Native plants are becoming a bigger part of living green, as consumers become more aware of the role regional native plants play in promoting biodiversity in the garden, in urban landscapes, and in habitat restoration. Native plants can help with soil erosion and runoff volume and act as a filter to reduce or eliminate pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals before they reach water supplies. They are hardy, low maintenance, and drought tolerant once established, and they provide food and habitat for native wildlife.
‘Low Scape Hedger’ is a super versatile native flowering shrub. Reaching just 3 to 5 feet tall, it's a dense column of glossy-green foliage that's perfect for low hedges or screening. Spring finds the plant covered in hundreds of white flowers, and come fall the foliage lights up in bright reds and oranges. It is hardy in Zones 3a to 9a.
‘Low Scape Mound’ is a tough, tolerant, tidy little mound of glossy-green foliage. In spring, it's covered in hundreds of dainty white flowers, and in autumn the leaves turn brilliant red to contrast with dark, purple-black fruit. The unique low-growing, mound-shaped habit of this new variety makes it perfect for mass planting as a ground cover or edging plant. It is hardy in Zones 3a to 9a.
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Bigelowii nutallii (Jelitto)
This low-growing, drought-tolerant sub-shrub from the Asteraceae family blooms summer through fall and is native to Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It has soft, needle-like foliage that adds wonderful texture to the garden.
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Coreopsis grandiflora ‘Solar Dance’ (Cultivaris)
‘Solar Dance’ is in perpetual flower from June to October and is hardy in Zones 4 to 9. Compact plants have semi-double yellow flowers.
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Echinacea Conetto Series (Cultivaris)
This compact, extremely bushy coneflower series is first-year flowering and does not require vernalization. It is a quick summer crop with great pot presentation that flowers until frost — 12 weeks from liner to 6-inch blooming plant. Treat it as an annual as it is hardy in Zone 8.
‘Sunset Cutie’ has two rows of flat petals that are red-bronze in color with a cream border. It is a long-blooming (early spring to fall) gaillardia with colorfast blooms that age well. Plants have compact, mounding habits. Other plants in the series include Sunset Snappy and Sunset Flash.
Like tiny, brightly colored flags, the blooms of this new helenium will command attention. Bandera is the newest addition to our ever-popular Mariachi series from the fabulous breeding team at AB-Cultivars in The Netherlands. Ruffled blooms that are a deep, brick-red with a bright golden halo will add color and dimension to your late summer border.
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Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Burning Hearts’ (Jelitto)
With its vivid, red-eyed and golden bi-colored flowers, dark-purple leaves, black stems, and sturdy habit, ‘Burning Hearts’ is a reliable first-year flowering perennial that is hardy in Zones 3 to 9. It attracts honeybees and other pollinators. Flowers and seed capsules are suitable for cuttings. Plants have a bloom period of July through October.
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Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Prima Ballerina’ (Jelitto)
A 2016 introduction, ‘Prima Ballerina’ is sturdier than other previously existing seed strains and a third shorter than the well-known ‘Summer Sun.’ This native ox-eye sunflower is floriferous and attracts butterflies and other pollinators. It is drought tolerant and can handle heavy clay soil. ‘Prima Ballerina’ grows to 24 inches the first year and tops out at 40 inches in future seasons.
Incrediball hydrangeas are beloved for their stout stems and massive blooms. ‘Incrediball Blush’ adds a new color to the series. This beauty has big, bodacious, blush-pink blooms that change to an attractive green color as they age. The sturdy stems hold the large flowers up even after heavy rains, making this a great choice for cutting. It is hardy in Zones 3a to 9b.
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Hydrangea arborescens ‘Halo’ (Plants Nouveau)
The deep, bluish-green, leathery foliage, and 14-inch wide, pure-white lace-cap blooms of ‘Halo’ make for a stunning combination in any setting. This beautiful native selection stands tall and never flops, even with its massive blooms. It’s an upright, yet bushy, plant with a stout and sturdy stature, and a display of truly incredible blooms.
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Salvia microphylla 'Killer Cranberry' (Southern Living Plant Collection)
‘Killer Cranberry’ has masses of magenta flowers on tall spikes that lure honeybees and hummingbirds. Its prolific flowers are a killer attraction for people, too. This salvia has dense, fragrant foliage and is long-blooming and drought resistant.
This hybrid came from seed sown as Vernonia lettermanii. The other parent is unknown but it had broad foliage and this one has intermediate foliage measuring up to ½-inch wide. The deep-green foliage looks good all season long. The plant grows 3 feet tall and wide, blooming in August. Purple flowers can have thin white filaments along with lacy-purple petals that emerge from deep-purple buds that look like little jewels.
For greenhouse growers, there are niche opportunities in the native plant market to supply plants for urbanscapes and green infrastructure, as well as for modernized landscape designs that blend native plants, nativars, and grasses into informal, low maintenance landscapes that imitate nature.
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Here are 13 new native plants breeders are offering to consider for your product mix. However, before you make your selections, do you homework and make sure the natives you are supplying are a good fit for your region and not invasive to surrounding local areas.
May 10, 2016 
