It is a gardener’s favorite time of year. It is the season of resting our knees and backs and thinking about our gardens. What worked well last year? What plant isn’t thriving where it is placed? Perhaps one of your trees fell, and that shady spot is now in full sun.
The gardening magazines are hot off the presses with their recommended plants for the new growing season. Many of these new cultivars will not show up in your local garden center for a year or two. We checked in with two large Mid-Atlantic wholesale growers. They shared with us the plants they are most excited about.
We have good news and bad news for those who are shade plant lovers. The bad news is that you will notice problems with the supply of new cultivars of hosta. Tissue cultures were caught up in pandemic-related lab closures in China. The good news? You may have noticed shortages of astilbe cultivars last year. This was due to the destructive flooding that hit the Netherlands in 2020 and Covid-related shipping delays. Astilbe supplies are improving, and wholesalers are reporting that supply chain issues, in general, are beginning to work themselves out. More good news is the wide variety of choices you can expect to find in local garden centers this year. Producers are breeding for more colorful foliage, compact sizes for gardeners with limited space, improved weather hardiness, and improved disease resistance.
Let’s get shopping!
The wholesalers we talked to were very excited about Schizachyrium ‘Chameleon’. This is a new introduction of little blue stem ornamental grass that is more compact, upright, and dense than the straight species. The Perennial Plant Association is promoting Schizachyrium scoparium and cultivars as the 2022 Perennial Plant of the Year. ‘Chameleon’ grows to nearly 40 inches tall and 20 inches wide. The foliage emerges with green and white stripes in spring and early summer. The colors change to pink and purple in late summer and autumn. Burgundy-red flowers make an appearance in fall. Gardeners will want to site this ornamental grass in full sun and well-drained soil.
Keep reading for more exciting perennial choices
Our growers are excited about new cultivars of traditional shade plants that can handle full sun. Fern-leaved bleeding heart, Dicentra ‘Pink Diamonds’ is one such plant. Pink two-toned flowers appear in late spring to early summer and continue throughout the season. The foliage is fern-leaved with a blue-green hue. Plant this bleeding heart in full sun and well-drained soil. ‘Pink Diamonds’ cannot handle wet feet.
Do you love ferns but have too much sun? Look for Sun-ferns ™. Sun-Fern™ is actually Russian wormwood, a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant perennial with a fern-like texture. This cultivar is non-invasive, unlike other wormwood cultivars. It grows to a height and width of between 14 -18 inches making it a perfect landscape or container plant.
For spring bloomers, look for the following:
False indigo, Baptisia, is a wonderful native plant that can handle poor soil and is equally happy in full sun or in a rain garden. Two new “nativars” (cultivars of native plants) include:
‘Grape Taffy’ – one of the most compact Baptisia, grows 2-2.5 feet tall and 2.5-3 feet wide and features spikes of deep reddish-purple flowers.
‘Plum Rosy’ – 3.5 – 4 feet tall and wide, mauve-pink flowers that lighten to white as they age, creating a bi-color effect.
Sea thrift, Armeria pseudarmeria Dreameria® series – 10-12 inches tall and wide, this plant features improved blooming from early spring through fall. It attracts butterflies and has excellent heat tolerance. It can even handle light frost. Plant this in full sun and well-drained soil. Deadheading will improve bloom rate.
Creeping phlox, Phlox subulata ‘Spring Hot Pink’ – 4-6 inches tall, this spreading perennial is perfect planted on a bank and will cascade over a wall. It is evergreen, deer and rabbit resistant and will attract butterflies. It prefers full sun and normal to sandy soil.
Sweet William, Dianthus x barbatus interspecific Rockin™ Purple – 18 to 24 inches tall and spreading 10 to 12 inches. This dianthus blooms from spring to fall and features increased winter hardiness. The flowers are lacy and lightly scented, and it is deer resistant. Plant in full sun to part shade.
Newer summer bloomers:
Another group of dianthus cultivars are called “pinks.” They bloom in early summer and will re-bloom in early fall if one-third of the foliage and spent blooms are sheared after blooming. The ‘Paint the Town’ series features magenta or fuchsia flowers and blue/green foliage. They stay short, growing only to 6 to 8 inches tall and have a mounding habit. Pinks are deer resistant, attract butterflies and make wonderful cut flowers.
