2016 Shrub And Tree Intros Perfect For Garden Retail

'BrazelBerries Perpetua' is a true double-cropping blueberry that sets one crop of fruit in mid-summer and then flowers and fruits a second time to provide ripe fruit in the fall. The leaves are dark green, somewhat shiny, and curly or twisted in the spring and summer, turning to deep reds and greens in the winter. Perpetua has smallish berries that are mild and sweet. It will grow 4- to 5-feet tall with an upright, vase-shaped habit in Zones 4 to 8. Available Spring 2016.

Breeder Bobby Green has been working on enhancing the petal count and available colors in Camellia sassanqua offerings. C. sassanqua can be hardy to Zone 6. C. sassanqua is a fall blooming, more hardy camellia. Some of these new selections have proven hardy in Zone 6, but we are saying Zone 7 to be safe. Graceful in form and one of the loveliest of autumn flowers, the soft fragrance of C. sasanquas conjure up memories of southern gardens amass with blooms. These new selections offer all of the nuances we’ve grown to love in C. sasanquas and then some. There’s a shape, size and color to fit any garden. October Magic varieties are: Camellia sassanqua 'October Magic Ruby'; C. sasanqua 'October Magic Pink Perplexion' (Shown here)

Ruffled Red Magic is the holy grail of crape myrtle breeding with intense, glowing-red flowers against dark green foliage. The red flowers are distinctly different than the species, almost resembling the ruffles of a carnation. Like all crape myrtles in the Magic Series, Ruffled Red Magic is also highly resistant to leaf spot and powdery mildew, an even more impressive feat with red crapes. Ruffled Red Magic matures to roughly 12-feet tall and 8-feet wide and prefers full sun for the best bloom potential. Its foliage turns orange-red in fall, and the upright habit has dense branching and re-blooms in late summer if the first flush of flowers is deadheaded. Crape myrtles prefer well-drained, acid soils and a late winter application of fertilizer will encourage strong growth and flower production. Ruffled Red Magic and all of the Magic Series of crape myrtles are great alternatives to plants susceptible to Cercospora leaf spot and powdery mildew.

New to the popular Drift Rose Series in 2016, the 'White Drift Rose' is the newest addition to the Drift Series. It has bright white, fully double blooms that are perfectly shaped like a miniature rose flower.  It has a true groundcover habit, with the superior disease resistance you would expect from a Drift Rose.

Pink Sparkler is a great alternative to Spirea ‘Tor,’ as this new introduction has the similar foliage, but with pink flowers instead of white. In addition to the summer flowers, Pink Sparkler puts on another show in autumn, when new flowers are formed and bloom along the leaf axils of each stem. Along with these fall blooms is the stunning burgundy foliage that sets the mood of a fall garden. Pink Sparkler has a great mounded habit of 3- to 4-feet tall and wide. This shrub requires only minimal pruning to keep its shape and very little to no additional maintenance.

'Little Ragu' is a more compact sweet bay with highly aromatic, deep-green foliage that emerges on unique red-tinged stems. Prized in Mediterranean cuisine, the dried leaves add classic flavor to soups and sauces. This easy-care, upright shrub or small tree is handsome in natural form, or easily clipped into a formal hedge or topiary shape. It thrives in containers, indoors or out. 'Little Ragu' is hardy in Zones 8 to 11 with a moderate size of 6- to 8-feet tall.    

Blue Puffball fills the void of a compact vitex with its genetically dwarf size. In addition to its ball shape, Blue Puffball’s clean foliage is an improvement on the species, with minimal to no leaf spot. Blue Puffball matures to 3-feet by 3-feet and performs best in full sun. It blooms with deep purple, fragrant flowers from June through September. Hardy in Zones 6 to 9, it can perform as a dieback shrub in colder areas since flowers form on new growth. Vitex is extremely salt tolerant and adapts well to both acid and alkaline soils as long as the site is well drained.

This is a new, more compact reblooming weigela with a tidy, rounded shape that is covered with bright, lipstick-red flowers kissed with a white eye. It's a great choice to back a flower border or to feature in front of larger shrubs. ‘Crimson Kisses’ is the product of a breeding program conducted in a cultivated area of Hazerswoude, The Netherlands, with the goal of developing new varieties with a shorter overall height and attractive red flowers. Early trials exhibit hardiness to Zone 4 and show compact growth to 3 feet tall and wide.