From the production aspect, what is not to like about black-eyed Susan? Plants grow quickly, respond to fertility practices, and can be finished in reasonable time. What was needed was a more compact, better-branched form than was available, a plant whose golden flowers and dark, rounded centers immediately catch the eye at retail and perform well in the landscape. With excellent outdoor performance and male-sterile flowers, it is no wonder that Claire Orange’ is already an All-America Selections award winner. I see no reason why this new introduction will not be in landscapes and containers next year.

Sunfinity took the horticulture world by storm a number of years ago, and each year Syngenta provides even more reason to include this series in the landscape. This year, we were introduced to its newest Single Yellow form to complement the double and bicolor, and of course the original Sunfinity. All Sunfinity offerings provide the beauty and landscape performance of a vigorous sunflower, but Syngenta has made a real effort to educate growers and retailers how sunflowers can be programed for season-long sales. The question, “Why can’t we see sunflowers in the fall as well as the summer?” is answered with their programing charts allowing proper scheduling of different cultivars throughout the year. Four excellent choices in the Sunfinity brand should provide excitement all season.

I have always been a fan of Bidens long before any interest by breeders was occurring. However, having seen them in trials around the country, many of the newer entries have proven themselves in challenging landscapes while looking beautiful in the retail setting as well. The strong colors of ‘Blazing Fireworks’ quickly caught my eye even while I was surrounded by dozens of other beautiful plants at Danziger. I found myself returning to it on the bench and as part of mixed containers. The cultivar name describes the sight on the bench or in the catalog, and I expect to see this on the grower bench and the retail shelf next season.

Lavender has been popular for all herbal use and fragrance for millennia and we have been encouraging consumers and landscape people to discover the beauty of and usefulness of lavender in the garden. A number of excellent introductions recently have made this practice a reality, but I can’t wait to see how this new Scent Mini from Syngenta will be received. It has all the positives of English lavender (L. angustifiolia) and adds a very short and compact habit to the marvelous scent and foliage. I will use it in my garden as a mini-hedge in the front of my garden bed, but as small containers on the table on the deck or on a balcony, this should be a winner. If you are doing lavender, try this introduction!

Landscape dahlias have exploded on the marketplace in the last five years, and I am always excited to see how they continue to get better. I was immediately taken with the papaya color (is papaya really a color?) of this series. Large flowers, brilliant color, a well-branched habit, and strong stems made this plant stand out from other dahlias we were looking at today. I expect to see many dahlias this week, but this shall be the comparison to all of them. I look forward to seeing this on retail shelves next season.