If you've been gardening for a while, you might have become a curmudgeon about new plants. For instance, you might think there's no way to improve on your faithful pink peony or your loyal carpet of grape muscari. Once you take a close look at the new, however, it's hard to remain indifferent. A ligularia with no bare stem between leaf and flower; an arugula that tastes like wasabi; a fragrant hydrangea with jagged petals; a rose splashed with ketchup and mustard what gardener doesn't feel a twinge of desire (or a fierce yank) when faced with these creations? In that spirit, we bring you 21 of the best new plants for 2012.
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2012 Annuals
Begonia 'Odorosa'
This begonia works twice as hard as your average begonia it fills a shady spot with flowers while filling the air with fragrance. The pink and apricot double blooms of Begonia 'Odorosa' which are at their best dripping down the side of a container or lighting up a shade garden give off a wonderful scent. In addition to the perfumed petals, 'Odorosa' has glimmering green foliage with striking bronze accents.
Sun: Full sun to full shade
Soil: Rich, porous, well-drained
Height: 16 inches
Width: 10 to 12 inches
Source: Dutch Bulbs
Osteospermum ecklonis 'KLEOE10179' 3D Silver
This year, Ball introduces the first double osteospermum (also known as Cape daisy) and this lovely lady can't wait to dance. Because this osteospermum blooms all day and all night, it's the perfect plant for your early spring containers. Wow the neighbors with a show that never stops. The 3D series is available in silver, pink, and purple.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Fertile, slightly acidic, well-drained
Height: 12 to 16 inches
Width: 18 to 24 inches
Sources: Local garden centers
Verbena 'VEAZ0003' Superbena Royale Peachy Keen
Royale Peachy Keen verbena from Proven Winners is a sight to behold, with blooms that turn from a rich salmon color to a blush pink. Butterflies love its flower clusters. The best part? This verbena is no-nonsense about maintenance, heat, and bloom time. In fact, it won't run out of flowers till the first frost.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained
Height: 6 to 10 inches
Width: 24 inches
Sources: Local garden centers; see Proven Winners Web site for store locator.
2012 Roses
Rosa 'Ausimple' Skylark
The Skylark rose from David Austin Roses simply can't be beat. Its semi-double cupped flowers begin as a deep pink, and later in the season they pale to lilac-pink with a white center. This tidy rose grows into a well-rounded shrub. The blossoms release a light, musky tea fragrance with whispers of clove and apple pie.
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Humus-rich
Height: 3 feet
Width: 2 feet
Zones: 5 to 9
Sources: David Austin Roses. See David Austin Roses Web site for store locator.
Rosa 'Baibox' Music Box
The Music Box rose from Bailey Nurseries' Easy Elegance Collection is both carefree and gorgeous. Delicate pink teases creamy yellow in the multicolor double blooms, which stand proudly atop glossy green foliage. Like other roses in the Easy Elegance Collection, Music Box is disease resistant and everblooming, never stopping to take a breath.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Width: 3 to 4 feet
Zones: 4 to 9
Sources: Local garden centers. See Bailey Nurseries Web site for store locator.
Rosa 'Wekzazette' Ketchup & Mustard
Consider yourself warned: This rose from Weeks Roses will attract attention. A lot of it. Ketchup & Mustard looks like a condiment tray gone crazy but in a good way. Rich red petals combine with a deep yellow reverse for a bold look you've never seen before in a rose. This floribunda, which has a mild fragrance, offers branches full of vivid color throughout the season.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained
Height: 4 to 5 feet
Width: 2? to 3 feet
Zones: 5 to 9
Sources: Local garden centers. See Weeks Roses Web site for store locator.
2012 Perennials
Agastache Nectar series
A hot, dry spell can wipe out container plants quicker than you can say "water me." That's where the Nectar series of agastaches from Skagit Gardens comes in. Agastache 'Apricot Nectar' and its comrades, 'Grape Nectar', 'Grapefruit Nectar', 'Orange Nectar', and 'Raspberry Nectar', love the sun and thrive in dry soil. Plants in this series are shorter than the species, and the flower spikes are packed tight with sunset colors that hummingbirds love.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Average to dry; well-drained
Height: 15 to 18 inches
Width: 15 inches
Zones: 7 to 10, if dry through winter
Sources: Local garden centers.
