Master Gardener Corner: New Annuals for 2016
This article is part of a weekly series published in the Batavia Daily News by Jan Beglinger, Agriculture Outreach Coordinator for CCE of Genesee County.
Master Gardener Corner: New Annuals for 2016 Originally Published: Week of April 5, 2016 When gardeners think of annuals for the flower garden, they are usually thinking season long color. Annuals are great to use in containers, window boxes or even mixed among perennials for a splash of color. Every year plant breeders come up with new introductions to entice us to try something new. Here is a small sampling of some of the new offerings that may be headed to local nurseries this spring. Petunias continue to be one of the most popular annuals and every year there are new colors and combinations. This year look for a unique petunia called ‘Night Sky.’ White spots on dark violet flowers give the effect of stars shining in the night sky. The showy white‐on‐purple pattern is different for each bloom creating an interesting effect. The gorgeous 10 to 13 inch plants can be used in flower beds, containers or as a border. If you like hot pink, petunia ‘Daybreak Charm’ may be in your future. Watermelon pink blooms with brilliant sunshine yellow centers will knock your Night Sky petunia Photo source: burpee.com socks off. The small to medium size flowers are abundant on densely branched plants. Plan on them growing 8 to 12 inches tall and trailing up to 25 inches. No deadheading of old blooms is necessary. If you are looking for something a little cooler, try Supertunia ‘Latte.’ Silver white blooms with brown to purple veins adorn medium to large sized blooms. This petunia will add sparkle to your containers.
Calibrachoas look like little petunias and “superbells” are a type of calibrachoa. Superbells are covered with hundreds of flowers from early spring through the first light frost. ‘Holy Moly!’ is one flamboyant calibrachoa bound to attract attention. A bi‐color flower, it has mottled cherry‐red stars floating on a yellow background. ‘Evening Star’ has lavender flowers that boast a yellow star pattern sitting in a dark purple throat. Both have abundant flowers blooming all season long on cascading growth. Perfect for hanging baskets.
There’s a new cosmos in town and it’s not pink. Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Xanthos’ has a profusion of two and a half inch, soft yellow blooms surrounding a dark yellow center. ‘Xanthos’ is considered a dwarf plant reaching 20 to 25 inches high and 10 to 12 inches wide. If started from seed, it will start to bloom about 70 days from sowing. This is an open‐pollinated variety so it may self‐sow or you can save the seed to plant next year. Cosmos are wonderful cut flowers. Zinnias are also getting a make‐over. Have you seen the Zinderellas? To me they look like double flowered coneflowers. Many layers of petals create a full, tufted look. ‘Zinderella Peach’ is a salmon color with cream‐to‐rose petals and a distinctive dark eye. ‘Zinderella Lilac’ has a lilac colored bloom and dark eye. Hort Couture is introducing a tropical milkweed (Asclepias currassavica) called ‘Monarch Promise.’ The green and white variegated leaves are tinged with red, orange and pink along the edges and tips. Bright orange and red blossoms should be attractive to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. This asclepias is fairly tolerant to a wide range of moisture conditions, but avoid prolonged dry spells. Another plus – it is supposed to be deer resistant.
If you are looking for new annual foliage plants there are plenty of offerings. Normally we think of sedums as perennial, but not all are hardy in our area. Take Sedum mexicanum ‘Lemon Coral’ for instance. Hardy to zone 7 it won’t make it through a winter here, so treat it as an annual. It has spiky, chartreuse yellow foliage which forms a soft mound. Since it can take heat and drought you may want to try it in a container garden that sits in full sun all day. Cordyline banksii ‘Electric Flash’ is exotic looking, with its narrow, grassy leaves Sedum mexicanum ‘Lemon Coral’ that have a chocolate colored central stripe and cream colored margins. A Photo source: Proven Winners compact, clump forming cordyline, it does not develop a bare single stemmed trunk that needs hiding. Instead side shoots develop which provide a denser foliage plant. If you can find it, it will make a great “thriller” feature in full sun containers. Did you ever think of growing clover in a container? Trifolium ‘Limerick Isabella,’ an ornamental clover, may cause you to rethink that. The plum‐purple shamrock leaves have small bright green centers and pink clover flowers. Perfect for containers, Limerick’s spreading habit will fill in and spill over the edges of containers. ‘Estelle’ and ‘Jessica’ are two other varieties that are also available. New plant varieties may be a little harder to find their first year on the market. It can take three years or more for a plant to become readily available in garden centers. Resources: Burpee, Proven Winners, Park Seed, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Hort Couture Plants, Greenhouse Product News and Ball Seed.
