Holy Moly! And six other garden-center favorites for 2016
Gardeners will soon be finding their new favorite plants at garden centers as the weather finds its warm spring footing. But garden centers already know where the wow is. Here are some of the new plants that growers are praising. (Keep in mind that quantities are limited, and not all garden centers carry all plants.)
1. Holy Moly calibrachoa. This million-bells petunia is a mottled yellow brushed with bright pink strokes.
2. Night Sky petunia. It gets its name from the image of a purple sky painted with stars.
3. Monarch Promise asclepias. This annual milkweed is the first to have variegated foliage, and is still a favorite of monarch butterflies.
4. Beedance bidens. Bidens are usually yellow, but Red Stripe and Painted Red have yellow flowers that are striped or tipped red.
5. Bossa Nova begonias. The dangling flowers are good for baskets in the shade, in colors of orange, rose pink, red or white.
6. Double Play Red spirea. It’s advertised to be the first true red flowers on a spirea, with pretty bark, dark burgundy spring foliage and a repeat bloom.
7. Salvia Black & Bloom. An improvement over Black & Blue, this salvia often comes back like a perennial and can take part shade.
Other garden center favorites
In shopping for plants, keep in mind that some need warmer weather before planting: annual vinca flowers, basil and tomatoes to name a few of the most popular.
Perennials, shrubs, trees — and fescue grass seed — are good to go in anytime now.
Succulents continue to get even more popular, if that’s possible. Dutch’s Greenhouse was swarmed during succulent workshops earlier this spring. And “we have more than we know the names of,” says Lynn Campbell Behnke of Plant Kingdom.
And ornamental grasses and natives are in demand, along with whatever else is drought-tolerant. “I think 2011 and 2012 have stuck in people’s minds,” Campbell Behnke says.
Campbell Behnke also recommends checking out K-State’s list of Prairie Star flowers – the ones that researchers from the school have tested and found to do well in our state with little care. You can find them online at www.prairiestarflowersblog.com, and then you’ll have to shop around to find a place that sells them.
Scenic Landscapes Water Garden Nursery is excited about a new purple water lily that is hardy. “Usually you can only get purple in tropical water lilies,” LaLana Moore of Scenic says.
Some other hot new plants that plant sellers are liking:
Flame Thrower Spiced Curry coleus. In the kaleidoscope of coleus leaves, this one stands out for Jim Denning of Denning’s Greenhouse. “It’s just so striking. It grows really bushy. It looks 3D,” he says, with a yellowish lime-green coloration sitting atop a rusty maroon serrated leaf.
Kelos celosia. This series comes in colors of red, lime, orange and purple, says Jeremy Johnson of Johnson’s Garden Center.
Blue Moon wisteria. It’s supposed to be a repeat bloomer, says Cathy Brady of Brady Nursery.
Oregon Trail sugar maple. It’s actually an old tree that has done well in Hiawatha, where it was planted along the Oregon Trail, Brady said. “We kept taking seeds and cuttings and finally got it into production. … This thing’s tough.”
Ruby Frost maple. It’s a newer one at Hong’s Landscape & Nursery, with “a watermelon coral fall color,” according to Lori Hong.
Annie Calovich: 316-268-6596, @anniecalovich
Other plant-buying considerations
Does it have fragrance?
Does it attract pollinators?
Does it need sun or shade?
How tall does it get?
If it blooms, when does it bloom?
What is its growing habit or shape?
How far does it spread (or how far apart should plants be planted)?
Bedding plants vs. new hybrids
Many plant sellers including Kaw Valley Greenhouse sell bedding plants in multi-packs as well as newer plants in single pots that cost more. Dan Parcel of Kaw Valley says that “you’ll be much happier in the long run” with the more expensive single plant that benefits from new breeding.
“They are much more vigorous. They bloom more. They are mostly larger plants and will cover a much larger area. They’re much more heat tolerant. They will flower even during the hot summer days, and the habit is nicer.”
This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 7:21 AM with the headline "Holy Moly! And six other garden-center favorites for 2016."