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Plant Picks for 2006

Rather than making resolutions, I start my New Year with a list of must have plants for the coming growing season.  It's a promise that I know I can keep!  The inspiration for the list changes from year to year and depends largely on my travels, conversations with fellow gardeners and plants that I have experimented with in my own garden.

This year my list was greatly influenced by a trip I made last summer to the Pleasant View Display Gardens in New Hampshire.  I was there as a guest of the Proven Winners group of plant breeders.  If you've ever been to a garden center or plant nursery, you've probably purchased Proven Winners annuals and perennials.

Pleasant View is one of Proven Winners' display gardens.  This is where they evaluate performance and experiment with plant combinations.  Much like a botanical garden, these display gardens are a great source of inspiration and, boy, did I walk away with a lot of ideas!   

There was so much color!  And I just couldn't believe the vigor of the plants.  It just goes to show how the right blend of care and quality plants can create one glorious garden!  Needless to say I spent a great deal of time scribbling down the names of my favorites.

There are 18 plants I saw at Pleasant View that made my Plant Picks for 2006 list.  I like to call them the "Hot 18" because they are so loaded with color.  Over the course of the year, I'll share my experiences growing these plants and hopefully some of them will become favorites for you as well.  Look for updates in my magazine articles, online "Allen's Garden" features and during my half hour shows.

To make the cut, the plants on my list must have great visual impact, and at the same time be low maintenance.  Many of these plants are new introductions this year and because these varieties carry the Proven Winners brand they are easy to locate at your local garden center.

The Hot 18

'Supertunia Vista Bubblegum' Petunia
- This variety of petunia truly is super.  They have a mature height of 24 inches and believe me, the plants I saw at Pleasant View were every bit that tall.  In fact, I thought they had been planted on a berm or small mound, but they came up to knee height straight from the ground.  To achieve this kind of growth and prolific bloom be sure to feed Supertunias? with a liquid fertilizer every 5 to 7 days, more if they are growing in a container.  Annual, Full Sun, Upright

'Supertunia Royal Velvet' Petunia
- Like 'Supertunia Vista Bubblegum' this variety of petunia is a real vigorous grower and a prolific bloomer.  'Supertunia Royal Velvet' has a mounding habit, which makes it a good choice for hanging baskets and window boxes.  The deep purple color of the flowers will look great in combination with orange, hot pink and chartreuse.  An additional perk is that this variety is day-length neutral.  This term simply means that the plant will produce an abundance of blooms even when the days are short in spring and fall, which translates into a longer blooming season. Annual, Full Sun, Mounding

'Superbells Plum' Calibrachoa
- I can still remember the first time I came across calibrachoa.  I was completely enchanted by the tiny bell shaped blooms.  Since that time plant breeders have developed some spectacular varieties and ?Superbells? Plum' is certainly one of them.  The flower is a light plum with dark purple veining and a yellow throat.  Annual, Full Sun to Partial Shade, Cascading  

'Superbells Red' Calibrachoa
- Another winner in the 'Superbells' family is 'Superbells Red'.  These calibrachoa are self-cleaning and self-branching.  This means no more need to remove faded blooms or pinch back stems to produce a fuller plant.  "Superbells Red' is a rich red with a darker red throat.  It is an excellent color for combining with orange, purple and golden yellow.  Annual, Full Sun to Partial Shade, Cascading
   
'Lemon Symphony' Osteospermum
- What strikes me about osteospermum is that the flowers are perfect brushes of color.  It is as if they are made of painted china. 'Lemon Symphony' has clear yellow petals and the indigo blue eye that is characteristic of all the 'Symphony' osteospermum.  Combined with white, gray, blue and variegated foliage this dainty bloom is a knock out from early spring to late fall.  This plant's heat tolerance makes it a particularly good choice for hot climates.  Annual, Full Sun, Upright
'Intensia Neon Pink' Phlox
- I love the form of this plant.  It is low growing, reaching only about 12 inches tall, and loosely upright.  It has a wildflower look to it that creates a natural effect in the garden as if Mother Nature had planted them herself. Annual, Full Sun, Upright

 
'Intensia Cabernet' Phlox
  - This petite phlox packs a big color punch.  Fuchsia blooms cover the plant from spring through fall.  Because it is a proven performer during the dog days of summer it's a great choice for regions with high humidity and heat.  In addition to the brilliant color this plant is a butterfly favorite and has a sweet fragrance. Annual, Full Sun, Upright

'Laguna™ Sky Blue' Lobelia
-Although I have other favorite colors, I'll always be a sucker for blue and this lobelia produces the most charming blue flowers in billowing masses that cascade over the edges of hanging baskets and containers.  I've never had much luck growing lobelia because traditionally it has been a plant for regions where summers are cool.  However I have been assured that 'Laguna™ Sky Blue' is quite heat tolerant and I can't wait to try it in my garden.  Annual, Full Sun to Partial Shade, Mounding   

