Jan 9, 2018

Hardy Performers By Jasmina Dolce

The perennial market continues to grow, as breeders introduce more varieties with improved hardiness, disease resistance, durability and summer performance. As columnist Vaughn Fletcher explains in his most recent article, “Phenomenal Perennials,” we are currently seeing the annualization of perennials and a strong focus on all-season color. And as you know, color sells!

In his January article, Fletcher reports on his observations of current perennial introductions and their performance in various 2017 summer trials. He says many trial sites are accommodating this breeding explosion in the perennial category with increased space devoted to perennial containers and ground plantings.

“The perennials I have selected provided unsurpassed flowering throughout the summer in different regions of the country” he says. “Perennials must be more conservative on the use of carbohydrates, using the bulk of energy to build strong roots and stems for overwintering, and yet these hardy varieties manifested excellent flowering throughout the summer and fall.”

To read Fletcher’s full report, grab your January issue of GPN or view the digital edition here.

Below are some of his top picks.

Agastache ‘Morello’
Terra Nova Nurseries

‘Morello’ presents a unique flower color for agastache with a strong, dense, upright architecture. It has a deep, burgundy-rose inflorescence that rises above the foliage and matures at 24-30 inches.

Salvia ‘Spring King’
Dümmen Orange

This may be the earliest blooming salvia variety in the market. It began flowering in southern trials in early spring and continued blooming through September in northern trials. It is a Zone 4 variety that requires no vernalization.

Coreopsis ‘Uptick Gold and Bronze’
Darwin Perennials

This vegetative series was introduced last year and was a top performer at university and public trials. It has large bold flowers with a uniform mounded habit requiring no deadheading. Gold and Bronze has been the most striking color in the series with a deep bronze eye framed with gold.

Echinacea ‘Primadonna White’
Benary

This Zone 3 seed variety bloomed continuously from June through early fall. It was impressive with strong upright branching and large single flowers positioned uniformly above the canopy.

Veronica Moody Blues Series
Star Roses and Plants

This series was introduced in 2014 and offers one of the best compact and uniform collections in the industry. It began blooming in June and continued through October, and matured at 12-14 inches. This is a first-year flowering series and is hardy to Zone 4A.

Gaillardia Spintop Series
Dümmen Orange

Spintop is a compact, uniform and extremely early flowering series with flower power and vibrancy throughout the summer. It has demonstrated excellent heat tolerance in all regions and matures at 10-12 inches.

Are you growing any of the above varieties? Which perennials are your top sellers? Shoot me an email and let me know; I’d love to hear from you.

— Jasmina

P.S. Speaking of standouts, do you know any standout professionals that deserve to be recognized for their hard work and contributions to the industry? We are still accepting nominations for the 40 Under 40 Class of 2018. Click here to learn more about the program or to nominate someone before the deadline: Jan. 22, 2018!