Master Gardener Corner: New Annuals for 2016 Originally Published: Week of April 5, 2016 When gardeners think of annuals for the flower garden, they are usually thinking season long color. Annuals are great to use in containers, window boxes or even mixed among perennials for a splash of color. Every year plant breeders come up with new introductions to entice us to try something new. Here is a small sampling of some of the new offerings that may be headed to local nurseries this spring. Petunias continue to be one of the most popular annuals and every year there are new colors and combinations. This year look for a unique petunia called ‘Night Sky.’ White spots on dark violet flowers give the effect of stars shining in the night sky. The showy white‐on‐purple pattern is different for each bloom creating an interesting effect. The gorgeous 10 to 13 inch plants can be used in flower beds, containers or as a border. If you like hot pink, petunia ‘Daybreak Charm’ may be in your future. Watermelon pink blooms with brilliant sunshine yellow centers will knock your Night Sky petunia Photo source: burpee.com socks off. The small to medium size flowers are abundant on densely branched plants. Plan on them growing 8 to 12 inches tall and trailing up to 25 inches. No deadheading of old blooms is necessary. If you are looking for something a little cooler, try Supertunia ‘Latte.’ Silver white blooms with brown to purple veins adorn medium to large sized blooms. This petunia will add sparkle to your containers.
Calibrachoas look like little petunias and “superbells” are a type of calibrachoa. Superbells are covered with hundreds of flowers from early spring through the first light frost. ‘Holy Moly!’ is one flamboyant calibrachoa bound to attract attention. A bi‐color flower, it has mottled cherry‐red stars floating on a yellow background. ‘Evening Star’ has lavender flowers that boast a yellow star pattern sitting in a dark purple throat. Both have abundant flowers blooming all season long on cascading growth. Perfect for hanging baskets.
There’s a new cosmos in town and it’s not pink. Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Xanthos’ has a profusion of two and a half inch, soft yellow blooms surrounding a dark yellow center. ‘Xanthos’ is considered a dwarf plant reaching 20 to 25 inches high and 10 to 12 inches wide. If started from seed, it will start to bloom about 70 days from sowing. This is an open‐pollinated variety so it may self‐sow or you can save the seed to plant next year. Cosmos are wonderful cut flowers. Zinnias are also getting a make‐over. Have you seen the Zinderellas? To me they look like double flowered coneflowers. Many layers of petals create a full, tufted look. ‘Zinderella Peach’ is a salmon color with cream‐to‐rose petals and a distinctive dark eye. ‘Zinderella Lilac’ has a lilac colored bloom and dark eye. Hort Couture is introducing a tropical milkweed (Asclepias currassavica) called ‘Monarch Promise.’ The green and white variegated leaves are tinged with red, orange and pink along the edges and tips. Bright orange and red blossoms should be attractive to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. This asclepias is fairly tolerant to a wide range of moisture conditions, but avoid prolonged dry spells. Another plus – it is supposed to be deer resistant.
If you are looking for new annual foliage plants there are plenty of offerings. Normally we think of sedums as perennial, but not all are hardy in our area. Take Sedum mexicanum ‘Lemon Coral’ for instance. Hardy to zone 7 it won’t make it through a winter here, so treat it as an annual. It has spiky, chartreuse yellow foliage which forms a soft mound. Since it can take heat and drought you may want to try it in a container garden that sits in full sun all day. Cordyline banksii ‘Electric Flash’ is exotic looking, with its narrow, grassy leaves Sedum mexicanum ‘Lemon Coral’ that have a chocolate colored central stripe and cream colored margins. A Photo source: Proven Winners compact, clump forming cordyline, it does not develop a bare single stemmed trunk that needs hiding. Instead side shoots develop which provide a denser foliage plant. If you can find it, it will make a great “thriller” feature in full sun containers. Did you ever think of growing clover in a container? Trifolium ‘Limerick Isabella,’ an ornamental clover, may cause you to rethink that. The plum‐purple shamrock leaves have small bright green centers and pink clover flowers. Perfect for containers, Limerick’s spreading habit will fill in and spill over the edges of containers. ‘Estelle’ and ‘Jessica’ are two other varieties that are also available. New plant varieties may be a little harder to find their first year on the market. It can take three years or more for a plant to become readily available in garden centers. Resources: Burpee, Proven Winners, Park Seed, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Hort Couture Plants, Greenhouse Product News and Ball Seed.
