Shrubs and bushes build the foundation for structure in the landscape. They can provide privacy, screen unsightly messes, stabilize the soil, and offer seasonal interest year-round. Newer varieties of shrubs are smaller and more compact, so they behave themselves in the landscape and are suitable for small-space growers and growing in larger containers. Variegated foliage also adds variety and interest to some of the newer landscape shrubs. Many of these new shrubs have sturdy stems for durability and strong flowering, and come with disease-resistant packages.
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Adenanthos ‘Chris-Tal’ (Nir Nursery)
‘Chris-Tal’ is a variety of Adenanthos designed to be a pot plant. It can grow wild but can easily be pruned and shaped as a Christmas tree. Unlike the traditional Christmas trees, its foliage is feather-like and soft. It is a great addition to homes and offices for the holiday season.
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Berberis ‘Sunjoy Sequins’ (Spring Meadow Nursery) Neat, clean, colorful variegation makes ‘Sunjoy Sequins’ barberry standout in the landscape. Its leaves are splashed white and green, and they develop showy pink tones as the season progresses, making the plant a patchwork of pink by autumn. ‘Sunjoy Sequins’ is more shade tolerant than other foliage barberries, yet it has never shown any burn in Spring Meadow’s trials, and it is drought tolerant once established. It is hardy in Zones 4 to 8 and is deer resistant.
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Ficus caria ‘Little Miss Figgy’ (Southern Living Plant Collection/Sunset Western Plant Collection)
‘Little Miss Figgy’ is an excellent ornamental and fruit-bearing landscape plant. With a dwarf compact habit, it is smaller and more cold hardy than comparable figs, yet it bears large fruit continuously from late spring to fall. Plants have dark-green, deeply lobed leaves and deep-burgundy, edible fruits with a sweet center. They are drought tolerant and abide clay soils. ‘Little Miss Figgy’ is a deciduous plant hardy in Zones 7 to 10.
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Hydrangea paniculata hyb. ‘White Wedding’ (Southern Living Plant Collection/Sunset Western Plant Collection) ‘White Wedding’ has sturdy, upright branches that easily support large clusters of white, pillow-like, conical-shaped blooms. It’s compact 4- to 6-foot height by 3- to 5-foot width makes it a great alternative to larger-growing hydrangeas. It works well for mass plantings, accents, containers, and cut flowers. Plants bloom short in containers, making them easy to ship. ‘White Wedding’ is a full sun to part shade lover that grows well in most soil types. Average irrigation is required. Late spring to early fall flowering can be extended by dead-heading aging flower clusters. Plants are hardy in Zones 4 to 8.
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Pieris japonica ‘Interstella’ (Spring Meadow Nursery)
‘Interstella’ bursts into bloom with thousands of lantern-like, ruby-colored blooms in early spring. The long-lasting display is followed by the emergence of dramatic red new growth, and handsome evergreen foliage secures year-round presence and beauty. ‘Interstella’ thrives in the same conditions as rhododendrons. It is hardy in Zones 5 to 8 and is deer resistant.
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Rosa ‘Candy Sunblaze’ (Star Roses & Plants) ‘Candy Sunblaze’ is the first striped addition to the Sunblaze series. The striping effect is sometimes less pronounced in hot weather. ‘Candy Sunblaze’ maintains an excellent habit and makes a great container plant. It has great vigor on its own roots and a bushy, compact, rounded habit. Its blooms have large, cuplike petals (25 to 30) with stripes of deep pink to wine with finished striping of pink and white.
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Rosa ‘Oso Easy Pleasy’ (Spring Meadow Nursery) ‘Oso Easy Pleasy’ is a winner of the American Rose Society Award of Excellence in the No Spray division. It sends out continuous sprays of double blooms, each with the vivid, tropical hue of dragon fruit. ‘Oso Easy Pleasy’ produces flowers continuously without deadheading, is heat tolerant, and exhibits great disease resistance. It is hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
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Rosa Pretty Polly Series (Star Roses & Plants) This polyantha rose series flowers from spring through fall and has good disease resistance. Plants maintain a compact, bushy habit in the landscape and are nearly thornless. Colors in the series include: Lavender, Pink (pictured), and White.
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Rosa ‘Ringo’ (Spring Meadow Nursery) The award-winning ‘Ringo’ is finally available in North America. The blooms of this colorful, appealing R. hulthemia hybrid open a bright golden yellow with a blazing red center. They mellow to a soft yellow, before finally turning white with a distinct pink center. The effect is of three colors blooming at once. ‘Ringo’ meets Spring Meadow Nursery’s standards for disease resistance and reblooming, having been put through it multi-year rose trial gauntlet. It is hardy in Zones 4 to 8.
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Rosa ‘Sunrosa Yellow Delight’ (Suntory Flowers) Yellow Delight is a rich, vibrant new color in the Sunrosa line of compact shrub roses. It is highly disease resistant and has a long flowering period. ‘Sunrosa Yellow Delight’ is heat tolerant and hardy to Zone 5.
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Syringa hyacinthiflora ‘Scentara Pura’ (Spring Meadow Nursery) This well-branched, semi-dwarf, compact lilac blooms heavily each spring. The flower buds emerge a mulberry-violet and open to clear jacaranda purple. ‘Scentara Pura’ is developed from low-chill bloodlines for improved warm climate performance, and it is resistant to powdery mildew. It is hardy in Zones 2 to 8 and is disease and deer resistant.
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Weigela ‘My Monet Purple Effect’ (Spring Meadow Nursery) ‘My Monet Purple Effect’ shares the same dwarf habit and neat, variegated foliage of the original ‘My Monet’ weigela but is exceptionally strong flowering. Plants have hues of cream, green, and pink, layered with a cast of purple. They are fast growers with proven more heat tolerant in Spring Meadow Nursery’s trials. The foliage looks good right up until frost and plants are hardy in Zones 4 to 6. ‘My Monet Purple’ is also a pollinator attractor.
Premiering at California Spring Trials as new introductions for 2019, these 12 varieties [as seen in the photo slideshow above] will be available for retail sales in 2020.
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For more new varieties of annuals and perennials that plant breeders will introduce this year at California Spring Trials 2019, check out the following slideshows:
March 13, 2019 
