2018: Year of the Coreopsis
In my last newsletter, I discussed the National Garden Bureau’s “Year of the” program for 2018. In the annuals category, the organization went with one of my personal favorites — calibrachoa.
Today, I want to continue and talk about NGB’s perennial plant selection. Next year will be the “Year of the Coreopsis,” which is an excellent choice. I’ve definitely seen an increase in new introductions in the coreopsis category over the past few years (one of my personal favorites being ‘UpTick Gold & Bronze’, pictured above).
As always, NGB selects crops that are easy to grow and genetically diverse with lots of new varieties to choose from. Coreopsis totally matches all of these criteria.
Perennials continue to trend upwards at the consumer level, so I’m excited to see more coreopsis in gardens. They are low-maintenance, long-blooming plants that can survive dry conditions. Besides their obvious strength, they are extremely attractive providing bright sunbursts of color. From borders to perennial combo planters, coreopsis can be utilized in various applications.
By mid-November, NGB will provide photos of numerous varieties on its website and will also offer PDFs of fact sheets, flyers, handouts and signage.
If you need some inspiration for your upcoming season, here are some recent coreopsis introductions to consider:
‘UpTick Cream & Red’
Darwin Perennials
Are your customers requesting more coreopsis? Which varieties are you favorites? Will you be taking advantage of the Year of the Coreopsis program for 2018? Shoot me an email at jdolce@greatamericanpublish.com, and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
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