Top 10 New Annuals for 2011

Continuing on last week's theme of top performing annuals to check out for 2011, I now get to talk about the top 10 new annuals for this season. Some of these plants are new to market this year while some have been on the market for awhile but are new to Levi Runions Garden Center. New varieties are always exciting, even when they are old favorites that are making a comeback as some of these annuals certainly are. 

New for 2011

1. Petunia Black Velvet

This is one of the most highly anticipated new arrivals this year. Billed as the "world's only black petunia", this petunia is not merely dark purple but truly black. Black Velvet will be a fun one to add to container combos to add drama. Think of the possibilities! Also new for this year are Phantom, which features yellow stars on a black base color and Pinstripe, which has a creamy white star pattern on black.

2. Gryphon Begonia

This foliage begonia will add plenty of interest and texture to shade gardens. Large dark green leaves with white veining add a tropical look to shade gardens and will add drama and texture when combined with other blooming begonias such as Dragon Wing.

3. Plentifall Mix Pansy

A trailing pansy! This pansy will be another great addition to the shade garden. It can be used as ground cover for shade areas or used in container combos as a spiller. The mix is beautiful with shades of blue, yellow and white. 

New to Levi Runions

4. Lophospermum Wine Red

We had this vigorous annual vine last year in cream. I can't tell you how it fared because it flew out the door before it really even took off! The tubular flowers are adorable and the wine red will be magnificent. The plant can either be grown on a trellis or in a hanging basket similar to Black-eyed Susan vine.

5. Ornamental Grass Twisted Arrows and Twisted Dart (new for 2011)

Because Blue Arrows was so popular last year, we decided to expand our ornamental grass selection with these two interesting plants. Both are combined with curly juncus to give these plants whimsical curly leaves interspersed with the upright blue leaves the plants are known for. Twisted Arrows is the taller of the two with a height of 18 to 36 inches while Twisted Dart is more compact and shorter growing to 16 inches tall. Both are great as focal points in container combos. 

6. Rose Mallow (Lavatera trimestris silver cup)

This is not a new plant by any stretch but I saw this last year on the garden tour and I had to have it! This easy to grow annual looks like a hibiscus and grows very well here in our short summers. Plant details claim this plant grows to 36" but this one was at least 60". Perfect as a focal point in the garden. These gorgeous raspberry pink flowers will not disappoint. 

7. Vinca First Kiss Blueberry

Vinca is a great heat and drought tolerant plant for the sunny areas of the garden. Generally the colors tend to shades of pinks and reds but with First Kiss Blueberry the bloom is a deep blue color. Great variation for a tried and true plant. 

8. Zinnia Zahara Series

For zinnia lovers, this series is exceptional! Mildew and leaf-spot resistant, bigger blooms, continuous blooms, heat loving, drought tolerant plants in gorgeous colors. My favorite is the Starlight Rose which has to be the prettiest flower of any kind. We will also have Zahara Yellow which is a soft lemon yellow and Zahara Double Fire, a double zinnia in bright red orange.

9. Chocolate Cosmos

Smells like chocolate, look like chocolate! What could be better? This tropical perennial can be grown as an annual here. The plant is sterile so there is no reseeding as with the annual cosmos that are most common here.

10. Petunia Sophistica Blue Morn

Yes, last year I had the Merlin Blue Morn on my list of most anticipated. Wasn't impressed. Mostly because it died. So since I am still in search of a blue morn petunia to plant with my favorite red morn petunias I had to include this on the list. We did have a couple of other varieties of Sophistica petunias last year and were impressed with their growth habit and color. If this blue morn is like others in the series, it should not disappoint. 

Top 10 (and 1/2!) Annuals to Check Out for 2011

This is far and away my favorite post of the year! I get to talk about all the plants that I love from last season and look forward to growing again this season. In order to be included in this list, plants must be easy to grow (no fussing with them to make them look good!), they must be vigorous growers, but not so much they are problematic and of course, they must be gorgeous. All plants listed will be available at Levi Runions Garden Center this season. Now on to my top 10 (and 1/2!) favorites I'm looking forward to using again in 2011.

1. Begonia Solenia Velvet Red

I first saw this gorgeous begonia at the lake resort my family vacations at a year before we carried it. It was hanging on the lodge deck and was full and covered with beautiful red blooms. In late August. The blooms are smaller than the Non-stop Begonias but far more plentiful. And to keep this plant looking gorgeous? Just water it. No deadheading, no pruning. Just water. Perfect! Solenia's compact mounding habit makes it ideal for hanging baskets. And the colors! They are gorgeous! Far and away, I preferred the velvet red, however, the salmon coral was stunning. Other colors include cherry red (more pink red than red velvet), dark pink, light pink and yellow. This begonia is drought and heat tolerant and will take more sun than Non-stop Begonia. And did I mention that it never stops blooming? This is a must-have plant for 2011.

