Hot New Annuals

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 display beds along the entry way drive.

Hot New Annuals for 2011

Heliotropium arborescens Simply Scentsational

The genus name Heliotropium derives from the Greek "helio" meaning "the sun" and "tropi" meaning "turn" as it was once believed that the flowers of the plant turned towards and followed the sun.

Clusters of small, blue-lavender flowers bloom in abundance on mounded plants growing 24-30” tall with lush green foliage. Flowers have a nice, soft fragrance, attracting birds, butterflies and hummingbirds.

This vigorous grower exhibits good heat tolerance and is excellent for large combination containers and for use in the summer landscape.

Verbena Superbena Coral Red

Superbena is Proven Winners most vigorous, heat tolerant, and mildew tolerant series. While always great in containers they are also fantastic in landscape beds. They can tolerate dry soils and lower fertility.

Normally either an application of slow release fertilizer or amending with compost is enough to keep them happy and blooming in landscape beds. They shouldn’t need to be trimmed back but can be given a “haircut” – a trim back – using a sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears at any time. While naturally well branched, trimming them back will encourage additional branching, fuller plants, and ultimately more flowers. When transplanting give them a very slight trim to boost branching. An application of fertilizer or compost on garden beds and regular fertilization of plants in pots will help ensure the best possible performance.

Enjoy this self-cleaning, no deadheading annual plant.

Mercadonia hybrid GoldDust

Another favorite of the Proven Winners trials is GoldDust, a lovely low-growing mercadonia.

Its mat habit makes it a durable, walk-all-over-it landscape item that loves the heat. Small green leaves are covered with yellow nemesia-like flowers. With 10 years of breeding behind it, it's bound to have some good characteristics. It can also be used in a container as a spiller (trails over the side of a container) plant.

This is the second year we have had it in our Linnaeus garden and everyone coming through the garden remarks about the brillant color which is displayed May thru October. It is an annual but in a protected area it will reseed itself.

Petunia Black Velvet

Black Velvet presents the world’s only black petunia, and there’s a lot of buzz around this unique new color which blooms from May through October.

The upright, mounded plants are early to flower, have a tightly branched habit, and are filled with color all season. Black Velvet is easy to grow with no special culture needed. Combo-friendly petunia partners well with many other sun lovers and it is a perfect fit for premium baskets and containers.

Petunia Black Velvet brings a sultry note to pastel bedding displays, and makes fiery colours more vivid. It has a bushy habit and is very floriferous. Combine it in a pot with Euphorbia Breathless White for the perfect display.

Calibrachoa Superbells

Calibrachoa Superbells Apricot Punch

Calibrachoa Superbells Coralberry Punch

Calibrachoa Superbells Blackberry Punch

Calibrachoa Superbells Grape Punch

Calibrachoa's can be fantastic in-ground plants, but only if they are planted in well drained soil.

Raised beds would be a good choice for planting Calibrachoa in the landscape. In the ground they shouldn’t need much additional water unless conditions are very dry. Proper watering is key to growing good Calibrachoa.

The plants are low-maintenance with no deadheading needed. They will do best if fertilized on a regular basis.

Petunia Supertunia White Russian

Most Petunia's will need to be deadheaded but Supertunia's are Self-cleaning, which makes their maintenance so much easier.

Always apply a slow-release fertilizer when planting them in May. Late July and August is when plants should be at their best, but there is only one problem: The plants have run out of energy and the gardeners realize it too late to help the plants recover. This is especially true in raised containers and hanging baskets.

At that time of year it is important to give them another good dose of slow-release fertilizer to rejuvenate their roots. Throughout the summer season a water-soluble fertilizer every three weeks is advisible to keep them blooming their little heads off.

Lantana Luscious Grape

Victorians adored lantanas, and we are rediscovering them today.

They are valued for their masses of flowers all season, and their adaptability to sunny, somewhat dry spots in the garden, as well as for their cascading habit. Lantana Luscious Grape is a gorgeous ground cover or container plant with rich grape covered blossoms and a white eye.

For best blooming deadheading is recommended.

Angelonia Angel Face

Angelonia Angel Face, also known as Summer Snapdragon, has been bred for outstanding flower performance throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons, with a wonderful upright branching growth habit.

The large flower size and garden performance make this a great choice. It is drought tolerant, fragrant, and also provides for a great cut flower that will last up to 10 days for your indoor enjoyment. To perform successfully, it needs humus-rich, well-draining soil.

Although it can be grown in partial shade, it blooms best in full sun and, once established, appreciates a drink during dry periods.

African Daisy Voltage Yellow

(African Daisy) Yellow Voltage Osteospermum displays vibrant, deep yellow daisy-like flowers and, unlike alot of Osteos, has a yellow eye.

Osteospermum is a dependable plant that blooms Spring until Fall. Yellow Voltage does well in hanging baskets, window boxes, landscaping and combination planters.

To promote additional blooms, prune back lightly. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies and can be used in a cut flower arrangement.

Verbena Temari Bright Pink

Temari is a splenid low maintenance ground cover, and is equally stunning in baskets, patio gardens, or spilling over balconies or window boxes.

It thrives in full sun and heat with lush, vigorous, cascading foliage with pink flowers all season until hard frost.

Along with attracting butterflies, it is self cleaning, no deadheading necessary.

Petunia Surfinia Violet

Surfinia is a trailing or spreading annual with velvety, violet ruffled flowers throughout the summer.

It is a vigorous and prolific bloomer with large attractive flowers all season long until a hard frost.

This easy self-cleaning (no deadheading necessary) petunia attracts hummingbirds & butterflies. It requires a fertile, well drained evenly moist soil.

Verbena Tukana Scarlet Star

Large scarlet and white flowers thoughout the season make this butterfly magnet an excellent choice for a low maintenance landscape plant.

While always great in containers, they are also fantastic in landscape beds. They can tolerate dry soils and lower fertility.

Normally either an application of slow release fertilizer or amending with compost is enough to keep them happy and blooming in landscape beds for the entire season. However, if planted in a pot, a regular fertilization will help ensure the best possible performance.

Exceptional Performers from Past Years!

We highly recommend the following plants from our previous years' Hot New Annuals test beds. Lucky Pot of Gold Lantana,Lavendar Skies Supertunia, and Goldilocks Rocks were outstanding. They stood up to the heat of summer providing great shows of blossoms. They looked fabulous up until the first freeze. These plants should be available for purchase at Southwood and other local nurseries.

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.

Supertunias form cascading masses of flowers that bloom all summer.

Other colors of Petunia Supertunias have also been winners.

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.

by Sandi Rebman,
Photos by Marc Schreiber