The Agastache Poquito™ series has added an orange cultivar to the mix. Agastache is also known as hummingbird mint, and for a good reason–hummingbirds love this plant. Plants in the Poquito™ series grow 10 to 13 inches tall and 14 to 16 inches wide. Their abundant blossoms are fragrant and attract butterflies in addition to hummingbirds. Grow agastache in full sun and well-drained soil.
Tall summer phlox, Phlox paniculata, is a long-time favorite of Master Gardeners–it is native to the eastern United States and is a pollinator magnet. Unfortunately, the true native is very susceptible to powdery mildew. New cultivars have been bred that are resistant to powdery mildew. Look for ‘Fashionably Early Crystal’ as a replacement for ‘David’ if you are looking for a white blooming phlox. ‘Fashionably Early Crystal’ blooms earlier than traditional tall garden phlox. It grows to 2.5 feet tall and will spread to 2 to 2.5 feet wide. Summer phlox should be grown in full sun and in a location that will get good airflow. Sadly, summer phlox is a favorite of deer. We recommend choosing a more deer-resistant perennial for your garden if you have deer passing through or setting up camp. For more colorful summer phlox, look for these newer cultivars in your garden center:
- ‘Sunset Coral’ – flowers are coral pink with an orange tinge and grow on plants that will reach 2.5 feet tall and wide.
- ‘Ultraviolet’ – an improvement on ‘Nicky,’ this cultivar has darker stems, bronzed leaves, good mildew resistance, and a better bloom rate. ‘Ultraviolet’ grows to almost 3 feet tall 2.5 feet wide.
If you are a lily fan, you will love the new ‘Romance’ collection. These dwarf lilies only grow to 18 to 22 inches tall and have a wonderful fragrance and high bud count. This hardy bulb is perfect for containers in full sun or part shade.
If you have a hot, dry space, consider plants that do well in rock gardens. Stonecrops (Sedum spp.) are an excellent choice due to the wide variety of colors and their vigorous growth habit. A new cultivar, ‘Rock Candy’ features red foliage in spring with rose pink July blooms. ‘Rock Candy’ replaces ‘Voodoo.’ Place this ground cover in full sun and sandy soil. Another great choice for your rock garden ground cover is ice plant, Delosperma Ocean Sunset™ series. This series was bred for larger and more vigorous blooms.
Do you love foliage? The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society chooses Gold Medal Plants each year. According to PHS, “Gold Medal Plants have been selected for their ease of cultivation, multiple seasons of interest, commercial availability, appropriateness for the Mid-Atlantic Region, and value to wildlife.” This year coral bells (Heuchera) makes the list. They recommend Heuchera ‘Caramel’ for its three seasons of interest and attractive apricot-colored foliage. There are many coral bells cultivars available, and they are lovely in shade gardens. There are even some that can take full sun. According to Proven Winners, the darker the foliage, the more sun the plant can take. The new Dressed Up™ series of Heuchera features ruffled leaves that will provide color and texture to your garden or container. ‘Dressed Up Evening Gown’ has dark ruffled leaves, pink flower buds that open to white flowers.
For fans of autumn fern, Dryopteris erythrosora, be on the lookout for Jurassic gold fern, Dryopteris wallinchiana. New growth on this fern has a beautiful orange tone that will age to green. It will grow to 18 to 24 inches tall and should be planted in part shade to full shade. It will do well as a border plant in your shade garden or in a mixed container.
When the weather finally breaks and your local garden center begins to fill, remember that summer and fall bloomers may not look like much in early spring. If you give them a chance, they will have had time to develop extensive root systems and get established by the time they are ready to set buds.
It bears reminding that just because something is “new” it may not be as “improved” as advertised. We recommend visiting trial garden websites to get a look at how some of these new introductions performed.
- Penn State Perennial Trials
- Colorado State Trials
- Michigan State Trials
- Mt. Cuba Center
- American Public Garden Association’s Gold Medal Plants
- Chicago Botanic Garden
- PHS Gold Medal Plants
- Perennial Plant Association Perennial Plant of the Year
