10 Best New Flower Varieties to Grow This Year, According to Our Test Garden
Each year, the Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden grows new plants coming onto the market. Why? So we can help gardeners figure out which varieties are truly outstanding, based on their real world performance. And we mean real world—we don’t baby these plants other than perhaps a little more diligent weeding than a home gardener might do. Our plants have to contend with rabbits, bugs, hail, heat, humidity, floods, and other less than ideal urban conditions.
Of the new annual varieties coming onto the market this spring, here are the ones that excelled though all the challenges, according to Test Garden Manager Sandra Gerdes.
Sandra Gerdes has been the Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden Manager since the garden was started in 1998 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Bodacious Smoky Jazz Salvia
Sandra Gerdes
New to the Southern Living Plant Collection, this hybrid salvia is actually a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 8-10, but it works well as a summer annual elsewhere. In the BHG Test Garden, we grew it as a “thriller” plant in large containers, either on its own or with other flowers like petunias.
“This tall salvia is a definite eye-catcher with magenta flowers, dark calyx and stems that pop against bright green foliage,” Gerdes says. The flowers also attracted plenty of pollinators. This salvia can grow up to 3 feet tall and wide, though it stayed a little smaller than that in our containers.
SweetSunshine Blueberry Vein Petunia
Grant Webster
Blueberry Vein is a new color in Ball’s SweetSunshine line of double-flowered petunias. These vibrant pinkish purple petunias feature darker veins, creating an eye-catching two-tone effect on these petal-packed flowers.
“This double petunia, with its elegant frills and ruffles, added a stylish element to our mixed containers,” says Gerdes. She paired it with ‘Bodacious Smokey Jazz’ Salvia, which nicely echoed the darker colored veins on the petals.
Sunfinity Double Yellow Sunflower
Grant Webster
New to Syngenta’s Sunfinity line, ‘Double Yellow’ is a vigorous annual sunflower that grows a little over 3 feet tall and about 2.5 feet wide. Its size works well in containers or garden beds, and the stems are long enough to make excellent cut flowers.
“This well-branched sunflower was covered in cheery flowers all summer with a little deadheading,” says Gerdes. “Pollinators had no problems finding this multi-flowered beauty,” she adds.
Lake Como Salvia
Grant Webster
Part of the Salgoon series of salvias that offers heavily branching plants with lots of flowers, ‘Lake Como’ is a stunner. It produces wands of bright blue flowers from early summer into fall on compact plants that top out around 18 inches tall.
“If you’re looking for a new blue for your garden, you’ll love this bright, bushy salvia as much as the hummingbirds do. Give it full sun with good drainage and you’ll be smiling all summer,” says Gerdes.
Amore Pink Princess Petunia
Grant Webster
The Amore line of petunias wins the prize for the cutest annual flowers on the market. The patterns on the petals form little hearts that add a touch of romance wherever you grow them. ‘Pink Princess’ is a new color in the series, producing candy pink and white flowers all summer long.
“We grew these colorful charmers in hanging baskets,” says Gerdes. “The plants formed tidy mounds of foliage that were constantly covered with flowers,” she adds.
Lake Onega Salvia
Sandra Gerdes
Another new color in the Salgoon series, ‘Lake Onega’ gets about 2 feet tall when in bloom, a perfect size for large containers. Its wands of purple flowers are pollinator magnets, and keep blooming from midsummer into fall.
“For a dark, moody vibe, add this salvia with its dark purple, almost black flowers to your landscape. Deadheading will promote blooms all summer, giving you plenty of dark additions for bouquets,” Gerdes says.
Cannova Gold Leopard Canna
Grant Webster
Varieties in Ball’s Cannova series of cannas are bred to bloom earlier than other canna lilies. ‘Gold Leopard’ is a new addition to the collection, offering yellow petals with orange spots. Plus the plants are more compact, growing 3-4 feet tall.
“They’re the perfect size for containers, where the striking speckled flowers will add some tropical flair,” says Gerdes. She recommends keeping them well watered, and deadheading the faded flowers to keep the blooms coming all summer.
Crazytunia Black & White
Sandra Gerdes
The Crazytunia series is known for its bold color combos and large flowers. ‘Black and White’ is exactly what it sounds like: Pure white flowers with a black eye. Black veins radiate out from the center to create a striking contrast against the snowy petals.
“There’s nothing more classic than black and white, especially when you plant this petunia in a chic black container,” says Gerdes. You could mix ‘Black and White’ with ‘Black Mamba,’ another Crazytunia variety that’s all black, to amplify the moody effect.
Bandolero Lychee Lantana
Grant Webster
Lantana is a tough, heat and drought tolerant plant with flowers that attract butterflies and other pollinators. Bandolero lantanas from Syngenta are bred to have larger flowers, more vigorous growth, and lots of branching on compact plants. Several colors are available, and ‘Lychee’ is one of the newest.
“The bright pink and yellow flowers of Bandolero Lychee covered knee-high plants along our terrace wall, stopping pollinators and garden visitors in their tracks throughout the season,” says Gerdes.
Petunia Itsy Pink
Grant Webster
Itsy petunias developed by Syngenta have smaller, almost delicate looking flowers on vigorously branching, compact plants. Several colors are available and ‘Itsy Pink’ is one of the newest.
“You won’t need more than a couple of these plants to fill your hanging baskets. Small, but mighty in flower power, Itsy Pink bloomed all summer without needing to be deadheaded.”
