AGlimmer of hope
Popular busy lizzies were virtually wiped out by disease in 2011... but now they are making a comeback
BUSY lizzies were once our most popular bedding plant, but their supremacy came to an abrupt end in 2011 when a fungal disease wiped them out. In the past few years they’ve started to make a comeback with the creation of disease-resistant varieties, and that trend looks set to continue with the launch of ‘Glimmer’, one of the plant stars to watch in 2023.
Developed by scientists at Ball FloraPlant in the United States, this welcome arrival is the world’s first double-flowered busy lizzie that’s highly resistant to downy mildew, the pathogen responsible for causing mayhem a decade or so ago.
It’s the result of many years of breeding, followed by rigorous testing to ensure plants can withstand the disease.
The plant forms a 16in-high by 12in-wide mound that’s smothered in miniature, rose-like flowers from May to September. It will be available in six shades, including bright red and appleblossom – the latter bagged best in show and best new annual at the 2022 National Plant Show, an event run by the Horticultural Trades Association, the UK trade body that represents garden centres, plant nurseries, landscapers and garden manufacturers.
This revolutionary busy lizzie isn’t the only shiny newcomer to look forward to growing in 2023.
Over the past few weeks the nation’s leading mail nurseries, plant breeders and garden centres have taken the wraps off a host of fresh-faced plants they hope will prove to be a big hit.
Among them are trees, shrubs, perennials and edibles, and a plethora of annuals that will provide a splash of summer colour.
Some of these arrivals are truly revolutionary, with a unique habit, striking flowers or in-built resistance to debilitating diseases, while others are simply improved forms of old favourites.
There’s a great range of trees and shrubs set to touch down this spring. Coprosma ‘Eclipse’ is an evergreen shrub with glossy green foliage with pink edges, while Cordyline ‘Lime Passion’ is an architectural gem with lime and cream foliage. Malus ‘Halloween’ is a crab apple tree with ribbed, yellow-orange fruit that look like pint-sized pumpkins.
Developed in Japan, ‘Cutie Pie’ is a novel, thorn-free variety of rose that makes a 12in-high by 3ft-wide mound smothered with lightly scented, pink and white flowers, all the way from July until December. Its size makes it ideal for growing at the front of beds or in containers, and it’s a breeze to keep as it doesn’t need pruning or dead-heading.
Expect to find plenty of fresh new perennials too.
Delphinium ‘Red Lark’ produces multiple, 27in-high spires of red flowers in late spring, and Echinacea purpurea ‘PollyNation’ is an early-flowering type with large flowers. Named after a castle in the Loire Valley, Iris ‘Chateau d’Usse’ is a tall, bearded iris with ruffled, white upper petals and violet-blue lower ones.
My pick of new perennials is Geranium wallichianum ‘KellyAnne’, a hardy type that’s related to Geranium ‘Rozanne’.
Instead of having blue flowers like its parent, this produces masses of bright pink flowers on 12in-high clumps, from June until the first frosts. As an added extra, its green leaves turn bright orange before dying back in autumn.
Of the annuals making their debut, Coreopsis ‘Incredible! Sea Shells Mix’ is set to star from June to September with flowers that are held on 18in-tall stems and come in a range of colours, all with unusual tubular petals.
Others to look out for include Sunflower ‘Carmel’ and Celosia spicata ‘Xantippe’ with 30in-tall spikes of soft pink flowers.
Mail-order seed company Mr Fothergill’s is famed for developing new sweet peas, and this year sees the arrival of a cracking Spencer type called ‘Suffolk Punch Miggie’. Reaching heights of 6ft, this annual climber will add a splash of colour from late spring until October thanks to its large, bi-coloured purple and lavender flowers that are heavily scented. As for its name, it honours Margaret ‘Miggie’ Wyllie, an active member of the Suffolk Punch Trust, which supports the historic Suffolk Punch breed of horses.
She also founded the charity’s Suffolk Heritage Garden, a 295ft by 65ft plot that features plants with links to the county.