Variety Notebook

Under the Sea Coleus ‘Langostino’
The crustacean look of this plant is certainly eye-catching. With the red blotches popping out against the lime greenish foliage, the leaves take on the appearance of a lobster. ‘Langostino’ is one of the varieties from Hort Couture’s Under the Sea Coleus series. It has a USDA hardiness Zone of 10-11 and grows up to 18 inches in height, 16 inches in spread. It does well in a 6-inch program.
For more: www.hortcouture.com

Gaura Bantam
Tidy in gardens and has a compact habit without PGRs, Gaura Bantam comes in two colors: a light, strawberry pink or white. Hardy to USDA Zones 5-10, it has a garden height of 12 to 16 inches and a width of 18 to 22 inches. It needs pinching once it’s planted in a finished container; for larger containers, additional pinches may be needed.
For more: www.green-fuse.com

Helleborus ‘Penny’s Pink’
Representing one of the latest breeding technologies for hellebores, ‘Penny’s Pink’ is vigorous, compact and tidy, unlike your typical hellebore varieties. It has frosty pink flowers in a unique dome shape and blooms from winter through spring. It’s hardy to Zones 4-9 and flowering occurs in the first year of production.
For more: www.ppandl.com

Insider Info
The Under the Sea series was bred by students at a university in Canada and royalties from the plants go to pay for classroom supplies.