Every year the nursery trade comes up with new and better varieties of some of your old favorites. Sometimes the plants are improved - more disease resistant or drought tolerant, for example. Sometimes the colors are brand new and eye catching. These are our hot new annuals.

You can see these plants in our 15 test beds along the entry way drive.

Lucky Pot of Gold Lantana

Like its vigorous lantana companions, Lucky Pot of Gold Lantana stands up well to heat, humidity and other stressful conditions. The dark green-leafed plants stay upright and mounded with a controlled habit all season, making them ideal for small-space gardens and mixed containers.

Culture Information : Allow plants to dry regularly between waterings. Pinch as needed to shape. Feeding at recommended levels will promote vigorous plants that will continue to actively grow and flower.

Lavendar Skies Supertunia

Petunia Supertunia Lavender Skies - This Petunia features beautiful lavender-blue flowers that almost shimmer in the sunlight. Supertunias are a vigorously trailing species of an ever-blooming, long living petunia from Australia. They will provide long term color in full sun areas throughout the season, and can grow nearly an inch a day. They are ideal for baskets, beds, balconies, and combination plantings. Supertunias are very heat and drought tolerant once established in the ground or pot. They do not need to have their dead flower heads removed to continue flowering and they are not leggy. Supertunias grow fast and therefore need ample moisture and fertilizer.

'Snow Princess' Alyssum

'Snow Princess' Alyssum

'Snow Princess' Alyssum is a new sweet alyssum known botanically as Lobularia and called Snow Princess because it looks like snow in the middle of summer.

Snow Princess prefers fertile, well-drained soil with plenty of sun. Its sea of white will excel as a groundcover, complementing whatever color you choose to partner it with. Be sure to give it room as it will spread 12 to 24 inches.

In addition to the landscape, Snow Princess will dazzle in mixed containers, falling over the edge like a blanket of snow. Plant it where you can enjoy its sweet honey aroma.

'Tiger Eye' Rudbeckia

'Tiger Eye' Rudbeckia

Tiger Eye is a Gloriosa daisy, and these plants really strut their stuff in the garden. Tiger Eye will get about 24 inches tall with an equal spread.

It is the first F1-hybrid rudbeckia, and as you look into the flower you will see orange and yellow with a dark brown eye lined in gold. Masses of daisy-like flowers will totally cover this new hybrid.

They are really easy to grow if they have full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. If you are plagued with compacted clay, then loosen with 3 to 4 inches of organic matter, and you will have great success in creating a beautiful display throughout the summer.

Ganzania 'Kiss Mix'

Ganzania 'Kiss Mix'

Large daisy-like flowers with sturdy stems form beautiful mounded plants with a mix of ten different colors.

Ganzania 'Kiss Mix' take full sun and bloom repeatedly from late spring through mid fall. These plants are attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds and are drought tolerant. They also do well in containers.

However, no plant is truly drought tolerant in a container, so water as needed.

Bidens Ferulifolia 'Goldilocks Rocks'

Bidens Ferulifolia 'Goldilocks Rocks'

Bidens Ferulifolia 'Goldilocks Rocks' is a vigorous, heat and drought tolerant plant with bright gold flowers from spring to fall.

Use it in hanging baskets, window baskets, and landscaping. This plant is low maintenance as no deadheading is necessary.

Zinnia 'Short Stuff Mix'

Zinnia 'Short Stuff Mix'

Distinctly dwarfer than most other zinnias, aptly named Short Stuff is perfect for growing in pots on the patio, or at the front of a border.

In a range of bright shades, it will put on a truly captivating performance with full double blooms.

Petunia Supertunia 'Pretty Much Picasso'

Petunia Supertunia 'Pretty Much Picasso'

Petunia Supertunia 'Pretty Much Picasso' has unique flowers sporting violet purple flowers edged in lime green.

This new Supertunia is low maintenance - no deadheading needed, and is heat and drought tolerant. Another plus is that it attracts butterflies and hummingbirds

Impomea Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green

Impomea Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Light Green

In the landscape Ipomoeas make great annual groundcovers. They have excellent heat tolerance and their vigor will quickly fill up the bed.

Ipomoeas also make great additions to combination planters, but they can sometimes overwhelm less vigorous plants. If you prefer to keep a more balanced look to your combination planters, you can cut back or remove stems at any time.

Lobelia Techno Blue

Lobelia Techno Blue

Unlike most trailing lobelias, this cultivar does not falter in hot temperatures.

Techno Blue is covered in intense, cobalt blue flowers. Its semi-trailing, mounding habit is a great addition to containers and hanging baskets.

It blooms from summer through fall in full sun to partial shade and is usually trouble-free.

Petunia Supertunia 'Indigo Charm'

Petunia Supertunia 'Indigo Charm'

This new Supertunia has a blue-purple flower and a trailing habit.

It is low maintenance - no deadheading needed, and it is heat and drought tolerant. It also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds

When planting in hanging baskets use a slow release fertilizer in the soil as you plant and make sure you water regularly during the hot summer months.

Verbena 'Lanai Dark Red'

Verbena 'Lanai Dark Red'

This new verbena is simply just the best trailing verbena on the market.

Lanai Dark Red flowers early and is free flowering from tip to crown with repeat blooms. The dark red flowers make this verbena both unique and very striking.

. This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds. It blooms from mid spring through mid fall and requires a regular average watering.

Verbena 'Lanai Blue'

Verbena 'Lanai Blue'

Verbena 'Lanai Blue' has solid masses of color on spreading plants.

Its trailing habit provides colorful blooms all season long.

An attractive plant with glossy, mildew resistant leaves, Lanai Blue has a larger flower with an improved blue color over the original.

Petunia Supertunia 'Sangria Charm'

Petunia Supertunia 'Sangria Charm'

This Supertunia is similar to 'Indigo Charm' but with bright pink flowers.

It is also low maintenance - no deadheading needed, and it is heat and drought tolerant. It attracts butterflies and hummingbirds

When planting in hanging baskets use a slow release fertilizer in the soil as you plant and make sure you water regularly during the hot summer months.

Rhodanthemum 'Moondance'

Rhodanthemum 'Moondance'

Rhodanthemum 'Moondance' is great in beds, along walkways, on patios, and in containers. It has white flowers with dark green foliage between eight and twelve inches high.

These plants intermingle well with other plants to fill in the middle ground of a combination planter.

Coleus 'Rebel Rouser Solenostemon'

Coleus 'Rebel Rouser Solenostemon'

Coleus 'Rebel Rouser Solenostemon' has multicolored foliage with an upright habit between sixteen and twenty-four inches high.

It will brighten up a shady area.

This plant is heat tolerant and deer resistant with low maintenance.

Vinca 'Nirvana Mix'

Vinca 'Nirvana Mix'

Nirvana is a tough vinca bred to be aerial Phytopthora resistant.

. Nirvana thrives under high temperatures and relatively dry conditions, so a porous media that drains rapidly should be used.

Vinca is a five-petaled, delicate-flowered plant. It spreads quickly due to the seeds falling on the ground and makes a huge garden of vinca.