Alstroemeria 'Koice' Inca Ice
Peruvian lilies seem too exotic to be sprouting in a North American backyard. Yet that's what happens with this 2012 introduction from Walters Gardens. Loads of blushing peach and pink flowers with a sprinkle of freckles appear on lush, bushy plants in midsummer. These sturdy lilies donÕt demand full sun, eitherÑthey thrive in part shade. Plant extra so you can bring some indoors to enjoy: their long, strong stems are perfect for cutting.
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Average, well-drained
Height: 2 to 3 feet
Width: 3 feet
Zones: 5 to 9
Sources: See www.perennialresource.com for store locator.
Anemone hupehensis 'Pretty Lady Diana'
Once you've seen a cluster of Japanese anemones in full flower, you don't forget it. These fall-blooming beauties wave soft cups of pink on delicate, airy stems. Even the buds perfect, tiny, fuzzy spheres of pink demand attention. But the tall, leggy habit can sometimes be a drawback. Until now. Blooms of Bressingham introduces a dwarf anemone series for 2012 with 'Pretty Lady Diana' (single blooms) and 'Pretty Lady Emily' (double blooms). These anemones have a sturdier, more compact habit but still offer the same bewitching blooms.
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Soil: Moist
Height: 16 to 18 inches
Width: 24 inches
Zones: 5 to 9
Sources: Local garden centers
Geum 'Fire Storm'
Avens is the common name for these bright spring flowers with wrinkly, geranium-like leaves. Geum 'Fire Storm', a 2012 introduction from Terra Nova Nurseries, is shorter than its predecessor 'Fireball', but shows off the same lovely traits, including semi-double orange flowers with a red picotee edge. Because it's more compact, 'Fire Storm' is perfect at the very front of a perennial bed. Enjoy these exuberant blossoms from early spring to late summer.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Average, well-drained
Height: 20 inches (in flower)
Width: 18 inches
Zones: 5 to 9
Sources: Local garden centers. See Terra Nova Nurseries Web site for store locator.
Hesperaloe parviflora 'Perpa' Brakelights
There's hot, and then there's hot. Red yucca, a desert wildflower, is hot: it thrives in heat and drought that would fry many other plants within hours, it's got a striking form without the thorns typical of many desert plants, and its crimson flowers are a neon welcome sign for hummingbirds. Brakelights is an updated version of the original: it boasts brighter red blooms and a more compact form that's perfect for containers or small garden spaces.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained, dry
Height: 30 inches (in flower)
Width: 24 to 30 inches
Zones: 5 to 10
Sources: High Country Gardens, Monrovia
Hibiscus moscheutos 'Strawberry Swirl'
Hardy hibiscus always make a splash with their large, colorful, dinnerplate flowers. But 'Strawberry Swirl', a 2012 introduction from Fleming's Flower Fields, sweeps to the front of this boisterous bunch with its extra fancy blooms. Each 12-inch blossom is a swirl of pink and white petals anchored by a throat of dark ruby red. Lush, medium green leaves provide the perfect canvas for this sturdy beauty.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Adaptable to most soil types
Height: 42 to 48 inches
Width: 36 inches
Zones: 4 to 9
Sources: Fleming's Flower Fields, Monrovia
Hosta 'Appletini'
Banish the shadows in your garden with the lighthearted 'Appletini', a miniature hosta that starts out bright yellow and matures to light green by the middle of summer. The wavy leaves are shiny and dense, and the pale purple flower blooms on a 9-inch scape in late summer. This little gem will spread slowly to form an attractive, diminutive clump of leaves just over a foot wide.
Sun: Part to full shade
Soil: Average, well-drained
Height: 6 inches
Width: 14 inches
Zones: 3 to 9
Source: Klehm's Song Sparrow Farm & Nursery
Ligularia 'Bottle Rocket'
Ligularias are stunning shade plants, but they have issues. One is that the flowers are held high above the foliage, leaving a lot of bare stem. Walters Gardens' 2012 introduction, 'Bottle Rocket', solves this problem with a shorter stem that holds the bright yellow flower spikes just above the thick, dense, serrated leaves. It also handles heat better than its parent, 'Little Rocket', so the stems stay upright rather than wilting.
