Budding Blooms

Plant breeders work hard to create new colours, bigger flowers and healthier plants. names five of the Helen Young best releases to pop up their pretty heads this year.

Bigger, bolder new flower varities to plant.

PETUNIA STAR CHARM

Petunias are long-flowering annuals planted in spring for a parade of colour until the onset of winter. This new series offers super performers with large flowers in a choice of shades. Varieties include ‘Pink Star Charm’ (above) and sunset-toned ‘Honey’. Their mounding and trailing form makes them excellent ‘fillers and spillers’ for containers, hanging baskets, the top of walls or the edges of garden beds. Petunias love heat and respond to soluble fertiliser every few weeks. Trim them back lightly in mid-summer. From Aussie Winners; aussiewinners.com.au.

BIDENS ‘CAMPFIRE’

Daisy-like Bidens perennials add vibrant colour from autumn through to spring, tapering off in the hottest months. They’re usually yellow, but new ‘Campfire’ is a slightly burnt orange that will add energy to a garden scheme. It teams superbly with purple and bronze for a rich, dramatic effect; if you prefer a bright, fresh feel, combine it with white, yellow and green. Use ‘Campfire’ in pots, hanging baskets or as an edging plant where it can softly spill over paths or walls. It needs full sun and grows to about 25cm high and wide. From Aussie Winners; aussiewinners.com.au.

ARGYRANTHEMUM GRANDESSA

These Australian-bred daisies have the bling factor: the colours are bold and the flowers twice as large as usual. Cross-breeding has produced a collection of vigorous plants that form soft mounds of about 60cm high and wide. In yellow (above) and other cheery colour options, they’re rarely troubled by pests or disease. Peak flowering is from August to November, but blooms also appear sporadically through summer and autumn. Use them in pots to decorate a deck or patio, or in the garden for splashes of colour. Choose a sunny spot with good drainage. From Oasis; oasishorticulture.com.au.

ARMERIA DREAMERIA

Despite its delicate appearance, Armeria is known for its ability to thrive in rocky, dry, frosty or coastal positions. Melbourne-based breeders have now produced larger, rounded blooms with sturdier stems, longer flowering times and a pick of charming colours. Options in the Dreameria collection run from coral to raspberry, including ‘Sweet Dreams’ (above). They grow in neat, low mounds and produce their main flush of flowers in spring. Give them a sunny, well-drained spot. From Plant Growers Australia; pga.com.au.

LEUCANTHEMUM ‘REAL GLORY’

Think shasta daisies with a modern twist – just as drought- and wind-hardy but with bigger, brighter, more abundant flowers. ‘Real Glory’ features a frilly gold centre surrounded by white petals. It grows to about 50cm wide and 1m tall. Others in the range include ‘Real Galaxy’, with a fluffy frill of white petals around a gold centre, and two that reach just 50cm: ‘Real Neat’, with fluted white petals; and lemon-yellow ‘Real Dream’. All flower in summer and autumn, with blooms that are excellent for picking. From Touch of Class Plants; toc.com.au. #