New Plants for 2007
by Ilene Sternberg

Here is a sampling of some of the new plants coming your way this year.

In the short days of winter, when cabin fever is at its peak and our resistance is at its lowest ebb, the garden industry is once again wooing us with a parade of plants to satisfy our insatiable lust for something new and different. But for some of us with limited time and progressively creaky joints, the lust seems to be lessening as time goes by. We’re looking, now, for plants that are undemanding, give longterm value, and will stay in scale in less spacious gardens. Here are a few candidates with potential to do all that. Contact information for retail sources is listed on page 19.

Alluring Annuals
One of only four new garden plants chosen as All-America Selections (AAS) for 2007, based on superior performance in test gardens around the country, Petunia ‘Opera Supreme Pink Morn’ (USDA Zones 0–0, AHS Zones 12–1) from American Takii (http://www.takii.com) shows iridescent pink blossoms with a slight creamy white eye and yellow throat. Flowering freely from summer until frost on compact plants that spread or trail up to three feet, it’s versatile for hanging baskets, window boxes, and planters, and its cheery blanket of blooms makes it a beautiful groundcover. Available from Jung Seed.

Two other AAS winners this year (you’ll find the fourth one, a pepper, on page 18) are Celosia ‘Fresh Look Gold’ (Zones 0–0, 12–1), from Benary Seed (http://www.benary.com), named for the lasting fresh look of the compact, four-inch golden plumes on foot-tall plants; and Madagascar periwinkle ‘Pacifica Burgundy Halo’ (Zones 12–15, 12–1) from PanAmerican Seed Co. (http://www.panamseed.com), the first bicolor Catharanthus with a burgundy halo surrounding a large white center on two-inch blooms. With good heat and drought tolerance, this sun-loving annual bedding plant reaches about a foot tall and wide when mature. The former is available through Seedman; the latter through Harris Seeds.

Thompson & Morgan (T&M) offers two newest sweet peas: ‘Elegant Ladies’, an exclusive bicolored mixture of highly fragrant small-flowered heirloom types selected for their delicate pastel colors, many dating back to the 16th century; and ‘America’, an attractive small-flowered, strongly aromatic red-and-white-striped heirloom dating back to 1896. Both grow up to six feet and thrive in Zones 0–0, 12–1.

An 18-inch-tall, easy-to-grow annual, special to T&M this year is Calendula ‘Sherbet Fizz’ (Zones 0–0, 12–1), selected for its unusual buff-colored blooms with intriguing darker red undersides on several layers of tightly packed red-tipped petals. Sow in drifts directly into borders or as a showy cut flower.

Promising Perennials

High Country Gardens (HCG) is offering cardinal beardtongue (Penstemon cardinalis, Zones 5–9, 9–5), a rare New Mexico native with a long bloomtime. Numerous deep red tubular flowers appear on two-foot spikes in midsummer and attract hummingbirds.

Another hummer magnet is ‘Rosita’ hummingbird mint (Zones 6–11, 12–1), a new form of Agastache cana from HCG that shows off about 50 percent more flowers per spike than the species. The profusion of dense, deep rose-pink flower spikes and extremely bushy semi-dwarf growth habit is striking and noticeable from a great distance. In well-drained garden soils, it grows two feet tall and spreads to three feet.

An HGC exclusive is black caterpillar grass (Harpochloa falx ‘Compact Black’, Zones 6–8, 8–6). That’s right—falx, not flax! —a new cultivar of an ornamental South African grass species that has dense, evergreen, compact foliage, 12 to 36 inches wide, and a profuse midsummer display of glossy three-inch black horizontal flowerheads (reminiscent of our native blue grama grass, only much larger).
From Jelitto comes ‘Prairie Blues’ (Zones 3–9, 9–1), a new selection of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), a clump-forming grass native to North America. This two-foot-tall selection has blue-gray foliage that turns gold to red in fall, and silvery seedheads starting in late summer. Tolerant of drought and infertile soils, it’s perfect for borders or naturalizing.

Chicagoland Grows is introducing the first in a new line of hybrid baptisias, Baptisia Starlite Prairieblues™ (‘Starlite’, Zones 4–9, 9–1). Growing to three or four feet, this sun-loving, drought tolerant plant displays pale blue flowers in midsummer. Available from White Flower Farm.

Monrovia (http://www.monrovia.com) is coming out with the Heatwave Sage Series (Zones 6–9, 9–6), featuring four new Australian-bred salvias, crimson Heatwave Blaze™ (‘Blaze’), candy pink Heatwave Sizzle™ (‘Sizzle’), soft pink Heatwave Scorcher™ (‘Scorcher’), and hot pink Heatwave Flare™ (‘Flare’). Longer and repeat-blooming, these have been bred for their rust resistance and compact rounded habit, reaching a little over two feet high and wide.

For daylily connoisseurs, Centerton Nursery (http://www.centertonnursery.com) offers Hemerocallis ‘Variety is the Spice’ (Zones 4–8, 8–1), a new reblooming daylily bred by Darrell Apps. The four-inch-wide, double, coral red flowers bloom prolifically from midsummer to fall on two-foot scapes.

Terra Nova Nurseries (http://www.terranovanurseries.com) wants you to splurge on its new spurge, Euphorbia ‘Royal Velvet’. (Zones 6-10, 10-6), which has velvety evergreen leaves and a low habit (24 to 36 inches) with rich, deep red tones. Spring brings chartreuse colored “flowers” with dark maroon eyes.

