32 New Perennials For 2016
Perennials are hot and there are some great new perennial introductions for 2016. New perennial varieties like Echinacea ‘Butterfly Golden Skipper’ and Asclepias ‘Monarch Promise’ attract pollinators in the garden, while others like Allium ‘Lavender Lollipop’ and Agapanthus ‘Blue Fountain’ go easy on the water. Still others, like some of the new Heucheras and Lavendar ‘Meerlo’ and Filipendula ‘Red Umbrellas’ feature unique, attractive foliage.
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Achillea 'Little Moonshine'
A great, compact habit with the same bright gold flowers of achillea 'Moonshine,' this petite beauty from Blooms of Bressingham grows 9 to 12 inches tall by 10 to 12 inches wide in sun. Ideal for containers and smaller gardens, ‘Little Moonshine’ is early and long blooming from May to September. Hardy to Zones 4 to 8, it was bred by Har Stemkens of Syngenta Flowers and introduced by Blooms of Bressingham.
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Agapanthus ‘Blue Fountain’
This dwarf, dark blue reblooming agapanthus 'Blue Fountain' was first to flower in the Southern Living/Sunset Western Collection trials, showing buds as early as January in frost-free climates. Flower height reaches 20 inches and it’s hardy to Zone 8. Agapanthus have few pest and disease pressures and are low water users.
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Agapanthus 'Dutchess of Dazzle'
‘Duchess of Dazzle’ agapanthus is a regal showstopper in the HGTV HOME Plant Collection, with its distinctive bicolor, light-blue petals and dark-blue stripes. This free-flowing variety has enormous, full-round heads that display 110+ flowers per bloom. With a long bloom season and evergreen foliage, this is a must have for sunny garden spots and containers alike. The full-grown plant matures to 3 to 3 ½ feet tall and wide.
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Allium 'Lavender Lollipop'
‘Lavender Lollipop’ allium from the HGTV HOME Plant Collection stands out from the others due to its later flowering time and floriferous habit. Purple flowers open in August on upright stems reaching 15 to 18 inches in height. Hardy to Zones 4 to 9, like other alliums, it is drought tolerant.
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Argyranthemum 'Angelic Maize'
Argyranthemum ‘Angelic Maize’ from Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm offers a profusion of large and lovely, double yellow blooms held over attractive medium-green foliage.
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Argyranthemum 'Dress Up Cotton Top'
Agyranthemum ‘Dress Up Cotton Top’ from Hort Couture has a fluffy flower that sits on top of fern-like foliage. Its petals are stacked high on top of each other, making it an eye-catching, architectural flower in full sun, container combinations. This new introduction from Japan makes an exciting accent flower for containers.
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Asclepias 'Monarch Promise'
This special milkweed variety from Hort Couture has beautiful green and white variegated foliage that is tinged with red, orange and pink tips of the leaves. The bright, orange-red flower attracts Monarch butterflies and many other species of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. It’s great to use in the landscape or in container gardens to bring life to the patio, not only for its amazing color but to attract the butterflies. Hort Couture says it hopes this important new introduction will raise awareness about Monarch butterflies and inspire consumers to get involved in butterfly gardening.
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Baptisia 'Decadence Sparkling Sapphires'
The newest addition to the Baptisia Decadence series from Proven Winners Perennials, Sparkling Sapphires will stop consumers in their tracks with its intensely vibrant flower color. Vivid violet-blue blossoms with a pale-yellow keel are produced in late spring. Because of its shorter stature, this perennial will be easier to manage in containers at retail.
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Coreopsis 'Solanna Glow'
Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm’s coreopsis ‘Solanna Glow’ showcases soft yellow, single blooms with rich, orange centers. Plants form compact mounds and bloom continuously from early summer through fall.
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Dianthus 'Fruit Punch Maraschino'
The members of the Fruit Punch series from Proven Winners Perennials have full double, fragrant flowers with heat and humidity tolerance. Maraschino is an exciting new addition, with cherry-red flowers that appear above spiky, blue foliage. Other new Fruit Punch additions include Cranberry Cocktail and Sweetie Pie.
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Echinacea 'Butterfly Golden Skipper'
Another compact and sturdy echinacea from the Butterfly series, available from Skagit Gardens, Golden Skipper boasts single blooms saturated with golden yellow. Perfect for gardens beds and containers, it is a magnet for bees and butterflies.
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Echinacea 'Butterfly Rainbow Marcella'
Buds on echinacea ‘Butterfly Rainbow Marcella,’ available from Skagit Gardens, emerge a deep tangerine orange, mature to raspberry pink and fade to a lovely pastel rose that lasts until first frost. Compact and very floriferous, it is perfect for the middle of a mixed border, or for use in smaller urban gardens. Drought tolerant and attractive to bees and butterflies, Rainbow Marcella is a stunning addition to any cutting garden.
