The 9 Best New Flowers and Plants for 2017

Roll out the red carpet for 2017's brand-new plants.

Announcing the latest and greatest flowers and plants for 2017! Introduce any one of these beauties to your backyard this year and prepare to be wowed. We explain why we picked each one of these plants for our best-of 2017 list, and include links, so you can buy each one from suppliers. We hope that this year you have the best garden yet!

Check out the lists from previous years, too:

Courtesy of Cool Wave

Cool Wave Morpho pansy

Viola x wittrockiana, Zones 5 to 9

Beautify the growing season with cool-season pansies. With delightful color and a spreading and trailing growth habit, they’re perfect for spring and autumn containers. One of the first plants you see in spring, it’s among the surest signs that winter is on its way out.

Why we love it: These colorful pansies bloom for a long time. That’s just one of the benefits of the Cool Wave brand.

Where to buy it: Cool Wave

Thompson & Morgan

Lemonade cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus, annual

Quench your thirst for all things citrus with a cosmos in a rare, delicately faded yellow shade. The very first yellow cosmos bipinnatus on the market, this beauty bursts to lemony life with a lush mass of flowers on strong 24-inch stems throughout the hot summer season.

Why we love it: Its delicate, subtle color is more of a yellow wash or
a tinge of yellow on white.

Where to buy it: Thompson & Morgan

Proven Winners

Vista Fuchsia Supertunia

Petunia hybrid, annual

A new line of the popular Vista Bubblegum Supertunia series, this fancy petunia packs a lot of color and blooms on its sturdy stems. An annual, it’s bound to be the highlight of your containers, and it looks stunning paired with other vigorous growers, such as sweet potato vine.

Why we love it: This low-maintenance, disease-resistant flower does not need deadheading.

Where to buy it: Proven Winners

Doreen Wynja for Monrovia

Strawberry Shake hydrangea

Hydrangea paniculata, Zones 4 to 8

For a spectacular summer display, plant a delightful new hydrangea. Sturdy stems support large flower heads that start out white and mature to a delicate pink. Plant it as a foundation planting, in borders or in containers.

Why we love it: A smaller hydrangea, the shrub is ideal for little areas that need color in the landscape. It is also perfect for cut flower arrangements.

Where to buy it: Monrovia

Hort Couture Plants

Under the Sea coleus

Coleus, Annual

For a stylish coleus selection, check out Hort Couture’s Under the Sea collection. These sophisticated yet reliable annuals feature attractive colors and texture along with distinctive foliage. Try Fish Net with its wine and chartreuse colors or Copper Coral for its striking gold and copper foliage.

Why we love it: These striking coleus plants look as if they were found on the ocean floor.

Where to buy it: Hort Couture Plants

Courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.

Poco Sunset dwarf red hot poker

Kniphofia, Zones 6 to 9

Pack a ton of color into a smaller space! The bicolor red-orange and orange petals on this sunny dwarf red hot poker make it a favorite with hummingbirds. Its short growth habit at 16 inches tall, its deer resistance and its drought tolerance make it a favorite with gardeners everywhere.

Why we love it: The remarkable color keeps going until late summer, even in its
first season.

Where to buy it: Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.

Poulsen Roser for Monrovia

Boulevard Nubia clematis

Clematis, Zones 4 to 9

Blooming prolifically in spring and reblooming in summer, Boulevard Nubia adds charm to your yard. With compact growth, it thrives with a flourish of blooms in small places or in large planters. It climbs 4 to 6 feet tall when it’s supported with an upright training structure.

Why we love it: The dark red, almost crimson color is stunning growing up a trellis.

Where to buy it: Monrovia

Proven Winners

Compact Fire Red SunPatiens

Impatiens x hybrida, annual

Heat up containers and flower baskets with fiery scarlet red impatiens. True to their name, they thrive in sun to part sun and are also heat-tolerant. Glossy green leaves serve as a backdrop to the showy flowers.

Why we love it: All gardeners appreciate a plant with a strong resistance to downy mildew.

Where to buy it: Proven Winners

Proven Winners

Graceful Grasses Prince Tut Egyptian papyrus

Cyperus papyrus, annual

The newest member of the Graceful Grasses collection, Prince Tut is a smaller version of King Tut, yet larger than Baby Tut. Prince has all the visual interest of the rest of the sedge family at a perfect in-between size of 30 to 38 inches tall.

Why we love it: The smaller stems have large poms at their ends, which add whimsical flair to containers without flopping over midsummer.

Where to buy it: Proven Winners

Crystal Rennicke
Crystal Rennicke is a freelance writer and editor from Wisconsin. She formerly worked as a senior editor for Birds & Blooms. is fascinated by the journey of the monarch and her bucket list includes a trip to their wintering grounds in Mexico.