2. Lantana Bandana Lemon Zest

This plant was on my list last year as one of my most anticipated plants of 2010.  It did not disappoint! Previously, yellow lantanas were of the gold variety or tended to be more white than yellow. This beauty was a true lemon yellow with just a hint of white. Most pictures I've seen show it about 50% yellow and 50% white in the flower heads. That was not my experience as mine tended to be mostly lemon yellow. Everything you expect in a lantana with a bright, fresh yellow.

3. Sweet Potato Vine Sweet Caroline Light Green/Sweetheart Light Green

I absolutely fell in love with this sweet potato vine last year and that's really saying something because I already love sweet potato vine. How could I love it anymore? I can love it more when its habit is perfect for container gardening and hanging baskets! The light green variety has a similar leaf shape as the ever popular Marguerite sweet potato vine (my favorite) while the sweetheart light green has heart shaped leaves in the same color. The difference with this sweet potato vine is that this plant is vigorous without being too vigorous. Some cultivars don't take over smaller containers the way Marguerite might but neither do they flourish enough to provide the desired effect. Sweet Caroline walks the line between these two extremes and is a great compact sweet potato vine for smaller containers. 

4. Ornamental Pepper Black Pearl and Sangria

While these two plants are both ornamental peppers, they really couldn't be more different. Black Pearl has dramatic black foliage and delicate lavender flowers that give way to roundish black fruit that mature to dark red mini peppers. The peppers are edible but very hot. This plant is gorgeous at every stage and is stunning with silver foliage plants and white and lavender flowers. On the other end of the spectrum is Sangria. This plant has glossy green leaves with small pointy fruit in red, purple and orange. It's a veritable explosion of color throughout the entire summer. It just keeps putting out colorful fruit. These peppers are also edible but very mild. Both are easy to grow and a wonderful alternative to flowers to add color and texture to the garden. 

5. Torenia Summer Wave Blue

I think Torenia has to have the cutest bloom ever so when we got trailing Torenia in I was over the moon. Summer Wave is a vigorous, continuously blooming trailing shade plant. The color of the flowers is magnificent and so is it's growth habit. This plant adds punch to shade gardens and is perfect in containers as a spiller or by itself in hanging baskets. 

6. Coleus Kingswood Torch

With so many coleus varieties out there, it's sometimes easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices. They are all pretty! Kingswood Torch stands out for it's rich and vibrant color. This coleus has a rosy red center that blends to a gorgeous coral. The leaf margins are deep burgundy-purple tipped in yellow-green. Pictures DO NOT do this plant justice. They often look just red which is not a true representation of how beautiful this plant is. It's a larger coleus (up to 36' or more) and is good alone or as the focal point in container combos. As an added bonus, this beauty will grow just fine in sun or shade. 

7. New Guinea Impatien Celebration Sunset Apricot

The flowers on this New Guinea impatien are very large even by New Guinea impatien standards and the color is breathtaking. The color is a combination of rosy pink-red that morphs to a shimmery coral orange at the margins. The dark green foliage sets off these blooms beautifully. 

7 1/2. New Guinea Paradise Painted Series

I have to admit that I've been slow to get on board with these beauties but now I am a full-fledged fan. I've made them my 7th and 1/2 choice because we've had them for a few years. The variegated foliage alone makes this plant a stunner and then it blooms those gorgeous, large New Guinea impatien blooms! The foliage varies from dark green to yellow to burgundy, pink and red depending on the cultivar. White tends to have the least variegation with simple green and yellow leaves while red is more complex with pink and orange shades in the foliage. The other colors fall somewhere in between. Gorgeous from start to finish. I particularly love this plant combined with Baby Tut and trailing Torenia for a tropical mini-garden. 

8. Ornamental Grass Blue Arrows

Looking for an alternative to the traditional spike in container combos? Blue Arrows fits the bill. Very narrow and straight grey-blue leaves grow in a compact clump up to 36" high. It gives a very similar look as the spike with a bit more interest and texture. Drought and heat tolerant, this low maintenance plant is a terrific focal point for container combos. 

9. Petunia Sanguna Atomic Blue and Blue Vein

Not only is the color of this trailing plant absolutely fantastic but its habit is perfect for hanging baskets. In addition to trailing well it has a nice mounding habit before it trails which eliminates the "flat-top" that can happen with some trailing cultivars. Also, it is vigorous but does not get crazy which means it needs less pruning throughout the season and looks less played out at the end of summer. And the blooms! They are constant! Did I say the color was absolutely fantastic? It is. Combine Atomic Blue with Blue Vein (which has the same growth habit) and the result is purely divine. 

10. Cuphea Hyssopifolia Allyson "Mexican Heather"

Not a new plant by any means but I fell in love with its charms last year. If the delicate glossy green foliage doesn't get you, the adorable lavender flowers will. It also has a unique growth habit in that it grows in an almost triangular shape. In containers, this plant stays fairly petite but might get larger when grown in the garden. It's not fussy about soil and is drought tolerant. 


