Since 1978 the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) has annually recognized outstanding trees, shrubs, and woody vines. These plants are awarded the PHS Gold Medal for their eye appeal, performance, and hardiness in USDA zones 5 to 7. For 2007, PHS has added three new plants to their Gold Medal list.

The most outstanding of the new award-winners is the 'Venus' dogwood (Cornus ‘Venus’). Flowering dogwoods are beloved, small, spring-flowering trees that grow in the eastern United States. Unfortunately, they struggle in many yards due to diseases such as anthracnose and powdery mildew. ‘Venus’, however, is resistant to both diseases. It grows 25 feet high and wide at maturity and produces 6-inch-diameter pure white blooms in spring. This fast-growing tree can be grown in USDA zones 4 to 7.

For more information on this Gold Medal-winning tree, go to Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.