BULBS YOU CAN BANK ON
These ornamental flowers and unconventional edibles will look good in your garden
These plant picks are breeds of their own,
Just as many factors determine today’s fashion trends, great effort goes into deciding which hot new plant varieties will make it onto garden centre shelves or into a seed catalogue.
Not only are aesthetics key, but a plant must also prove it will perform well in a home gardener’s plot. Everything from disease resistance to hardiness is considered. Trial gardens throughout North America play host to interesting new breeds that will eventually make their way to retail.
Here are a few new plants, from ornamental flowers and foliage to unconventional edibles that a nursery or garden centre near you may showcase this season. Outstanding ornamental blooms The Perennial Plant Association (perennialplant.org) named Japanese anemone “Honorine Jobert” as the Perennial Plant of the Year. What’s great about this plant — besides its stunning white flowers — is that it blooms from late summer to mid fall. With a little planning, your garden can be in bloom from spring until the snow flies. Try to choose plants with bloom times from early spring to late fall. A plant tag will reveal all the information you need.
For container gardening, the Supertunia Pink Star Charm petunia hybrid from Proven Winners (provenwinners.com) does not require deadheading like a traditional petunia. I tested this new-for-2016 introduction last year and this vigorous bloomer was producing flowers well into the fall.
Similarly, the “Holy Moly” calibrachoa superbells, which are bright yellow and fuchsia, are fairly low maintenance and should bloom all season long.
And this is pretty cool: Nova Scotiabased garden writer Niki Jabbour, author of The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, had a daylily named after her by mail-order company Harbour Breezes (harbourbreezes.ca). “Niki Jabbour” has gorgeous peach blooms with splashes of burgundy and pretty ruffled petals. Fabulous foliage When planning your garden, keep in mind, you don’t have to focus on just blooms. Shop for plants with interesting foliage that will complement any flower in the garden — or in your pots.
You could also go full-on foliage and create a lovely mosaic of leafy speci- mens. The new Heucherella “Metallic Madness” from the PC Lawn & Garden lineup has leaves that start out a soft burgundy colour and lighten to a metallic grey-pewter hue. Flip a leaf over and its pinky underside is just as interesting.
Also keep an eye out for “Curly Fries,” with its narrow, stiff, wavy leaves, which the American Hosta Growers Society chose as the 2016 Hosta of the Year.
Another great shade-garden choice is “Regal Red,” a new Japanese painted fern offered by Sheridan Nurseries, whose reddish foliage is sure to stand out. Seeds to sow Nasturtiums are fabulous triple-duty plants to have in a garden. Not only are both the leaves and flowers edible (toss them in summer salads for visual interest), they attract beneficial pollinators. Furthermore — and this is where the “triple” comes in — they can act as trap crops for bad bugs like aphids.
The “Climbing Phoenix,” a new variety introduced by Renee’s Garden this year, has unique, pinwheelshaped flowers in a variety of hues. And, you never know what colour you’re going to get from “Dancing Ballerinas,” a new type of California poppy that’s also a bee magnet.
The delicate, butter-yellow blooms of Xanthos cosmos, available from Stokes Seeds, will also attract pollinators, as will the vibrant, multi-coloured Carrousel Zinnias available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Interesting edibles Various types of fruit seem to have become more common at the garden centre. Patio varieties, such as the BrazelBerries line are especially popular because they are both a lovely ornamental pick and fruit-bearing.
The “Pink Icing” blueberry bush was the star of 2015 with its foliage that changed from pink to green to a lovely shade of turquoise in the winter. This year’s introduction is called “Perpetua,” probably because the plant is supposed to bear fruit not once, but twice, during the growing season. PC Lawn & Garden has some interesting introductions to its line of edibles. Ever heard of a framberry or a pineberry? They will be part of a three-pack with their strawberry cousin this season. Framberries resemble strawberries, but apparently they taste more like a raspberry. And pineberries are quite unusuallooking. They resemble strawberries, but they are white with red seeds and apparently taste like pineapple.
If you’re into summer salads, consider growing a variety of lettuces. “Red Deer Tongue” is an heirloom cutting lettuce available through Renee’s Garden. This also happens to be the Year of the Carrot, according to the National Garden Bureau. Opt for a colour other than orange, such as the new Yellowbunch variety from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.