If you are a gardener, you probably have some favorite plants that you grow year after year.
But you might also like to try new plants sometimes.
Gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently reported for the Associated Press
about one way to find new plants that might appeal to growers.
Each year, the independent nonprofit organization All-America Selections, or AAS,
enlists more than 80 horticultural professionals from around the United States and Canada to serve
as plant trial judges. Today, we share newly developed flowering plants meant to improve
the appearance of your garden. Solosia flama pink is an upright flowering plant.
This pink variety is the latest introduction in the flama solosia series. It is a small,
easy-to-grow solosia noted for strong blooming and vibrant, long-lasting flowers.
Judges praised its good performance even in hot and humid weather. It also lasts a long time
in a container after it is cut. The plant is bred by Clover Seed Company.
Vinca sphere polka dot is a flat, wide-petaled flower. Judges call this vinca variety resilient
and beautiful. With a naturally tightly grouped, rounded appearance, the plant blooms out.
It grows well in hot, dry conditions and has good disease resistance and durability
against heavy rain and storms. It is bred by Miyoshi and Company.
Zinnia Crestar mix combines the best crested zinnias in one seed pack. The pink, orange, red,
white, peach, and yellow flower blends well for mass plantings and succession sowing. Succession
sowing means growing several plants that bloom in different seasons in your garden.
Zinnia Crestar mix can also provide a continuous supply of cut flowers during summer.
The sun-loving plants also tolerated heat and humidity well in the trials.
It is bred by Tachai Europe. Dahlia Black Forest Ruby has ruby-red flowers that show up nicely
against dark-colored leaves. The disease-resistant plant impressed judges with its overall durability.
It was bred by Tachai Europe BV.
Dianthus interspecific Capitan magnifica is a new Dianthus plant. It thrived through the test garden's
summer heat. Its pink flowers that grow on long stems can be used as cut flowers.
Cutting the plants back after their first bloom can result in strong new growth and better flower
production. This Dianthus was bred by Selecta 1. Marigold mango tango is a marigold that has
two colored blooms, yellow and red. The small strong plants provide non-stop color
over an extended season. The variety was honored by European judges. It can be used for plantings
in garden borders and in containers. Ernst Benary of America bred this variety.
Nasturtium baby gold, Nasturtium baby red, and Nasturtium baby yellow were also praised by
European judges. These new small Nasturtiums produce golden yellow, rich red, and soft yellow
flowers that look pleasing next to their dark green leaves. The judges praised their uniformly
small appearance. Takai Europe BV bred these flowers. Petunia Deco Max Pink is easy to grow
and grows quickly. These spreading flat blooms excited the judges during summer trials.
Flowers covered the plants throughout the season and held up well against heavy rain
and bad weather. It was bred by Syngenta Flowers. Petunia Shake Raspberry F1 has been compared to
a blended raspberry milkshake swirled with lemon lime green sorbet on a superior performing petunia.
This flower resisted heat and provided colorful blooms all season. It was bred by Hem Genetics BV.
Snapdragon Double Shot Yellow Red Heart F1 smells like sweet candy. It bloomed earlier than similar
varieties in the trials. Trial judges noted its healthy, strong growth, long-lasting flowers,
and good heat tolerance. Hem Genetics also bred this variety.
And finally, Zinnia Zydeco Fire is a disease-resistant zinnia variety
that is fiery orange colored with strong stems. Judges found its flowers to be larger
and more resilient than those of similar plants. Syngenta Flowers bred this variety as well.
We hope this list provides you with ideas for your garden planting wherever you are. I'm Katie Weaver.