A new class of annuals will impress you in 2016
Gardeners returning to garden centers in spring are like students returning to school in the fall, anxious to rekindle old friendships and excited to make new friends. Garden center benches are filled with old friends - tried and true annuals. And there are new friends to meet - new plants trying to dazzle their way on our carts.
Here are a few of the standouts in the class of 2016.
Asclepias Monarch Promise
Rose-colored buds reveal red and orange flowers at the top of green and white variegated foliage blushed with pink. Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds feast on the nectar-rich flowers and monarchs lay eggs on the undersides of leaves on this annual milkweed.
Monarch Promise grows 30 inches tall and blooms all summer. For best flowering, plant in full sun; for lushest foliage, plant in light shade. Use this overachiever in the landscape or in containers and enjoy the show.
Celosia Dragon's Breath
Vibrant burgundy foliage offers eye-popping color. Large, blazing red, feathery plumes take their time to begin blooming but are well worth the wait. Dragon's Breath can take all the heat and humidity the hottest summer can dish out.
It grows about 2 feet tall and is an ideal accent for containers where its colorful foliage provides a luminous backdrop for other brilliant blooms. Planted in the sunny landscape, Dragon's Breath adds color to the middle of the border in summer and delightful drama in the fall.
Coleus Under the Sea Fish Net
Fish Net joins the Under the Sea family of coleus introduced by Hort Couture. The irregularly-patterned lime green and deep purple foliage is pretty, but it's the intricately scalloped leaf margins that move Fish Net to the head of the class.
Fish Net is lovely combined with other coleus or shade-loving annuals in containers. Consider dragon wing begonias, ferns and sweet potato vines as possible mates. Pinch flower buds as they appear for continued vigorous growth.
Dianthus Jolt Pink & Jolt Cherry
These pinks are poised to go to the head of the class of 2016. Dianthus have been known and grown for their spring bloom. These are extremely heat tolerant so their brightly-colored, fringed flowers can be enjoyed all summer. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds fancy the nectar-filled blooms.
Perfectly named, they add a jolt of electric color to sunny landscapes and containers. Large clusters of showy flowers cover upright dark green foliage 18 inches tall and about a foot wide. Jolt Pink boasts bicolored, brilliant pink and rose blooms. Jolt Cherry presents bright pinkish-red blossoms.
Salvia Black & Bloom
Anyone who knows me has heard me rave about Salvia Black & Blue and its ability to entice scores of hummingbirds. Black & Bloom promises to be an improved version with larger sapphire blue flowers and even darker stems. Similar in size and flower power to the original, hummingbirds will be battling over the nectar.
Salvia Black & Bloom easily grows 3 feet tall. They bloom best in full sun and are drought tolerant. Reportedly, they can be overwintered in a pot in an unheated garage.
Verbena Santos Purple
If a carpet of rich purple from late spring to frost sounds appealing, plant Verbena 'Santos Purple'. Sun loving and drought tolerant, they grow quickly to about a foot tall and wide. Their blossoms glow in late afternoon sunlight.
Plant them in mass in the landscape and stop traffic. Partner them with perennials like Moonshine yarrow or pink-flowering coneflowers in borders. In containers, they pack a floral punch. Bees and butterflies will find them wherever you plant them.
• Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter's Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040, ext. 2, or visit planterspalette.com.