The Best Plants for Your Yard and Garden This Season
Santa Fe, New Mexico (PRWEB) April 25, 2015 -- It’s time to get planting.
The weather is warming up and the yard awaits. Fortunately, there is a delightful assortment of new flowering plants for the yard and edibles for the garden. These new varieties bring life to a yard and garden—in the form of exciting new colors and delicious new vegetables and fruits.
Here’s a roundup of some of the very best.
THE BEST OF THE NEW FLOWERS
Flowers bring color to a garden. Fortunately, exciting new flowering plants and collections abound this year. The bright, colorful blooms of flowering annual, tropical and perennials plants make a delightful addition to any garden, patio or balcony, and make the warm spring and summer months all the more enjoyable. With so many great options to choose from, a gardener’s hardest task will be deciding which of these new flowering plants and seed mixes to bring home.
Introducing a Red-Flowered Hydrangea
It’s always big news when a new flower color is introduced to a plant species. For years, hydrangeas have been widely available in soft blue, pink and even white. But now there’s a new cultivar called Grateful Red® Hydrangea, which brings deep red tones to this magnificent family of flowering shrubs for the first time.
Grateful Red® Hydrangea (also known as Hydrangea macrophylla ‘McKRed’), is an introduction from Wisconsin-based McKay Nursery. This new variety has all of the characteristics of your favorite garden hydrangeas – including big leaves and even bigger blooms that come all summer long.
When grown in alkaline soils, the flowers of Grateful Red® Hydrangea are a deep pink verging on red that is unlike any other hydrangea on the market. As autumn approaches, the flowers turn a velvety lavender color that complements the purple tint of the leaves. In acidic soils, the flower will be a darker purple color.
Grateful Red® Hydrangea grows 3-4 feet tall in USDA zones 4-7, and it will become the star of your shady garden or border. Plant it where you can enjoy its unique coloration often as you walk by it. Make sure you can reach it to cut the red blooms, too, because it will provide you with armfuls of flowers for your vases all season. This new introduction is not yet available in garden centers, but it is available online. A 3-gallon container plant sells for $49.95 from http://www.naturehills.com.
A Dwarf English Lavender for Small Spaces
‘Wee One’ is wonderful dwarf English lavender with small heads of clear blue flowers and dark blue calyxes. This slow-growing little beauty is great for small spaces, and it doesn’t need much trimming to keep it tidy. In flower, a mature Lavandula angustifolia ‘Wee One’ plant is only about 10 inches tall and 12-16 inches wide. ‘Wee One’ is very xeric and has excellent heat tolerance. It will reach mature size by the end of the third growing season. ‘Wee One’ is thought to be a bee-pollinated garden cross between ‘Thumbelina Leigh’ and Dwarf White English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia ‘Nana Alba’) that was discovered in the garden of High Country Garden’s Chief Horticulturist, David Salman. Grows throughout Zones 5-9. Plants are $8.99 in a standard 2.5-inch pot, exclusively from http://www.HighCountryGardens.com.
A Tropical Flower for Patios and Containers
Looking for a blast of tropical red that grows great in containers? Mandevilla ‘Sun Parasol Red Emperor’ is the latest addition to the Sun Parasol Giant group of mandevillas bred by Suntory Flowers. Red Emperor offers superior garden performance and disease resistance, and it produces striking large red flowers. Gorgeous trained to a trellis or obelisk in patio containers, vining Red Emperor reaches a height and spread of 10-15 feet. As a tropical plant, it is hardy to USDA Zones 9-10, and it makes a great container plant for growing outdoors in the summer and indoors when temperatures cool off. Sun Parasol Red Emperor thrives in heat and humidity, and it loves sunny exposures.
There are nearly 20 varieties of Sun Parasol mandevillas to choose from in shades of red, pink and white. Find Sun Parasol Red Emperor and other Sun Parasol mandevillas at your favorite garden retailer or purchase directly at http://www.bigbadflower.com. For more information, visit http://www.sunparasol.net.
