New Plants for 2010

Snow Princess™ Sweet Alyssum

(Lobularia 'Snow Princess')

This easy-care hybrid has fragrant, showy, white flower clusters that last well into summer. A short grower, reaching just 4 to 6 inches in height, it's perfect for containers or as a filler in landscapes among colorful flowers. It continues to bloom in hot weather, but prefers a bit more moisture than other sweet alyssums. If it shows drought stress, give it some extra water and it will bounce back quickly.

Invincibelle™ Spirit Hydrangea

(Hydrangea arborescens 'Invincibelle Spirit')

Invincibelle Spirit has all the adaptability and reliable blooming of an Annabelle hydrangea, but with more color. The dark-pink buds open to hot-pink blooms that turn a pretty dusty pink as the flowers mature. This reblooming cultivar will produce flowers from midsummer to frost. For every plant sold, $1 will be sent to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Apricot Drift® Rose

(Rosa 'Meimirrot')

A pretty groundcover rose, Apricot Drift(®) offers a fresh hue to the garden. Double apricot-colored flowers form in spring and display their bright shade all season. Tough and resistant to disease, this rose is best suited for small gardens or along paths and walkways.

Purple Rooster Bee Balm

(Monarda didyma 'Purple Rooster')

A beautiful new bee balm variety, Purple Rooster produces large, royal-purple flowers over most of the summer. Its mildew-resistant foliage is sturdy enough not to need staking. Like other varieties of bee balm, Purple Rooster is easy to grow and entices hummingbirds, butterflies and bees to your garden.

Mesa Yellow Blanket Flower

(Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Mesa Yellow')

An All-America Selections winner, this is the first hybrid blanket flower with a more uniform habit and prolific flowering. The 3-inch, daisylike flowers offer lots of color throughout the summer. Easy to maintain, Mesa Yellow recovers quickly from severe weather. The mature plants reach 20 to 22 inches tall in full sun and attract butterflies.

Zahara Starlight Rose Zinnia

(Zinnia marylandica 'Zahara Starlight Rose')

An All-America Selections winner, this is the first rose-and-white bicolor zinnia. It resists leaf spot and mildew and is heat- and drought-tolerant. Easy to grow and a prolific bloomer, it will brighten your landscape all season long, making it perfect for beginning gardeners. The mature plants are mid-sized, about 12 to 14 inches tall and wide-great for large containers or planted in front in a landscape border.

Heatwave™ Glimmer Sage

(Salvia greggi 'Glimmer')

This lovely selection has a longer bloom time and quickly reblooms from spring until frost, or year-round in mild climates. It is bred for disease resistance and works well in drought-tolerant gardens, perennial borders and patio containers. A fast-growing, rounded, compact plant, Heat-wave(™) Glimmer sage will grow to 30 inches tall and 36 inches wide.

Tropical Storm Hosta

(Hosta 'Tropical Storm')

This showy little hosta has heart-shaped green leaves with wide, brilliant yellow-gold margins that shine all season long. The leaves are puckered, making them less attractive to slugs. Lavender flowers top the plant in early to mid-summer. Smaller than many other hosta varieties at 8 to 10 inches tall and 16 inches wide, this one works best near the front of a border or as a flashy specimen in containers.

Earlybird™ Cardinal Daylily

(Hemerocallis 'Jersey Earlybird™ Cardinal')

This daylily starts blooming in May and continues through much of the growing season; some experts have recorded as many as 100 days of color. The 4-inch, ruffled-edge blooms are fire-engine red with a yellow-to-green throat. Foliage is thick and attractive. It thrives in many conditions. The plants grow to about 21 inches, each stem supporting numerous blooms.

Bloomerang™ Purple Lilac

(Syringa x 'Bloomerang')

Lilacs are a favorite for their nostalgic scent and purple blooms, but their beauty can fade quickly. Not anymore! This new reblooming lilac is very fragrant and has a compact growth habit, perfect for gardeners with limited space. It has a first show of blooms in spring, then reblooms in midsummer, sometimes sporting blossoms right up until the frost.