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Echinacea 'Double Scoop Lemon Cream'
Darwin Perennials’ Double Scoop series branches well in containers and in the landscape. It features attractive double blooms and is hardy to Zone 4. New Lemon Cream offers a bright color and years of enjoyment at home.
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Echinacea 'Moodz Love'
Echinaceas are difficult plants to propagate and grow. But Hilverdakooij has found the solution to this problem: the MOOODZ series. Varieties are propagated from cuttings and established after the winter, so beautiful, bushy plants are obtained in a shorter period with fewer losses among the cultivated plants. With four bright, vivid colors, Shiny (yellow), Joy (orange), Cosy (pink) and Love (lilac and pink), breeding is ongoing and is sure to produce varieties in many more new colors over the coming years.
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Echinacea 'Sombrero Baja Burgundy'
Sombrero echinaceas from Darwin Perennials are tested to Zone 4 hardiness and feature bold, bright colors. They are well branched for years of perennial garden enjoyment. The new Baja Burgundy has rich, deep burgundy flowers and overlapping petals.
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Filipendula 'Red Umbrellas'
Stunning foliage with unique red markings on pale-green leaves make filipendula ‘Red Umbrellas’ from Blooms of Bressingham a must-have plant. Foliage is darkest in spring and lightens as the plumes of pink flowers bloom in summer. Its compact, mounded habit reaches 20 to 24 inches tall and 24 to 26 inches wide in full sun. Hardy to Zones 3 to 9.
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Heuchera 'Forever Purple'
With purple, glossy leaves that maintain color through spring, summer, fall and winter, heuchera ‘Forever Purple’ from Terra Nova Nurseries blooms with short spikes of purple pink flowers in summer. A great landscape or container plant, its foliage height reaches 12 inches with a 22-inch spread, and flower height reaches 15 inches. Hardy to Zones 4 to 9, it thrives in sun to shade.
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Heuchera 'Grape Soda'
This showy, floriferous heuchera from Terra Nova Nurseries has amazing, dusky purple spring leaves, and blooms with lovely, light-purple flowers. It offers wonderful vigor and a very full habit that thrives in both the landscape and in containers. Foliage grows to 9 inches tall by 20 inches wide, and flowers reach 18 inches. Hardy to Zones 4 to 9, ‘Grape Soda’ grows well in both sun and shade.
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Hibiscus 'Summerific Berry Awesome'
Proven Winners Perennials’ new hardy hibiscus Berry Awesome forms a densely compact, upright rounded shrub-like clump of deeply lobed, maple-like leaves. The beautiful midnight-green foliage is a perfect complement to the cool tones of the 7- to 8-inch lavender-pink flowers with a red eye.
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Lavender allardii 'Meerlo'
Lavender allardii are some of the most heat, humidity and drought-tolerant lavenders tested. As part of the Southern Living/Sunset Western Collection, these vigorous plants hold their beautifully variegated and highly fragrant foliage year-round and are not as picky about soil conditions as others. Hardy to Zone 9, they grow to reach 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide.
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Lavender 'Bandera Purple'
This Fleuroselect Gold Medal Winner from Kieft Seed produces a compact and bushy plant with great flower power. Lavender is becoming popular as an impulse grocery store and gift house plant item. ‘Bandera Purple’ is self-cleaning with a long-flowering period and pleasant fragrance.
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Lewisia 'Jewels'
An addition to Hort Couture’s Spring Bling program, this lewisia is easy to grow and is packed with color like little gems. It has flat rosettes of green leaves and performs the best in partial shade. It’s great to use for some added bling in early spring. Unique to lewisia, it will bloom the first season and is a hardy perennial.
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Limonium 'Blue Lagoon'
‘Blue Lagoon’ from HilverdaKooij is a full plant with abundant, large round, blue flowers that form a beautiful contrast with the large, green leaves. Limonium ‘Blue Lagoon’ can be used both indoors and outdoors and is easy to handle. The plant is flowering from spring to late autumn.
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Lobelia 'Starship Deep Rose'
This variety’s unique color attracts gardeners and pollinators, with plenty of deep-rose flower power on every plant. Available from Kieft Seed, ‘Starship Deep Rose’ makes a striking container or garden selection and is well-suited to high temperatures and higher humidity.