Grow a Pollinator-Friendly Garden from Seed
Backyard gardeners can have a huge positive impact on populations of natural pollinators by planting pollinator-friendly gardens this season. The Pollinator Habitat Wildflower Collection includes 1/4 pounds of four popular pollinator garden seed mixtures: Pollinator Mix, Butterfly & Hummingbird Mix, Bee Mix, and Beneficial Bug Mix. This complete collection has wildflower favorites for every kind of pollinator, including butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and beneficial bugs. Not only will you be helping the dwindling pollinator population by planting this collection, but you’ll also enjoy a rainbow of blooms starting in just weeks and coming back year after year. One pound of seed covers 2,000 to 3,000 square feet of garden space. The Pollinator Habitat Wildflower Collection sells for $29.95 from http://www.AmericanMeadows.com.
Hibiscus ‘Voodoo Queen’ Flowers Change Color Every Day
A new hybrid Hibiscus called ‘Voodoo Queen’ features huge flowers that actually change color from morning to afternoon. ‘Voodoo Queen’ (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Voodoo Queen’) blooms with large flowers that are 7 to 8 inches in diameter. In the morning, the blooms open with pink petals highlighted with violet centers and a burgundy heart. By afternoon the flowers change color to yellow petals with gray-lavender centers and a strawberry-tined heart. Not only is ‘Voodoo Queen’ a spectacular addition to any tropical-themed garden, but it’s like having two plants in one. When grown outside, the showy flowers attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.
Hibiscus plants perform best in full sun with plenty of water and generous fertilizer to maximize their blooming potential. ‘Voodoo Queen’ is cold hardy to USDA Zone 10, so it is often grown as a container plant in a sunroom or on a sunny patio. Bring it inside when the nighttime temperatures drop to the low 50s. Hibiscus ‘Voodoo Queen’ is available in a 4-inch pot for $19.95 from Logee’s, (888) 330-8038 or http://www.logees.com.
THE BEST OF THE NEW EDIBLES
Gardens full of edibles are not only beautiful, they are delicious as well. The sweet satisfaction of eating fresh vegetables and fruits that you harvested in your backyard is something gardeners look forward to year after year.
Every spring, delectable new varieties of vegetables become available for the first time. This year is no exception. Get ready to sink your teeth into a delicious harvest!
Grow Delicious Fresh Mushrooms
Morel mushrooms are hunted in the wild by thousands of people every year for their delicious taste and their distinctive honeycomb-like upper cap. The Morel Habitat Kit now makes it possible to grow morels in your own backyard for a personal supply of fresh morel mushrooms to eat in the spring.
Morel mushroom habitats may be started in any type of soil and have produced morel mushrooms in almost all areas of the United States (wherever there’s a distinct spring season between winter and summer). The Morel Habitat Kit contains the spawn (seed) of a unique morel strain and complete instructions needed to seed a backyard morel habitat that can produce pounds of morels each year in a properly maintained four-foot by four-foot area. Morel Habitats are perennial, and they may be started any time your soil is workable. The Morel Habitat is earth friendly, sustainable and ecologically sound.
The Morel Habitat Kit sells for $32.95 from Gourmet Mushrooms at http://www.gmushrooms.org. Also available are indoor mushroom growing kits including the Sonoma Brown Mushroom Kit and the Blue Oyster Mushroom Kit.
Plant These Skinny Apple Trees Almost Anywhere
Imagine an apple tree that grows 10 feet tall but only two feet in diameter—and produces full-sized apples. Tasty Red and Blushing Delight are two new varieties of Urban Apple® trees that make it possible to grow apples in tight spaces where a standard-sized apple tree simply will not fit.
Urban Apple® trees are loaded with fruiting spurs along the main trunk, and branches are short and upright. This growth habit produces straight, upright-growing, cylindrical apple trees. Tasty Red and Blushing Delight apple trees are hardy, disease-resistant and boast a vigorous growth rate. Plant these trees in the ground, or transplant them to large containers for growing crisp, fresh apples on decks, patios, balconies or any other narrow spaces.
