Key facts
- Gardening expert Jessica Damiano has identified 10 top-performing new plant varieties.
- The selected plants are now available at retail nurseries.
- Evaluation criteria included thriving, reliable blooming, and resistance to disease and pests.
- Recommended plants include foxgloves, hummingbird mint, million bells, and coneflowers.
Gardening expert Jessica Damiano has compiled a list of ten new plant varieties that demonstrated superior performance during her trials, offering these recommendations to consumers as the plants become available at retail nurseries this spring. Damiano evaluated dozens of sample plants sent by breeders and growers, assessing their ability to thrive, bloom reliably, and resist disease and infestation.
The selected plants include Digitalis Arctic Fox 'Lemon Cream' and 'Rose' foxgloves, known for attracting pollinators and blooming profusely even after a harsh winter. Agastache mexicana Summerlong Series, or hummingbird mint, is noted for its vibrant colors and consistent blooming. Calibrachoa Superbells 'Magic Double Grapefruit' offers unique double flowers with a mottled pink-and-yellow effect and drought tolerance. Anemone Harlequin 'Cameo' provides cheerful pink daisy-like flowers from early summer through frost.
Other recommendations include Echinacea French Tips, a coneflower variety with distinctive white-tipped pink petals that bloom nearly nonstop and are deer-resistant. Lobelia Laguna Royal Blue Pearl offers airy deep blue flowers and is more heat-tolerant than previous varieties. Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud petunias are highlighted for their continuous bloom and ruffled petals. Begonia Hula White is praised for its unique spreading habit and dense branching that obscures its stems. Beacon Impatiens, in light pink and blue pearl varieties, are recommended for their resistance to downy mildew and abundant blooming in shade. Finally, Spreading Petunia Shock Wave Rose Vein is noted for its bicolored blossoms and controlled spreading habit.