Nursery Market Report June 2004: New Plants - Vivid Varieties

With varied colors and textures, the new wave of varieties for 2004 has hit the market. In the May issue of Lawn & Landscape, we showcased varieties from A through L. This month, we spotlight M to Z, including applications from the National Garden Bureau.

M
Marigold ‘Disco Red.’ Tagetes patula is a full-sun annual featuring bright red, 1½-inch blooms with yellow centers. The upright, 16-inch plant with a 12-inch spread suits container, landscape and mass plantings.

Marigold ‘Marvelous Orange.’ This marigold provides fully crested blooms measuring up to 3 inches in diameter. The 12-inch plants flower early and have a mounded habit.

Mimulus ‘Magic Yellow Flame.’ Mimulus hybridus produces yellow, 1½-inch blooms covered with small red spots. At 10 inches tall with a mounded, compact habit, this plant is suitable for containers, baskets or landscape plantings.

Morning Glory ‘Split Personality.’ Ipomoea purpurea has star-shaped, magenta, 2-inch flowers that are delicately split. This vine will cover fences and trellises, grow as a ground cover or hang in baskets. Provide full sun and this 7-foot annual will bloom from summer to fall frost.

N
Nicotiana ‘Tinkerbell.’ This nicotiana hybrid grows 35 inches tall with a mass of ¾-inch, rose-colored flowers. The unusual architectural plant is disease and weather tolerant. It thrives in full- or part-sun and shade landscapes.

P
Pansy ‘Atlas Raspberry Mix.’ Viola x wittrockiana is a mixture of rose, pink and white 3- to 4-inch blooms on 6-inch plants. This full-sun annual tolerates heat, cold, frost and wind. Use in containers or mass plantings.

Pansy F1 ‘Fama Peach Shades.’ This pansy was bred for weather extremes of heat and bitter cold. Pastel shades range from rosy pink to apricot on 3- to 3½-inch blooms. This full- to part-sun biennial is 4 to 6 inches tall, and the series offers 20 colors.

Petunia ‘Easy Wave Salmon.’ Fast-blooming plants flower freely all season, creating a solid 8-to 10-inch mass of salmon pink, 2¼-inch blooms. The plant will spread 2½ feet in a full-sun container, basket or landscape planting.

Petunia ‘Hurrah Lavender Tie Dye.’ Multicolored 2½ - to 3-inch, dark lavender-purple flowers mature to silvery blue. Early-flowering, compact, 12-inch plants resist stretching.

Petunia F1 ‘Limbo Violet.’ Dark violet, 3-inch blooms appear on compact plants 6 to 7 inches tall. Blooms recover quickly from severe weather, and no deadheading is needed.

Petunia F1 ‘Symphony Light Blue.’ Compact and free- flowering, this petunia has excellent after-rain recovery. Three-inch blooms appear on 12- to 15-inch plants that spread 18 to 20 inches.

Portulaca F1 ‘Sunseeker Red.’ Fully double, red, 2-inch flowers stay open long into the evening. Grow this heat-tolerant annual in full-sun containers or landscape beds.

R
Rudbeckia ‘Moreno.’ Rudbeckia hirta features 5- to 6-inch, bicolored blooms that are mahogany red with orange to gold tips. The compact, upright, 12- to 15-inch plants need full to part sun in mass plantings or containers.

Rudbeckia ‘Toto Mix.’ This mix includes ‘Toto Gold,’ ‘Toto Lemon’ and ‘Toto Rustic.’ Compact, well-branched, 12- to 15-inch plants have 2- to 3-inch flowers. Use for a stunning show of summer color.

S
Salvia ‘Reddy.’ This dwarf, bright red salvia stays compact. Plants will tolerate heat and wind, and they require full to part sun.

Solanum ‘Five Minute Plant.’ Solanum atropurpurum has purple-black stems and greenish-purple leaves. Small yellow flowers followed by green and white clustered berries contrast with the dark, 4-foot plant.

Sunflower ‘Pacino Cola.’ Helianthus annuus is perfect for pots. With contrasting golden yellow petals and dark-eyed, 4- to 5-inch blooms, these 12- to 16-inch plants have smooth leaves. This sunflower tolerates heat and drought and grows in full sun to shade.

Sweet Pea ‘Cupid Color Palette.’ Lathyrus odoratus grows 8 to 10 inches long, with sweetly scented flowers that bloom on softly cascading branches. Try rose, white, pink, lavender or deep purple blossoms in containers.

T
Thunbergia ‘Spanish Eyes.’ Thunbergia alata is a vigorous annual vine with a range of warm sunset-colored, dark-eyed flowers. Use as a ground cover, screen or hanging basket. 

V
Vinca ‘SunStorm Pink.’ Catharanthus roseus is well-branched and covered with 1¾-inch dark pink flowers. This heat-tolerant, full- sun annual grows 8 inches tall with a spread perfect for containers, landscape beds or mass plantings and comes in nine colors.

Viola F1 ‘Carpet Gold Eye Cream.’ Viola x williamsiana is a soft cream color with a bright yellow eye. One-inch flowers born on short, flowering stems create a carpet of color that stands out even in the dark.

Viola ‘Patiola Violet with Yellow Face.’ This super-sized viola with 2-inch flowers has a dense, compact, well-branched habit. The free-flowering, 6-inch biennial overwinters easily.

Z
Zinnia ‘Peppermint Stick.’ Dramatic 3- to 5-inch striped flowers grow 2 to 3 feet and come in blotched scarlet, carmine, vermillion, orange and rose on cream and yellow blooms.

Zinnia ‘Swizzle Scarlet & Yellow Bicolor.’ Double, bicolored blooms are held closely to full, upright, 10- to 12-inch plants. Plant in a sunny bed or container.

The author is contributing editor to Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at acybulski@gie.net.