85 Chief Justice Cushing Hwy ~ Rt. 3A ~ Scituate, MA 02066 ~ 781-545-1266

 

Hot New Plants

for 2008

Proven Winner Annuals

Angelonia Angel Face Pink – The new pink flowering Angelonia.  Upright flowers stems similar to a Delphinium, but flowers from spring thru fall.  Full sun.  Other previous colors include blue, purple and white.

Calibrachoa Tequila Sunrise – This orange flowering petunia from the Million Bells series is very striking!  This plant stood out to me at the Proven Winner trial gardens we visited this summer.  Full sun.  No need to dead head, these are self-cleaning easy plants to grow.  Small trailing plants that can be used for window boxes, small containers and planting in the landscape.  They come in a variety of colors.

Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ – Most Euphorbias are perennials known for their foliage.  This new annual type is noted for its never ending flowers!  Dainty white flowers cover this plant. Professional horticulturists are very excited about this versatile plant, as are we!  From all accounts this is one of the best performing plants.  Our salesman, who works long hours and is never home, said even his neglect could not kill this plant.  Try it in a mixed container or by itself!  You’ll be happy.  Full sun or part shade.

Osteospermum ‘Soprano Lilac Spoon’ Very cool!  Spoon shaped petals on this daisy type flower.  Cape Daisies are being bred for more heat tolerance.  Most prefer the cool seasons of spring and fall, but these are more tolerant of heat.  Full sun.

Supertunia ‘Vista Bubblegum’ – Masses of medium pink flowers.  This is another plant that stood out to me at the Proven Winners trial garden last summer.  Supertunias in general are great performers, especially planted in the ground and in hanging baskets.  They spread out fill space and provide non-stop color in sunny areas.  Like all plants in the petunia family, it is best to fertilize them regularly with a high nitrogen fertilizer.

Phlox ‘Cabernet’ – Most people think of Phlox as a perennial, but we planted this annual last year at the entrance to our store.  It flowered from spring until fall with minimal maintenance!  Cabernet is a wine red/pink flower, but these come in white and various other shades of pink.  Full sun.  Listed as growing to 12”, but will get about twice that size if happy in your garden!

Bacopa ‘Trailing Blue’ – When we first started trying Bacopa, we just assumed with all the flowers, it was a plant that preferred full sun.  We were wrong, these plants actually do quite well in part sun, particulary during the heat of summer.  Great for hanging baskets and trailing out of containers and window boxes.  This one is a lavender blue, but they also come in white.  Tolerant to full sun or part shade.

Torenia ‘Midnight Blue’ – We also thought this plant was a best in sun, but we have found they perform great with some shade.  These make great plants in hanging baskets.  The flowers come in blue, purples and pinks.  Many of them have a yellow throat.  Part sun is best.

Lantana ‘Tropical Fruit’ – A new lantana that will catch your eye.  A standout at the Proven Winners trial gardens.  Interesting two toned variegated foliage when you look closely.  Lantanas are easy to grow in full sun in the hottest part of the garden.  This one has a nice bi-colored effect of yellow and mango.  Great summer color easy to grow!
For pictures and more information on Proven Winners visit www.provenwinners.com

Perennials

Dianthus ‘Firewitch’ – this is not a brand new plant, but a great one worth mentioning, because it was voted to be the Perennial Plant of the Year for 2006.  A long blooming vibrant pink flower.  Low growing with nice blue green foliage.  Best in sun or part sun.

Echinacea Big Sky Series- this new series of sun loving coneflowers is the most exciting group of new plants in years!  The new varieties include ‘Sunrise’, ‘Sunset’, ‘Sundown’, ‘Twilight’ and ‘Harvest Moon’.  New colors range from orange to yellow to a vibrant reddish pink.  We’ll let you be the judge of your favorite, but these plants are a true breakthough!  The prefer full sun.

Gaillardia grandiflora ‘Summer Kiss’ - Hot colors are in.  This is an orange flowering plant that blooms late spring into summer.  Does great in a sunny spot.

Gazania linearis ‘Colorado Gold’ – we thought this sounded interesting.  Normally we know Gazania as a long blooming hardy annual.  This one is a very hardy perennial with yellow daisy like flowers starting in May and not stopping until fall.  Sounds like a winner.  Full sun.

Heuchera Dolce series – Just thought we’d point out some of the many new Coral Bell varieties that are hitting the gardening scene. Dolce series includes Creme Brule (bronze foliage), Key Lime Pie (lime green foliage), Peach Melba (orange foliage) and brand new ones, Licorice, Mocha Mint and Crème de Menthe.  Mocha Mint has nice white and green leaves and is supposed to produce abundant masses of lovely pink flowers.  Keep an eye out for these garden gems.  Tolerant to sun or shade, best in part sun.   