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Lychnis 'Petite Jenny'
Showy and floriferous with fluffy double-pink blooms, ‘Petite Jenny’ from Blooms of Bressingham is a compact sport of Lychnis ‘Jenny’ with the same flower display but growing to only 14 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Flowering begins in early to mid-May in full sun. Hardy to Zones 3 to 7.
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Pennisetum 'Jazz Fest'
‘Jazz Fest’ pennisetum from the HGTV HOME Plant Collection is a compact version of pennisetum 'Red Head' and reaches 2 feet in height with 3-foot blooms. Beautiful large, bottlebrush, smoky-purple blooms appear in late summer, rising above the foliage for a greater visual impact. Hardy to Zones 5 to 9.
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Perovskia 'Blue Spritzer'
‘Blue Spritzer’ perovskia from HGTV HOME Plant Collection is compact, reaching 18 inches tall and 14 inches wide. It has excellent branching and habit, and will not lodge in wind or rain. The petite, blue flower stems make a great cut and everlasting flower. Hardy to Zones 4 to 9.
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Perovskia 'Denim 'n Lace'
Unlike other Russian Sage on the market, ‘Denim ‘n Lace’ doesn’t get too tall, has stronger stems and a more upright habit. Available from Proven Winners Perennials, the lacy-like, bright sky-blue flowers are held on amethyst calyxes, which are spaced close together to give the flowers a very full look.
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Phlox 'Opening Act Blush'
This new hybrid phlox from Proven Winners Perennials will bloom earlier than Phlox paniculata varieties. It boasts a long season of color, with lovely, light lavender-pink flowers appearing from early summer well into midsummer, with some rebloom into early fall. Don’t miss ‘Opening Act White,’ which blooms just as early.
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Rudbeckia 'Everlasting Sun'
HGTV HOME Plant Collection’s ‘Everlasting Sun’ rudbeckia is naturally compact with narrow, 2-inch-wide, hairy foliage that resists disease, is super clean and is hardy to Zones 4 to 9. It has a long bloom time, with bright, yellow-gold flowers from July through September reaching 18 inches tall by 18 inches wide.
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Salvia 'Embers Wish'
Bright coral-colored, tubular blossoms contrast handsomely with the deep-maroon stems, rusty-rose calyces and rich green foliage. Extremely floriferous, 'Embers Wish' requires little to no deadheading to maintain a nonstop show of color summer through fall. Available from Skagit Gardens.
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Salvia 'Love And Wishes'
Large, tubular, deep-purple flowers are held high above rich green foliage. With a fantastic dome-shaped habit, it is well-behaved in the garden. Rapidly growing and drought tolerant, ‘Love and Wishes’ provides continuous color summer until frost. Available from Skagit Gardens.
View all
Achillea 'Little Moonshine'
Agapanthus ‘Blue Fountain’
Agapanthus 'Dutchess of Dazzle'
Allium 'Lavender Lollipop'
Argyranthemum 'Angelic Maize'
Argyranthemum 'Dress Up Cotton Top'
Asclepias 'Monarch Promise'
Baptisia 'Decadence Sparkling Sapphires'
Coreopsis 'Solanna Glow'
Dianthus 'Fruit Punch Maraschino'
Echinacea 'Butterfly Golden Skipper'
Echinacea 'Butterfly Rainbow Marcella'
Echinacea 'Double Scoop Lemon Cream'
Echinacea 'Moodz Love'
Echinacea 'Sombrero Baja Burgundy'
Filipendula 'Red Umbrellas'
Heuchera 'Forever Purple'
Heuchera 'Grape Soda'
Hibiscus 'Summerific Berry Awesome'
Lavender allardii 'Meerlo'
Lavender 'Bandera Purple'
Lewisia 'Jewels'
Limonium 'Blue Lagoon'
Lobelia 'Starship Deep Rose'
Lychnis 'Petite Jenny'
Pennisetum 'Jazz Fest'
Perovskia 'Blue Spritzer'
Perovskia 'Denim 'n Lace'
Phlox 'Opening Act Blush'
Rudbeckia 'Everlasting Sun'
Salvia 'Embers Wish'
Salvia 'Love And Wishes'
We contacted breeders and asked them to share images and information on some of the great new varieties they displayed at 2015 California Spring Trials. They didn’t let you down. Check out the slideshow to see 32 of the new perennials making their debut to the trade this spring.
Meanwhile, stay tuned for new blooming potted and combination crops, woody ornamentals and edibles in separate slideshows. See a preview of the annuals that will be hitting the market here. Also, look at our March issue to see these varieties, up close and personal, in Greenhouse Grower magazine.
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Laura Drotleff is a former Editor for Greenhouse Grower. See all author stories here.