Demand for Perennials Continues to Rise
Perennial varieties are seeing much success this season, and I foresee the demand for this landscape staple to escalate next season and beyond. It seems like many gardening trends come full circle every few years, and perennials are making their much anticipated comeback.
Why is this? It could be a variety of reasons. Many perennials are fairly easy to maintain, and they offer repeat gratification. Gardeners plant once and enjoy year after year. For this same reason, gardeners may appreciate the one-time expense of perennials.
Another reason perennials are seeing so much success could be because breeders are simply introducing exciting, breakthrough genetics in the category. New colors and forms that really make a statement in the garden and offer season-long performance.
At California Spring Trials in April, it was evident that breeders are definitely focusing on their perennial offerings and doing new and unique things with them. Gardeners want their perennials to stand out, and breeders are listening.
Here are some of the latest and greatest perennial varieties that made their debut this year and should be available at retail next season.
Veronica ‘Magic Show Pink Potion’
Proven Winners
With improved vigor and flowering, Magic Show replaces Sweet Lullaby. Baby pink flowers cover the top half of the plant in early to midsummer, and deep green foliage forms a low, wide mound.
Agapanthus ‘Indigo Frost’
Southern Living Plant Collection
‘Indigo Frost’ features multiple spikes of large bicolor flowers that change from blue in the throat to white on the petal’s edge. Blooms open in spring and rebloom through the summer.
Echinacea ‘Prairie Splendor Rose Compact’
Syngenta Flowers
This first-year flowering echinacea features compact breeding and is a perfect medium height divider. It flowers up to three weeks earlier than traditional varieties and is ideal for late spring to summer sales.
Gaillardia ‘SpinTop Yellow Touch’
Dümmen Orange
The new SpinTop series is first-year flowering and very compact with colors that show well at retail. They have very large flowers with a velvet-like shine.
Coreopsis ‘UpTick Cream & Red’
Darwin Perennials
This pollinator-loving coreopsis offers summer-long blooming and garden interest. It grows 12 to 15 inches tall and prefers full sun and well-drained soils.
Lupine ‘Staircase Rose-White’
Green Fuse Botanicals
Staircase lupine is bred for improved strength and disease resistance. The plants display large flower stalks. Garden height is 20 to 26 inches, and they are hardy to Zone 3.
Have you seen an increase in perennials sales? What are you favorite new perennial introductions? Shoot me an email at [email protected] and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
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