Next week: Top 10 New Plants for 2011

New Container Combos for 2010

It's that time of year again when I get to do my favorite part of my job at the greenhouse. Create container combos! When they don't know what else to do with me, my bosses tell me to go make up some combos and I am only too happy to oblige. I love creating combos. The worst part is, I generally fall in love with every one I do and want to take them all home. If I did that, I could forget getting paid. Ever.

Because I need to get paid in something other than flowers (although that would be complete heaven, if not for the cost of living), I got smart this year and bought an micro SD card for my phone so I can take pictures of the combos I put together at work. I may not always remember to bring my camera, but I always have my cell phone in my back pocket (I know, low grade radiation. I will regret it massively when I have butt cheek cancer). I like the idea of having a record of what I put together. Often, it goes out the door before I can see it mature and I don't know if it works or not. And I forget what I've done. I think it will be interesting to see what I get fixated on this year as well. Last year, it was pink and yellow and blue which is weird because as colors go, pink and yellow are not my favorites. But I just couldn't stop planting pink, yellow and blue. Perhaps it was because my closest friend was pregnant and the baby thing was on my mind. She had a girl by the way.

This year, I'm able to do combos earlier and hopefully will be able to get some idea of how these turn out. As always, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Plants don't always cooperate and grow like they say they will. They are rebellious that way. But the trial and error is part of the fun. So here are some photos of my baby designs that don't look like much yet, but as always, I am in love with them all. I hope they grow up well.

Orange King coleus is one of my favorites although I think it's hard to combine with other plants. Often I end up including it in all foliage designs. Here I've combined it with another favorite coleus called Indian Summer and a variegated lysimachia that's basically yellow foliage with yellow flowers. Not sure why it's called variegated but what I like about it is that it's similar in color to goldi lysimachia with much larger and fleshier leaves. I love the warm color combination of this and how it ties in with the pot color. I've also combined Orange King with burgundy oxalis (the little one with yellow flowers) and goldi lysimachia. It was gorgeous. Orange King gets really large so use this in a fairly large container.

Here's a new favorite coleus, Kingswood Torch. I love the orangy-red-pink color. You'd think that color would be impossible, it is not. And it's gorgeous. I've combined it here with Genta Antique Red diascia and Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green sweet potato vine. Pretty simple design yet I think this one could be gorgeous. I may hide this one so I can see it grow up.

One thing I am noticing this year in my designs is that I am tending to simplify designs to enhance one particular plant. Last year I was hella flower crazy (with the pink, yellow and blue) and this year I seem to be going for the subtle yet dramatic. We'll see how that goes. New to our greenhouse this year is Iochroma Purple Queen. I wanted to feature this plant since it's flowers are so unusual yet fairly subtle. I combined it with Breathless Euphorbia which will give it an airy look with tiny white flowers and Sidekick Black Heart sweet potato vine. The hope is that these two plants will allow the Iochroma to shine while adding texture and drama.

This is similar to a combo I did last year that I really loved. Unfortunately, I did them for specific customers and then they went right out the door so I didn't get to see how they grew up. I love the tropical look of this. I started with Baby Tut and added Painted Paradise New Guinea Impatiens in pink. If the New Guineas never bloomed this combo would still be gorgeous. In fact, I chose the Catalina Gilded Grape torenia to go with the foliage rather than the flowers. Hopefully, the pink won't look too out of place. If it does, I guess I'll just pinch them off because I think this combo is pretty much perfect right now.

I'm excited to see how these grow up. They feature a new plant for us called Violina Violas in orange. This is a trailing viola and right now, in the greenhouse, it is gorgeous. I combined them with both Baby Tut and Juncus Big Twister. I also threw in some Halloween Pansy plugs between the violas. Hopefully they won't get lost. I think the orange/black combo could be really cool, not to mention that it's the high school colors here.

I loved the way the bronze sweet potato vine looked against this simple tan planter but I didn't want it to be boring. I brightened it up with Electric Lime coleus which will get more yellow throughout the season and Genta Antique Red diascia. For a bit of whimsy I threw in a Juncus Big Twister. I might have started with tan but I think this combo will be anything but boring. I may have to hide this one, too.

Sometimes, when we have an abundance of something, my bosses will request that I use a certain plant. A lot of a certain plant. This year, we went a little overboard on the Burgundy Star Easy Wave. It's the boss-man's favorite plant. They were getting a little leggy and in need of planting so I did a series of combos you can see here, here, and here. My favorites are this one are this one with curry and tricolor sweet potato vine and this simple little diddy with Juncus Blue Arrows and bacopa. I think it's the pot that makes it work. It's just cute. It's fun to have a challenge to use something I might not otherwise choose and see how many different ways I can use it.

That's the beginning of my combos for this year. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some pictures of them as they grow so you can see what works, what doesn't and why.