Denny's Soapbox

What are 2010's Best New Annual Flowers?

As Mother’s Day approaches, patio pots, hanging baskets, window boxes, or flats of summer annuals might be at the top of the “what to get Mom” list to thank her for all the wonderful things she’s done. You can make the gift of blooming flowers even more meaningful by giving her some of the new flowers being introduced for 2010. The following are some names and descriptions:

Torenia
(several varieties)
Colorful flowers all season; excellent heat tolerance, loves the shade, low maintenance.

Calibrachoa
Superbells
(several varieties)
Colorful flowers all season; excellent heat tolerance, loves the shade, low maintenance.

Petunia
‘Tidal Wave Silver’
very vigorous mounding plants, can reach 3’ tall. Loaded with white flowers and purplish veins. A few plants make a huge impact, perfect for large areas needing color.

Impatiens
Fanfare Series
the most sun tolerant impatiens, Fanfares create an outstanding summer display. Abundant bright flowers cover the full trailing foliage. Shade to part shade 16-20” tall by 18-24” wide.

Euphorbia ‘Breathless Blush’ this elegant and durable new series includes the only red-flushed leaf form on the market plus a White with terrific branching and denser flowering. Heat tolerant Breathless fills in fast, makes stocky and mounded plants, and displays a showy mass of self-cleaning flowers all summer across a wide range of conditions. The long lasting, free-flowering plants are well-suited to solo and mixed containers, in-ground plantings and holiday gift planters, with low water needs and no deadheading.

Geranium ‘Calliope Dark Red’ a large true dark red geranium. Mix Calliope Dark Red with million bells and verbena to make a beautiful hanging basket. Calliope Dark Red is an interspecific hybrid with zonal-type flowers and leaves. It has an outstanding velvety red flower color. Calliope is a vigorous grower with a mounding to semi-trailing growth habit. Avoid severe drying out and consistent wilting. Geraniums are a favorite bedding and container plant and are grown in almost every region of the country.

Osteospermum
‘Volt Yellow’
this unique clear yellow variety will stop traffic, it’s the first Osteo in bloom and the last out of bloom with a mounding and spreading habit. Sun to part sun. 10-16” tall by 24-28” wide.

Euphorbia
‘Diamond Frost’
heat and drought tolerant plants, clouds of airy white flowers all season, low maintenance, sun to part shade, 12-18” tall by 10-12” wide

Begonia ‘Million Kisses Elegance and Romance’ New semi-trailing Begonia with strong and bushy foliage smothered with beautiful blush pink blooms. Continual flowering from April to October. Very free flowering and a refined habit; also copes well in both drought and heavy rain, no need to deadhead or trim. Shade to part shade.

Coleus ‘Gay’s Delight’ Lime green leaves with red to purple markings. This is a sun loving variety. Can also plant in light shade 24-36” tall by 14-18” wide.

Coleus ‘Freckles’ Bronze and orange splotches on pale yellow leaves all Summer. Great in containers and beds. Sun to shade 24-36” tall by 12-18” wide.

A word of caution: We can still have a frost through the middle of this month. Hanging baskets and blooming pots can be brought inside over night if necessary. Flowers planted in your beds cannot. You might keep any flowers meant for bed planting out of the ground for another couple of weeks. Giving Mom living color will give her and the whole family enjoyment for the entire season. Flowers which continue to bloom all season are a wonderful way of saying “Mom, these buds are for you”