I'm trying not to get too excited about gardening this early in the year.  It's really hard not to be though when there are so many great new varieties of plants being introduced in 2010. In fact, I've gotten to the point where I won't even open a new seed or plant catalog because it is just too painful trying to choose which plants and seeds to order for my gardens--I want them all!

'Zahara Starlight Rose'

If you like 'Profusion' zinnias--and who doesn't?  You will love the new All-America Selections Award winners* this year.  I don't want to say, "I told you so," but last season I described the new 'Zahara' series of shorter mounding zinnias and wrote that I thought that they would become a future standard in the garden.  Apparently the AAS judges agree, because this year 'Double Zahara Fire', 'Double Zahara Cherry' and 'Zahara Starlight Rose' all received the coveted AAS designation.  All three grow to between 12 to 14 inches, are resistant to leaf spot and mildew and thrive on summer heat providing color all season long. Like the Profusion zinnias they are a great choice for containers or edging your flower border.

'Profusion Yellow'

Speaking of Profusion zinnias, there is a much-anticipated new color for that popular series this year. 'Profusion Yellow' is an intense shade of bright yellow and has large 2 inch flowers on mildew-resistant plants that reach 12 to 15 inches in the sunny garden.

 

'Twinny Peach'

What is a snapdragon without the snap?  The answer is AAS winner 'Twinny Peach' that has a double butterfly flower form that does not have the dragon jaws to snap.  The double flower is what gives it the name 'Twinny' for twins and the blossoms are beautiful shades of peach, yellow and light orange.  This snapless snapdragon grows to only 12 inches and will flower all season long with very little care.

I like scented geraniums, but other than those--I'm not a big pelargonium fan.  The photo of the new Geranium 'Regal Elegance Purple Majesty', however, really caught my eye. The large light pink and purple bicolor blossoms really stand out on this upright branching geranium that grows 12 to 18 inches tall. For those of you that always include a variety of geranium in your containers, this one looks like a keeper.

'Big Kiss White Flame'

Another new annual variety with a photo that really pops is Gazania F1 'Big Kiss White Flame'. 'Big Kiss' has large 4.5 inch daisy-like blooms with splashy white and rose striped petals on a bushy 8 to 10 inch tall plant that will fill your containers quickly.

Potato vine is a mainstay in container plantings and there are two new varieties you might want to try in your pots this season. Ipomoea Illusion series 'Midnight Lace' has deeply dissected, lacy, black/purple foliage and 'Bright Ideas Rusty Red' attractive rust-colored foliage on a compact plant that grows to 6 inches tall with a spread of only 12 inches.

'Jade Princess'

My favorite color combination in the garden is burgundy/bronze combined with chartreuse and the new variety of ornamental millet F1 'Jade Princess' has both.  The foliage is an intense lime green and the showy bronze seedheads contrast nicely above the bright foliage. The mature plant height is 24 to 30 inches with a spread of 18 to 24 inches.

It's unusual to find any perennials in the AAS award winners, but this year there isn't just one, but two perennials that were chosen as the best of the best. Gaillardia F1 'Mesa Yellow' has 3-inch yellow daisy-like flowers that are a bright accent in the garden and a favorite of butterflies.  Unlike most gaillardia that get tall and floppy, “Mesa Yellow' is a neat mounded plant that is perfect for smaller gardens.

'PowWow Wild Berry'

The second perennial honored with an AAS award is Echinacea purpurea 'PowWow Wild Berry'.  There are a lot of new varieties of purple coneflower out there so this variety must really be exceptional to be singled out as an AAS Flower Award Winner. 'PowWow Wild Berry' has a basal branching habit which translates into more 3 to 4 inch deep rose-purple flowers per plant.  It reaches a height of 20 to 24 inches in the full sun garden and blooms for months without deadheading.

Hydrangeas are still some of my favorite plants for the landscape and this year they have come out with two new varieties similar to the tried-and-true favorite 'Annabelle'. Incrediball has larger and more abundant white flowerheads on stronger

'Invincibelle Spirit'

stems that won't fall over.  Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea is as hardy as 'Annabelle' but instead of white flowers it is covered with hot pink flowers from early summer until frost. A nice side feature is that for every Invincibelle Spirit sold $1.00 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Those are just a few of the new plant varieties. I asked my friend who is an avid plant collector what new varieties are on her wish list this year and here are some of her picks: 'Pretty Much Picasso' petunia, 'Purple Rooster' Monarda (bee balm), 'Foxy Lady' Veronica and 'Burning Heart' Dicentra (bleeding heart). So many new plants--so little time!

Books on Designing with Annuals
	Annuals for Every Purpose: Choose the Right Plants for Your Conditions, Your Garden, and Your Taste,"  by Larry Hodgson, Rodale Books. Hardcover - 406 pages (March 2002).  I bought this book as a gift for a landscape architect who specializes in container gardens.  She was amazed at how many annuals were pictured and described and she especially liked that there were many unusual annuals that she hadn't used before.  Believe me, if she liked it--so will you!
	"Annuals with Style: Design Ideas from Classic to Cutting Edge," by Michael A. Ruggiero and Tom Christopher, Hardcover - 240 pages (March 2000), Taunton Pr. Design ideas for beds, borders and containers and professional growing hints for over 70 common and unusual annuals.