Here Are Some of the New Varieties You Tried This Year

New ornamental varieties mostly make their debut at California Spring Trials and other breeder-hosted events. These are often followed by trials at universities or grower trial gardens.

The real test comes when growers and plant retailers produce them for their customers. In Greenhouse Grower’s 2025 State of the Industry survey, we asked about the most successful new varieties you tried this year. Here are some of the responses we received.

• Echinacea ‘Panama Gold’
• Firefly Petunia; note that it does depend on how you define “success”
• The Proven Winners Mini Vista Series is phenomenal
• Dahlias; all varieties
• Ageratum ‘Monarch Magic’
• Geranium ‘Dark Eyes’
• Hydrangea ‘Fairy Trail Bride’
• Rudbeckia ‘Star Sister’
• Peonies were new for us this year and did particularly well. In our foliage division, anything new did well.
• Nepenthes ‘Gaia’
• Pink Tiara Supertunia
• Ageratum ‘Monarch Magic’
• Bell Pepper ‘Beltair’
• Geranium ‘Calliope Cascade Lavender’; we’d love to see more colors in this lineup
• Lantana ‘Shamrock’
• ‘Miracle’ Easter Lily
• Begonia ‘iCandy’
• Cymbidium orchids
• Stachys ‘Punky Purple’
• Petunia ‘Easy Wave Navy’
• I would say the Flowerful hydrangea by Bloomin’ Easy
• Chlorophytum ‘Starlight’
• Sunflower ‘Sunfinity Double Yellow’
• Echinacea ‘Fiery Meadow Mama’