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It’s a common situation: Customers want something new for color, but don’t want to gamble with a plant they’re unfamiliar with. Gardeners are in luck this year. Several annuals and perennials are on the market, which are both new and reliable.
Familiar—but new, too
ANNUALS
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1. Calibrachoa. Superbells Blackberry Punch from Proven Winners has two-tone flowers with a rich, velvet-black throat on deep-grape petals. It reaches 4-6 inches tall and 12-18 inches wide, with a slightly looser habit than other Superbells. www.provenwinners.com
2. Impatiens. SunPatiens from Sakata love the heat and provide three seasons of solid performance and color. Additions to this line are Vigorous Pink and Spreading Corona (pictured), a new reddish-orange variety with green leaves. www.sakataornamentals.com
3. Petunia. Purple Wave Improved from PanAmerican Seed has a larger bloom size and an overall fuller look. It offers a faster garden fill, even in cooler and wetter conditions. www.panamseed.com
4. Viola. Penny Primrose Picotee from Syngenta Flowers is extremely free flowering, which makes it great for both fall and spring seasons. It has a robust root system and produces large, flat flowers that form a carpet of color. www.syngentaflowersinc.com
PERENNIALS
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5. Coreopsis. Coreopsis verticillata (threadleaf coreopsis) ‘Sienna Sunset’, is a unique new sport of ‘Crème Brulee’ that was discovered by Sunny Border Nurseries. Its beautiful burnt sienna flowers fade to coral as they age. It does best in full sun to partial shade, growing to 12-18 inches tall. It is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. www.sunnyborder.com
6. Echinacea. Echinacea purpurea ‘Hot Summer’ is exclusively available from Northwest Horticulture. Flowers open orange and fade to red. It boasts a good flower petal count and produces an abundance of blooms from late June to August. ‘Hot Summer’ grows 18 inches tall and 12-18 inches wide. www.northwesthort.com
7. Helleborus. Helleborus Winter Jewels Painted Doubles from Terra Nova Nurseries has a clumping habit reaching 12 inches tall and 24 inches wide. This white double flower hellebore is adorned with red brush marks. It is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-8. This striking variety is also deer resistant. www.terranovanurseries.com
8. Hosta. ‘Tropical Storm’ from Walters Gardens is an exceptionally showy new sport of ‘Rainforest Sunrise’. Heart-shaped, puckered leaves of good substance emerge green with a light green margin, but then quickly develop wide, brilliant yellow gold margins which remain all season. It is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9. www.waltersgardens.com
Out-of-the-ordinary selections
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9. Centradenia. ‘Blushing Cascade’ from GroLink has shell-pink flowers that contrast with the bronze-green foliage. Its trailing habit makes it ideal for baskets or as a replacement for ipomoea and vinca in combination pots. www.grolink.com
10. Lobelia. Nautica from Hort Couture is a humidity- and heat-tolerant series. Young plants have a mounded habit. The colors are vibrant, and the flowers are very large and profuse. www.hortcoutureplants.com
11. Scoparia. The Illumina series from Suntory Flowers has an unusual red-licorice fragrance. Lemon Mist Improved (pictured) produces an abundance of star-shaped yellow flowers continuously throughout the season. Illumina is good for hanging baskets and window boxes. www.suntorycollection.net
PERENNIALS
12. Gaura. Fleurizon offers the Compact Africa Gaura series (Pink, Red and White) and ‘Silver Lining.’ All of the plants are compact and free branching. ‘Silver Lining’ has variegated leaves. All four varieties are 12 to 16 inches tall, produce many flowers and flower for a long time. www.fleurizon.com
13. Physostegia. Physostegia virginiana ‘Crystal Peak White’ from Benary is excellent for mass plantings or as a filler in mixed combination planters. The 16-inch tall, well-branched plant produces a multitude of bright white flower spikes that do not fade or brown as they age. It is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 2-9. www.benary.com
14. Chasmanthium. Chasmanthium latifolium ‘River Mist’ from ItSaul Plants provides striking green and white variegated foliage. Variegated northern sea oats provides a vivid look to any garden and makes a great specimen plant.
It can reach 30-36 inches tall and 24-36 inches wide. Late summer and early fall is when the oats appear that provide interest well into the winter as they dry out. It is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. www.itsaulplants.com
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