Every year brings new and exciting plants for gardeners and this year is no exception. Here are some of the latest offerings for 2007.
One of the flashiest new flowering shrubs is ‘Pinky Winky’ hydrangea. Despite its rather silly name, it is a gorgeous plant with large two-toned light to dark pink flowerheads. The flowers emerge white in mid-summer and turn pink. New white flowers continue to emerge from the tip of the panicle until they reach a length of 12-16 inches. Strong stems hold the flowers upright, unlike the old-fashioned hyrdrangeas whose heavy white flowerheads are too heavy for their stems. Also different from the old-fashioned type, there is no need to try to adjust the pH of your soil to get pink blooms. The plant reaches 6-8 feet tall and makes a good focal point in the yard, or works as a hedge. Planted in sun or part shade, ‘Pinky Winky’ blooms well regardless of climate, pH, soil condition, or pruning.
If you are a hosta lover but don’t have room for big spreading plants, ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ hosta is ideal for small beds and even containers. It has thick, rounded, blue to gray-green velvety leaves that curve slightly inward like little mouse ears. The plants grow in diminutive mounds only 8 inches high and 12 inches wide. Like most hostas, clusters of lavender bell-shaped flowers emerge on taller stems in mid-summer. ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ should be planted in part to full shade.
A few years ago, gardeners discovered Wave petunias, and some people were overwhelmed by the prolific growth of the plants. For those who like the idea of the Wave, but want something a bit more restrained, there is Easy Wave. It has a more compact mounding habit and spreads three feet or less, but increases in height to 8-10 inches, making it perfect for containers and smaller gardens. This year Easy Wave comes in three new colors, ‘Coral Reef’, a perfect coral pink, ‘Tropicana Mix’ with flowers ranging from white to dark pink, and ‘Beachcomber Mix’ whose colors are light and dark pink and dark violet.
Each year brings innovative colors for those who love impatiens. This year’s offerings include three new mixes. ‘Salsa’ is a blend of red, salmon and coral, ‘Sweetheart’ is a mingling of rose, pink and white, and ‘Tropical’ is a jumble of coral, rose and salmon. The 10-12 inch plants are a mass of color all summer and are good in hanging baskets or planted in drifts in a flowerbed. Impatiens do best in part to full shade.
Vegetable gardeners might want to try the new ‘Red Meat’ radish. These radishes have a creamy white to light green skin, but inside are bright pink, like miniature watermelons. They have a sweet mild flavor and the roots grow to 2-4 inch diameters. They hold a long time without becoming woody. ‘Red Meat’ does best when planted in late summer or early fall rather than in early spring.
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