of growing climates, require low maintenance, have multiple-season interest and are relatively pest- and disease-free.

The Perennial Plant Association Board of Directors reviews the nominated perennials and selects three or four perennials to be placed on a voting ballot.

Perennial Plant Association members vote for the Perennial Plant of the Year and nominate additional plants for the following year’s ballot.

In addition, Perennial Plant Association members have access to several marketing resources and images to assist with promoting the Perennial Plant of the Year.