Other eye-catching introductions from Terra Nova include two new corydalis: ‘Canary Feathers’ (Zones 6–9, 9–1), a clump-forming corydalis, has soft blue-green feathery foliage and large, bright yellow flowers held above the leaves; and ‘Berry Exciting’ (Zones 5–9, 9–1) is a vigorous, rhizomatous groundcover, with gold ferny leaves and fragrant purple flowers. Both bloom over a long period of time. Available from Sooner Plant Farm and Wayside Gardens, respectively....

Tempting Trees and Shrubs

There is a trend toward replacing high-maintenance plantings with more woodies, using perennials, annuals, and bulbs to fill in the gaps between garden spaces and provide seasonal color. This has spawned a bevy of more compact forms suited to smaller gardens and containers.

Deutzia gracilis Chardonnay Pearls™ (‘Seward’, Zones 5–8, 8–5) from Proven Winners is one of them. From late May to early June, this easy-to-grow small shrub, about three to four feet high and wide, is festooned with pearl-like buds which burst into starry flowers. Its golden yellow foliage make this plant a garden standout. Available from Song Sparrow Nursery.

Monrovia is coming out with the Gardener’s Confidence Collection® of Royal Majestics™ hydrangeas. These include Queen of Pearls™, with green mopheads that turn white, then back to green, Midnight Duchess™, with purple-black stems and mauve lacecap sepals that turn green, and Princess Lace™, another lacecap. All thrive in Zones 6–9, 9–6 and are available from Cottage Farms.

Also getting into the hydrangea mix is Novalis (http://www.novalisinc.com) with Lemon Daddy™ (Zones 5–9, 9–5). This four-foot sport of H. macrophylla Big Daddy™ has lemon-yellow foliage and pink or blue flowers. Provide afternoon shade in warm regions. Available from White Flower Farm.

Usually beauty bushes are spectacular for the short time they’re in bloom, but “just another shrub” the rest of the year. Proven Winners® Kolkwitzia Dream Catcher™ (K. amabilis ‘Maradco’, Zones 4–9, 9–4), though, has deep yellow foliage, which turns golden-orange in fall. Blooming in standard pink, it reaches a mature height of six to nine feet. Available from Nature Hills Nursery.

Proven Winners is also introducing Forsythia Show Off™ (‘Mindor’, Zones 4–9, 9–4), a compact, rounded plant, three feet tall and up to six feet in diameter, with dark green foliage and a full display of large golden flowers from the ground up. Available from Nature Hills Nursery.

Another compact and colorful new shrub is Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’ (Zones 6–9, 9–5), bred by Randy Lindsey of Panoramic Farm. Its spring foliage has bright yellow variegation against chartreuse, evolving to a golden creamy yellow edge around deeper green in summer. Autumn brings orange and red highlights. Stems are brilliant red. In late summer, dainty white tubular flowers emerge from pink buds. A low, spreading form makes this an excellent groundcover, growing at a moderate rate to less than three feet high and slightly wider. Available from Forestfarm.…

Enticing Edibles

Introduced by Seminis Vegetable Seeds (http://us.seminis.com), ‘Holy Molé’ pepper (Zones 0–0, 12–1), the fourth 2007 AAS winner, is a hybrid pasilla-type pepper—the pungent variety used to make mole sauce. ‘Holy Molé’ is earlier, more vigorous, virus-resistant, and higher yielding than its predecessors. The long, fingerlike peppers can be harvested green in about 85 days, but if allowed to fully ripen, they turn dark brown with a tangy, nutty, and not overly spicy flavor. Mature plants reach three feet tall. Available from Park Seed and Territorial Seed Company.
Jung Seed declares its exclusive ‘Margaret’s Pepper’ (Zones 0–0, 12–1) the “sweetest, biggest, most beautiful sweet pepper you’ll ever grow.” Seven-inch green fruits ripen to burgundy and have a mild, sweet flavor. Early maturing plants (62 days) bear prolifically.

‘Red Riding Hood’ romaine lettuce (Zones 0–0, 12–1) has a deep wine color, rare among romaines. A vigorous grower, it has hardy outer leaves and crisp hearts. Available from the Cooks’ Garden.

From the Cooks’ Garden also comes a beautiful cream-colored ‘White Satin’ carrot (Zones 9–12, 10–1), which is reportedly sweeter and juicier than conventional carrots, perfect for salads.

With a unique space-saving climbing habit, T&M’s zucchini (or courgette) ‘Black Forest’ (Zones 0–0, 10–1) is best grown in containers on the patio. Heavy yields of dark green, smooth, cylindrical, six-inch fruits will continue from July until frost if picked regularly.

Also from T&M is Coriandrum sativum ‘Confetti’ (Zones 0–0, 10–1), a cilantro with ferny leaves exhibiting that distinctive cilantro taste but with increased sweetness. This selection reportedly grows to a foot or more within a month, producing plenty of foliage that can be used as a ‘cut-and-come again’ herb or garnish.
And, of course, there are tomatoes…


Photo credits: Calendula ‘Sherbet Fizz’ courtesy of Thompson & Morgan; Corydalis ‘Canary Feathers’ courtesy of Terranova; Abelia ‘Kaleidoscope’ courtesy of Monrovia.
 

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