Tasty Red and Blushing Delight are sold together to ensure optimal cross-pollination and fruit production. Tasty Red is a gorgeous, bright red apple. It’s a perfect complement to the leafy-green, rose-blushed hue of the Blushing Delight apple. The difference in appearance contributes to their showy display at harvest, and both apples are sweet, juicy and just as large as an apple from a much larger tree.
The Urban Apple® Combo from Nature Hills Nursery includes two bareroot trees ready for planting—one of each variety. The combo normally sells for $199.90, but it is now on sale for spring planting for $99.95 at http://www.naturehills.com, (888) 864-7663.
Now You Can Grow a ‘Cupcake’
Summer squash is a longtime vegetable garden favorite because of its dependable production in almost any growing conditions. Cupcake Hybrid Summer Squash is a new variety, available exclusively from Burpee, that gets its name from its cupcake shape. The delectable fruits are 2-5 inches across and boast a flavor that is somewhat sweet and somewhat savory. Cupcake Hybrid Summer Squash is a great choice for roasting, slicing, grilling, boiling and stuffing. ‘Cupcake’ combines patty-pan squash’s rich, sweet flavor and zucchini’s soft skin. This large, trailing plant will yields dozens of round, green squash. A packet of seeds sells for $6.95 from http://www.burpee.com , 1-800-888-1447.
New Radish is a Delight for the Eyes and the Taste Buds
Starburst Hybrid Radish Seeds are a great choice for new gardeners, kids and experienced gardeners alike because of their unique color and excellent taste. This variety is a Chinese type of radish that grows edible roots that are as big as tangerines, with insides as bright red as watermelons. Expect Starburst globes to reach 2 to 2½ inches in diameter, with a white outside rind that’s tinged with green, red flesh, and pale green shoots. These radishes mature steadily, with excellent disease and pest-fighting ability. And they taste as good as they look. Starburst Hybrid Radishes are great for pickling as well as fresh eating. The ripe radishes are round, crisp and flavorful, making them an excellent addition to any garden. You definitely step up to gourmet dining when you grow Starburst Hybrid Radish.
Like most radish varieties, Starburst Hybrid grows best in moist, well-drained soil. Radishes will be ready to harvest 60 days after sowing seeds. A packet of 100 seeds sells for $3.95 from Park Seed, http://www.parkseed.com, 800-845-3369.
Grow Lots of Delicious Tomatoes in a Small Space
The name “Big Yummy” Tomato says it all. Pull a ripe Big Yummy Hybrid Tomato off the plant and take a bite. The taste is a perfect blend of sugary sweetness and fresh tomato tang that so many modern varieties lack. Big Yummy produces deep red, smooth fruits weighing in at 8 to 10 ounces on average. This is a great all-purpose size, ideal for slicing, canning, freezing, and saucing. The plant habit is determinate, which means the plant stays compact and it sets its entire crop within just a few weeks, instead of bearing small amounts continuously all season. This is ideal if you like to can or freeze your crop, because you can do it all at once. (Of course, you can also create a longer season of fruiting by staggering the times at which you sow your Big Yummy seed and transplant the seedlings into the garden.
Big Yummy is a hybrid with superb disease resistance, making it a great choice for first-time gardeners as well as those who have had problems growing tomatoes in the past. This variety is resistant to Alternaria Stem Canker, Fusarium Wilt 1, Gray Leaf Spot, Tomato Spotted Wilt, and Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl.
Start seeds indoors or directly in the garden soil. A packet of 25 seeds sells for $3.95, or a six-pack of Big Yummy Hybrid Tomato Plants sells for $14.95 from Park Seed, http://www.parkseed.com, 800-845-3369.
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RANDALL SCHULTZ, SCHULTZ COMMUNICATIONS, http://www.schultzpr.com, +1 505-822-8222, [email protected]
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