{"id":18935,"date":"2012-02-21T11:00:40","date_gmt":"2012-02-21T16:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nybg.org\/plant-talk\/?p=18935"},"modified":"2012-02-28T15:19:02","modified_gmt":"2012-02-28T20:19:02","slug":"new-plant-introductions-for-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/2012\/02\/tip-of-the-week\/new-plant-introductions-for-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"New Plant Introductions for 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Hibiscus moscheutos 'Lady Baltimore'<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every year during the winter months, growers start parading their new introductions through gardening magazines and catalogs. It\u2019s the annual horticultural fashion show. And the horticultural models that hit the catwalk usually tell us a great deal about current trends and market demand.<\/p>\n

As I peruse the pages of magazines this year I am struck by the balance of practicality and aesthetic. We all love beautiful plants–there is no denying it. This year, however, beauty is amalgamated with functionality.
\n
\nMany new introductions are compact, appealing to urban gardeners and gardeners with little space to work. Plants for the water-wise gardener are also making a good show for the year ahead. With the popular trend of sustainable gardening, not only drought tolerant plants but also native, low-maintenance and wildlife-friendly plants are being featured in catalogs.<\/p>\n

There are always introductions that satisfy the public\u2019s need for exciting new colors, fragrance, and extended bloom time. Some trends never change–nor should they. Here are some of the new introductions that you will see in garden centers this spring.<\/p>\n

\n

Annuals<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Anemone hupehensis var. japonica 'Pamina'<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you are keen on attracting wildlife to your garden, try the new Monarch Series ageratum (Ageratum<\/em> Monarch Series). This series is the result of a cross between a garden variety and a wild species from Mexico. A butterfly magnet, it comes in a variety of colors.<\/p>\n

Shade gardeners with small spaces can rejoice in the introduction of new, compact Japanese anemones (Anemone hupehensis<\/em> Pretty Lady Series). \u2018Pretty Lady Diana\u2019 and \u2018Pretty Lady Susan\u2019 are single pinks while \u2018Pretty Lady Emily\u2019 is a light pink double. I saw these last fall and they are wonderful, reaching 18 inches tall.<\/p>\n

There is a new African daisy that is hitting the market (Osteospermum ecklonis<\/em> 3D Series). The 3D Series is a new, double-flowering African daisy that comes in purple, pink, and silver. It\u2019s a cool season annual (happiest in spring) that doesn\u2019t close up at the end of the day like its single flowering counterparts.<\/p>\n

If you are a do-it-yourself gardener, there is also a new variety of African daisy that is easy to sow from seed (Osteospermum ecklonis<\/em> \u2018Akila\u2019).<\/p>\n

\n

Perennials<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Hesperaloe parviflora<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For the water-conscious gardener, look for the new, compact, red-flowered yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora<\/em> \u2018Perpa\u2019 (Brakelights\u00ae Red Aloe).<\/p>\n

If red is your color, try the the compact coneflower Sombrero\u2122 Salsa Red (Echinacea x purpurea<\/em> Sombrero \u2018Salsa Red\u2019).<\/p>\n

Equally enticing is the reblooming hot poker plant (Kniphofia uvaria<\/em> \u2018Echo Rojo\u2019). With its orange-red flowers, it reblooms all summer and is drought tolerant as well.<\/p>\n

For impact, look to hardy hibiscus with their enormous, satellite dish-shaped flowers. \u2018Strawberry Swirl\u2019 (Hibiscus moscheutos<\/em> \u2018Strawberry Swirl\u2019) with its pink and white 12-inch blooms looks delectable. \u2018Little Princess\u2019 is a dwarf variety that reaches only two-and-a-half feet tall. Its flowers are an infusion of scarlet, violet, and lavender.<\/p>\n

\n

Shrubs<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Lagerstroemia indica 'Tightwad Red'<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hydrangea \u2018You-Me Passion\u2019 flowers continuously in spring and summer. Its pink flowers slowly open, looking like a lace cap hydrangea and then filling out to form a mop head with double flowers. The golden crane hydrangea (Hydrangea angustipetala<\/em> \u2018Golden Crane\u2019 [\u2018MonLongShou\u2019]) is another new introduction that has fragrant white and chartreuse flowers that open early in spring.<\/p>\n

Daphne \u2018Eternal Fragrance\u2019 flowers heavily in spring and then flowers sporadically in summer and fall. It is a compact variety that has a wonderful fragrance.<\/p>\n

The semi-dwarf crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica<\/em> \u2018Double Feature\u2019) is a rebloomer, flowering from late June to October. The crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica<\/em> \u2018Rhapsody in Pink\u2019) is also constantly in flower and its new growth is a deep burgundy color.<\/p>\n

Finally we have some of the Encore\u00ae azaleas in the Garden and they are worth trying. As the name suggests, these azaleas are repeat-flowering with their main show in the spring and then repeating intermittently throughout the summer and fall. Rhododendron \u2018Autumn Sunburst\u2122\u2019 is one of the new Encore\u00ae azaleas that has bi-colored flowers of coral-pink edged in white.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the approach of spring comes all the fashionable new cultivars for the year’s horticultural trends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":19949,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[952,7],"tags":[1304,1580,1305,4660,154],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/Anemone-hupehensis-var.-japonica-Pamina-01.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/ph0lU-4Vp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18935"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18935"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20352,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18935\/revisions\/20352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nybg.org\/blogs\/plant-talk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}