Key facts
- Ten new plant varieties have been identified as top performers for the current gardening season.
- The selected plants were trialed for their resilience, bloom reliability, and resistance to disease and pests.
- Digitalis Arctic Fox 'Lemon Cream' and 'Rose' foxgloves are noted for surviving harsh winters and blooming profusely.
- Agastache mexicana Summerlong Series, also known as hummingbird mint, showed good growth and return in trials.
- Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Magic Double Grapefruit’ offers unique double flowers and reblooms through frost.
- Echinacea French Tips are highlighted for their unique white-tipped pink petals and continuous blooming.
- Beacon Impatiens varieties are recommended for their resistance to downy mildew and vibrant flowers.
Gardening expert Jessica Damiano has compiled a list of ten new plant varieties that demonstrated exceptional performance during her trials, offering guidance to consumers for the current gardening season. These plants are now available at retail nurseries.
Damiano evaluated dozens of sample plants from breeders and growers, assessing their ability to thrive, bloom reliably, and resist disease and infestation. Her favorites were judged on merit, not just personal preference, to provide practical advice before consumers make purchases.
Among the top performers are Digitalis Arctic Fox ‘Lemon Cream’ and ‘Rose’ foxgloves, noted for their resilience through a harsh winter and profuse blooming. These biennials, suitable for horticultural zones 5-9, attract hummingbirds and pollinators. However, Digitalis is poisonous and should be kept away from children and pets.
Agastache mexicana Summerlong Series, or hummingbird mint, is available in various colors and performed well in its first year, expected to reach 16-22 inches tall and wide in zones 7-10.
Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Magic Double Grapefruit’ produces unique lemon-yellow buds opening to double flowers with a pink hue, suitable for sun and part sun, and reblooms until frost.
Anemone Harlequin ‘Cameo’, a perennial hardy in zones 4-9, offers daisy-like pink flowers with yellow centers and blooms from early summer through frost, reaching about 14 inches tall.
Echinacea French Tips, a variety of coneflower, features white-tipped pink petals and blooms nearly nonstop from summer through fall, attracting pollinators and resisting deer. It is hardy in zones 4-9 and grows to 20-24 inches tall.
Lobelia Laguna Royal Blue Pearl is noted for its dense coverage of deep blue flowers with white centers, ideal for containers or edging, and is more heat-tolerant than previous Lobelia varieties.
Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud petunias offer continuous blooms with ruffled petals and a fading white center, trailing up to 24 inches.
Begonia Hula White, a unique variety with a spreading habit, features dense branching and cheery yellow-centered white flowers, growing 6-10 inches tall in sun or shade.
Beacon Impatiens, in light pink and blue pearl varieties, are recommended for their resistance to downy mildew and vibrant flowers, performing well in beds or containers.
Spreading Petunia Shock Wave Rose Vein is praised for its bicolored blossoms with a star-shaped center pattern and a habit that spreads without becoming unruly.