Spring Plant Trials: New Varieties to Watch This Season

Every spring marks a fresh growing season, offering garden communicators an opportunity to test a variety of sample plants provided by breeders and growers. These plants are evaluated throughout the season in my beds, borders, containers, and a dedicated 3-foot strip of soil beside my house, or what I call the Maternity Ward. The goal is to assess their performance to share insights when these plants hit the market.

Performance matters more than personal preferences when trialing these samples. I focus on their growth, bloom reliability, and resistance to disease or pests. After a year of testing, these plants will now be available in retail nurseries. Here are the noteworthy performers:

Digitalis Arctic Fox ‘Lemon Cream’ and ‘Rose’

Suited for horticultural zones 5-9, these classic biennials with bell-shaped flowers attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. They survived a harsh winter in zone 7 and are flourishing. Keep in mind, Digitalis is toxic and should be planted out of reach of children and pets.

Agastache mexicana Summerlong Series

Known as hummingbird mint, it comes in coral, lilac, peach, magenta, and lemon hues. Suitable for zones 7-10, it showed no difficulties growing and bloomed prolifically in its first year. These plants thrive in sunny locations and reach an expected size of 16-22 inches tall and wide.

Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Magic Double Grapefruit’

This plant produces stunning yellow buds that turn into double flowers with a unique pink hue. Drought-tolerant, it blooms until frost, making it ideal for hanging baskets in full sun.

Anemone Harlequin ‘Cameo’

Hardy in zones 4-9, these perennials display daisy-like pink flowers with yellow centers. Suitable for full sun to part shade, they grow to 14 inches tall, or 26 inches with flower stems, and spread 18 inches wide.

Echinacea French Tips

This variety features white-tipped pink petals that are reminiscent of a French manicure. These cone flowers are hardy in zones 4-9 and attract pollinators with nearly continuous blooms from summer through fall. They grow 20-24 inches tall and 24 inches wide, and are deer-resistant.

Lobelia Laguna Royal Blue Pearl

These airy, deep blue flowers with white centers fill containers densely. Suitable for sunny spots, they can also be edging plants in rock gardens. Treated as annuals, they measure 8-12 inches tall and 10-12 inches wide, and have improved heat tolerance.

Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud

With ruffled petals, these petunias are unlike standard varieties. They bloom continuously, adding vibrant detail with their cotton-candy pink flowers and fading white centers. Expect them to reach 6-12 inches tall and trail up to 24 inches in containers.

Begonia Hula White

This begonia boasts a spreading habit with cheerful, yellow-centered white flowers. These grow 6-10 inches tall and 20-27 inches wide and thrive in both sun and shade settings.

Light Pink Beacon and Blue Pearl Impatiens

Resistant to downy mildew, these impatiens offer vibrant and understated blooms in full to part shade. They spread abundantly, performing well in both beds and containers. They grow 14-18 inches tall and 12-14 inches wide.

Spreading Petunia Shock Wave Rose Vein

These two-toned, star-patterned blossoms grab attention without overwhelming nearby plants. They spread while maintaining a mounded shape and are best suited for full sun. Expect them to grow 7-10 inches tall and 20-30 inches wide.

Jessica Damiano contributes gardening columns to The Associated Press. You can subscribe to her award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter for additional tips and advice.