Head into Spring with High Impact
It’s hard to believe as I sit here and type this as it is over 60 degrees and sunny in suburban Chicagoland that there was about 2 feet of snow collected on my back patio just two weeks ago. The melt came just as fast and sudden — or so it seems — as the initial storm last month.
That signifies one thing in my mind: Spring is just around the corner! Well, ten days to be exact. I know in many parts of the country, spring has unofficially sprung and gardeners are already hitting garden centers prepping their outdoor spaces. For me, it’ll be another month before I can really concentrate on outdoor beautification. But for now, the planning begins.
Like many homeowners and gardeners, I’ll be pinning to my Pinterest board and scouring Instagram in search of garden inspiration. What do I look for? I want my plants to perform in two important ways: 1) I have a ton on my plate, so it can be difficult to give my plants the attention they deserve. So I need them to be especially strong and resilient — with the ability to come back from excessive heat and/or rain. And 2) I like to think I’m a unique person. So I want my garden to also share in this expression — standing out from my neighboring gardens and delivering high impact.
You likely have your season planned to a certain degree, or at least you should! But I’d like this newsletter to simply serve as a reminder (as if you need one) that spring will be here before we know it. And now is the time to inspire your customers, as well as gardeners and end consumers. Show them what you got, and why they need your beautiful products!
And if you need any inspiration, here are some of my favorite new varieties introduced last year that I think will make a huge impact in gardens this year.
Anemone ‘Harmony Double Pink’
Sakata
Discover high impact color with the newest addition to the Harmony Double series — Pink. This vibrant selection has a tidy, compact habit with an abundance of petals. It is early flowering and matched to the series, which now offers four colors and a mix.
Begonia ‘Vermillion Hot Pink’
Beekenkamp
Celosia Brainiac is a reinvented series that boasts incredible outdoor performance. It has improved germination and is ideal for packs and 4-inch containers. This unique variety is early flowering and heat tolerant.
Osteospermum ‘Bright Lights Red’
Proven Winners
Selected for its nestled branching; fuller, uniform habit; and season-long flowering, this brick red variety represents an advancement in heat-tolerant osteospermum breeding. It is perfect for small pots, mixed combinations and monoculture containers.
Petunia ‘Headliner Crystal Sky’
Selecta One
Sister plant to the top-selling Night Sky petunia, the new Crystal Sky is a perfect match in timing, habit and vigor. It flowers early with a fast finish and offers dramatic color on large blooms.
Lavender ‘Torch Minty Ice’
Hem Genetics
‘Torch Minty Ice’ is a very light blue complement to ‘Torch Blue’. It is a quick crop from seed, finishing in just 15 to 16 weeks from sowing. Hardy ot Zones 7 through 11, it has attractive finely divided leaves that have the scent of oregano and not lavender!
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