Sun: Part shade
Soil: Rich, moist
Height: 28 to 34 inches
Width: 24 to 28 inches
Zones: 4 to 9
Sources: See www.perennialresource.com for store locator.
Veronica 'Tidal Pool'
If your garden has a dry, sunny spot where grass struggles, turn it into a 'Tidal Pool.' This groundcover, bred from two prostrate speedwells at the Chicago Botanic Garden, spreads quickly, stays low, and has a high tolerance for drought. In spring, it's covered in violet-blue flowers with cream to pale yellow centers. The rest of the season it maintains its cheerful, slightly fuzzy leaves through all kinds of weather, including heat, humidity, cold, and rain.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained, sand or clay
Height: 2 to 3 inches
Width: 22 to 30 inches
Zones: 5 to 8
Sources: Local garden centers and Lowe's
2012 Edibles
Arugula 'Wasabi'
Arugula is already one of the tastiest greens around. But the new 'Wasabi' wild arugula kicks things up a notch with leaves that offer the spicy, complex flavor of fresh wasabi paste. Easy to grow and more tolerant of harsh weather, including frost, than other arugulas, 'Wasabi' also boasts delicate, edible flowers that can be used just like the leaves in salads, sandwiches, sushi, pasta, and barbecue dishes.
Sun: Full sun (partial afternoon shade is fine)
Soil: Well-worked
Height: 4 to 5 inches
Days to maturity: 30 to 40
Sources: Renee's Garden, independent garden centers
Green bean 'Big Kahuna'
This outstanding new bush bean definitely lives up to its name. 'Big Kahuna' got high marks for taste in Burpee's bean play-offs and took top honors in trials in 2010 and 2011. Compact enough for containers and small-space gardens, each plant grows to about 2 feet and is packed with pods as large as 11 inches long at maturity. Beans are crisp and have a slightly nutty flavor.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Moist, well-drained
Height: 2 feet
Days to maturity: 54
Source: W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
Tomato 'Mandarin Cross'
If you're looking to add a new standout tomato to your garden, you'll want to try the succulent slicing tomato, 'Mandarin Cross.' Reintroduced after a long absence in the U.S., these plump, golden-orange Japanese heirloom tomatoes are not only gorgeous, they're flavorful, tender, and they ripen in abundance on indeterminate vines. Dense foliage helps protect the 6- to 10-ounce fruit from sunscald. Support with stakes or tall wire cages for best results.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Fertile, well-drained
Height: 5 to 7 feet
Days to maturity: 80
Sources: Renee's Garden, independent garden centers
2012 Trees and Shrubs
Gardenia jasminoides 'BAB1183' Summer Snow
It took more than a decade of development and tests to get Summer Snow, which was bred by Doug Torn of Buds and Blooms Nursery, into the hands of eager gardeners. Prized for its sweet fragrance and abundant double white blooms, this hybrid gardenia is fast growing and sturdy, plus it boasts more cold tolerance than any other gardenia to date. Dark green foliage is pest resistant and drought tolerant, too.
Sun: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Mildly acidic, well-drained
Height: 4 to 5 feet
Width: 4 to 5 feet
Zones: 6 to 10
Sources: Local garden centers
Hydrangea angustipetala 'MonLongShou' Golden Crane
Selected by plantsman Dan Hinkley in southern Sichuan Province, China, Golden Crane is a unique new hydrangea featuring large white and chartreuse lacecaps that bloom in late spring. Fragrant flowers open before any other hydrangea blooms. This selection blossoms on new growth, but for best spring display, pruning is not recommended after early September.
Sun: Part shade
Soil: Rich, porous, acidic
Height: 5 feet
Width: 5 feet
Zones: 6 to 10
Source: Monrovia
Pinus strobus 'Niagara Falls'
This compact, weeping white pine, which was crowned Conifer of the Year in 2009, is now widely available to gardeners. This cultivar was found as a sport of 'Pendula' by Mike and Ken Yeager of Hickory Hollow Nursery in 1998 and dubbed 'Niagara Falls' because of its cascading growth habit. Bluish-green foliage is dense and branches weep gracefully, making it a stunning accent in any landscape, particularly rock and alpine gardens.
Sun: Full sun
Soil: Moist, well-drained. May yellow in very alkaline soils.
Height: 3 to 4 feet
Width: 5 to 6 feet
Zones: 3 to 8
Sources: Independent garden centers