'Dolce™ Key Lime Pie' Heuchera
-If you've ever grown heuchera you know that sometimes good foliage is about all these plants have to offer.  Which is important, but spectacular foliage plus attractive blooms is a combination that can't be passed up.  Such is the case with 'Dolce™ Key Lime Pie'.  The bright chartreuse leaves are what first caught my eye and then I discovered that this heuchera is also very floriferous.  Hefty spires of tiny peach bells are produced in spring and again in late summer.  It's a great plant to combine with dark burgundy and salmon.  Perennial, Full Sun to Partial Shade to Shade, Mounding Zones 5 - 11    

'Angelface Blue' Angelonia
- I remember when angelonias first arrived on the gardening scene.  I was intrigued, but not overly impressed.  With the 'Angelface' series the promise of angelonia has finally been fulfilled.  Super saturated bloom color, extra sturdy stems and high heat tolerance make this plant a must have for the garden.  Spires of bloom reach 18 to 24 inches tall.  It is a great choice for adding height and continuous summer color to flower borders and containers.  Annual, Full Sun to Partial Shade, Upright

'Angelface Pink' Angelonia
- One of the most breath taking sights at Pleasant View was a massive drift of angelonia 'Angelface Pink' positioned behind a bed of blush pink petunias.  The huge pink blooms of the angelonias rose up above their companions on sturdy stems that required no staking.  I confess that I was overwhelmed with plant envy and vowed to try 'Angelface Pink' in my garden.  Annual, Full Sun to Partial Shade, Upright

'New Wonder' Scaevola 
- Scaevola or fan flower took the gardening world by storm back in the 1990s and for good reason.  It's a pretty bloom with a tough disposition.  A native of Australia, it's a plant that I always recommend for gardeners interested in drought tolerance and low maintenance.  'New Wonder' produces blue-purple fan shaped flowers with a bright yellow eye on trailing stems.  Annual, Full Sun, Cascading   

'Whirlwind™ White' Scaevola
- There were no shortages of beautiful hanging baskets at Pleasant View Gardens and since I'm always on the look out for cascading plants for my container designs I took note of them all.  Especially impressive were the baskets of scaevola 'Whirlwind™ White'.  Large, pure white blooms literally covered the trailing branches.  I couldn't help thinking that these baskets would be a refreshing sight during the heat of summer.  Annual, Full Sun, Cascading

'Snowstorm Giant Snowflake' Sutera (Bacopa)
- Bacopa is another choice plant for hanging baskets and containers.  Like lobelia, nemesia and calibrachoa one can scarcely detect the plant under the cover of all the blooms.  True to the name this variety of bacopa has larger than normal, clear white flowers.  Annual, Full Sun, Cascading

'Cabana™ Trailing Blue' Sutera (Bacopa)
- In addition to the periwinkle blue color, I am smitten with 'Cabana™ Trailing Blue' bacopa because of the fiery orange stamens that accent the center of the bloom.  It is an electric color combination that sets this variety apart from others.  Although the flowers are dainty 'Cabana™' is extremely floriferous with a very dense habit.  I expect this plant will hold its own in any garden.  Annual, Full Sun, Cascading

'Blue Bird' Nemesia
 - Most of the varieties on my "Hot 18" list are warm season plants, but 'Blue Bird' nemesia is an exception.  This delicate beauty is quite frost tolerant and ideal for the early spring garden.  'Blue Bird' has snapdragon shaped, blue-purple flowers that perfect companions to other cool season favorites such as violas, ornamental kale and pansies.  Annual, Full Sun, Upright    

'Broadway Lights™' Leucanthemum
- Always a sunny face in the garden, I love leucanthemum or Shasta daisy as it is commonly known.  'Broadway Lights' made the list because of the chameleon quality of the flowers.  They open bright yellow, lighten to a butter cream and mature pure white.  At the height of its bloom the plant is covered in all three shades giving the plant a very painterly quality that I don't think even Monet could top!  Perennial, Full Sun to Partial Shade, Mounding, Zones 5 - 9

'Charmed™ Velvet' Oxalis
- I must confess that I hadn't given oxalis much thought until I saw it used in a container garden.  It was a design submitted to my container garden contest last summer.  A few months later I saw this variety and I was hooked.   I just couldn't resist the deep maroon foliage of this plant.  I'm going to try planting a drift of 'Charmed™ Velvet' along a shady path on the south side of my house.  The almost black leaves contrasted with the stark white and chartreuse blooms will be a dramatic statement indeed.  Perennial, Full Sun to Full Shade, Mounding, Zones 7b - 10    

The plants used in this container garden are from Proven Winners®.  Visit www.provenwinners.com to find a retailer in your area.