Leucanthemum ‘Broadway Lights’ – A breakthrough break.  Shasta Daisies typically only available in white.  This is a new yellow variety.  We are expecting this to be one of the most popular new plants of the year.  Like most Shasta Daisies these are easy to grow summer blooming plants.  Does best in full sun.

Shrubs and Trees

Hypericum calycinum ‘Brigadoon’ – I’m personally looking forward to seeing this plant.  Looks great in the photos I’ve seen.  Brilliant yellow foliage.  Gold flowers.  Shade tolerant.  Dense low growing shrub, growing about 2’ tall and 4’ wide in 5 years.

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Blushing Bride’ – Introduced under the Endless Summer name.  This hydrangea has white flowers with a hint of pink.  Supposed to flower on new wood, just like the original Endless Summer, which means it will flower even if you prune it wrong or we have a cold winter.  Kennedy’s is one of only a few garden centers in the country to have these in 2006.  Supply will be limited.

Hydrangea ‘Big Daddy’ – Key feature huge flowers heads, up to 12-14”.  Blue flowers in acidic soil, pink in alkaline soils.  Grows to about 5-6’.  Promised to perform well in full sun, unlike other large leaf hydrangeas.  Listed as hardy to zone 5.

Rhus ‘Tiger Eyes’ – This was available last year, but more people need to know about this striking plant so we are telling you about it again!  Not noted for its flowers, but watch out for its foliage.  The new leaves are a vivid chartreuse green, quickly changing to its bright yellow summer color.  The stems are a fuzzy purplish-pink.  Tiger Eyes is even more exceptional in the fall.  It turns a luminous combination of yellow, orange and intense scarlet.  Grows with multiple stems to about 6’ tall by about 6’ wide.  Prefers a sunny location and is quite drought tolerant once established.  No known pest or disease problems.

Sambucus ‘Black Lace’ – A great new variety of our native Elderberry.  This is one of the most hyped plants for 2006.  Intense purple black foliage is finely cut, similar to a Japanese maple.  Soft pink flowers in spring contrast nicely in spring.  Cold hardy and easy to grow.  Best foliage color in full sun.  Grows about 8’, but can be kept much smaller with yearly pruning.

Syringa – Fairytale series Lilacs.  A great line of dwarf lilacs.  These plants tend to grow more bushy and more leafy than the traditional common lilacs.  Strong fragrance when blooming in spring.  Tinkerbelle, Prince Charming, Sugar Plum Fairy and Thumbelina are the varieties available.  Flowers range from red to pale pink.  These plants grow about 4-6’ tall.  We strongly recommend these varieties at Kennedy’s along with one of our favorites called ‘Miss Kim’.

Rose Bushes

Climbing Carefree Sunshine – Great new disease resistant winter hardy climbing rose bush.  Bright yellow long-lasting flowers.

Double Knockout – The sister seedling of the best roses Knockout.  The same disease resistance that has made Knockout so remarkable.  Abundant small reddish pink double flowers cover this plant from spring until fall.  This plant will become popular fast.  Also can be used in containers.

Julia Child – AARS winner for 2006.  Our literature notes Julia Child chose this variety just before she passed away.  She loved the butter gold color of this floribunda and licorice candy fragrance.  Great disease resistance.

Pink Traviata – Large deep pink blossoms.  A new hybrid tea variety from the Romantica series.  Long bloomer.  Large 5” flowers resemble old garden roses with the disease resistance of the new modern roses.

Rainbow Sorbet – AARS winner for 2006.  Extraordinary, extremely stylish and unique.  Disease resistant floribunda.  Medium-large blooms in shades of bright yellow, orange, and red, finishing into a stunning yellow-pink and the long stems are perfect for cutting.

Tahitian Sun – AARS winner for 2006.  Large 5” blooms explode with colors of orange, sun yellow and pink.  Fragrant hybrid tea variety.  Deep burgundy rich foliage.

White Eden – Striking old-fashioned looking white flowers with a hint of peach.  A nice new disease resistant climbing rose.

Wild Blue Yonder – AARS winner for 2006. The first lavender-ish rose to win the AARS award since 1978.  Unique color.  Wavy petals, velvety wine-purple layered on rich lavender.  Citrus like fragrance.  Grandiflora type.

Authored by Chris Kennedy, MCH. 

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Last modified: February 05, 2008