New annual varieties for 2008

 

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Agastache

Gold and White/Yellow are new to Bodger Botanicals’ Acapulco series. They possess the same habit and characteristics of the series. Both have excellent outdoor, landscape performance for all geographical regions that is only surpassed by its fragrant foliage.

Ageratum

Ageratum corymbosum ‘Azure Skies’ has 6-inch, bright violet-purple flowers. The Hort Couture Plants introduction has large fuzzy leaves that mature to rich purple. Plants reach 30 inches tall and are recommended for large mixed containers.

Patina Blue from Syngenta Flowers is an exceptional garden performer with no deadheading required. It finishes fast in 4- to 6-inch pots or premium containers.

Alyssum

PanAmerican Seed’s Clear Crystal series includes Lavender Shades, Purple Shades, White and a Mixture. The fragrant, large-flowered varieties deliver strong garden performance.

Kieft Seeds’ new Allure series has a well-branched plant habit and compact pack performance. Colors are White, Pink, Bronze, Rose, Lavender, Deep Purple and Lemon Yellow, as well as a Pastel Mix.

Angelonia

Angelina Violet and White evol. is an improved variety from Selecta First Class.

Carita Raspberry from Syngenta Flowers has a compact habit with excellent performance in the greenhouse and in the garden. Carita Cascade Lavender is a dense, upright semi-trailing type that fills in quickly for hanging baskets and planters.

Argyranthemum

Four varieties join the Argyranthemum frutescens LaRita series from Selecta First Class, bringing the series to nine medium-vigor varieties. Double Lemon performs great outdoors. Dark Pink has single flowers with a red center. Purple produces large, purple flowers and adds a new color to the series. Lavender has a cream center.

Ecke Flower Fields has three new argyranthemums.

‘Spring Bouquet’s flowers start out yellow and fade to different shades of pink to create a bouquet in a pot.

‘Lipstick’ has fully double flowers that are coral-pink.

Summersong White Improved has an improved habit.

Butterfly Yellow from Syngenta Flowers is an excellent outdoor performer. Large, pure-yellow flowers with gold centers make a strong addition to mixed containers.

Syngenta Flowers’ Shere series gained several additions: Monroe White Red, Monroe Scarlet, Monroe Deep Rose and Monroe Mini Rose White. Self-cleaning plants are early to flower with great branching.

Bacopa

Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm’s Scopia Gulliver Blue Sensation produces masses of giant, light-blue flowers on a compact, branched plant. It has a mounded-trailing growth habit.

Calypso Jumbo Lavender, from Syngenta Flowers and bred by Goldsmith, is easy to grow, with a controlled habit and strong branching. Large flowers are great for baskets and mixed containers.

Ecke Flower Fields is offering Scopia Great Pink and Scopia Great Pink Ring.

Begonia

Ecke Geraniums, LLC Oglevee Products has four additions to the Spectrum series. They have a medium habit and were selected for consistent habit and flower timing. Blitz has yellow flowers. Borias has soft, pale-pink flowers. Camilla’s flowers are pink with a dark blush. Polly is medium-pink with a blush.

‘Madame Queen,’ a tropical rhizomatous begonia, was introduced by Terra Nova Nurseries. It has large, glossy, copper-colored leaves with ruffled and frilled edges and a red reverse. Prominent, light-green veins radiate from the center of the leaves.

Double-flowered wax begonia Gumdrop Cherry Blossom has soft, fully double flowers in a soft-pink shade. Part of Novalis’ Plants that Work by Color program, durable Cherry Blossom flowers profusely all summer.

Benary added Red to its large-flowering B. semperflorens Lotto series. Its 3- to 4-inch flowers make it a good choice for landscape beds. It provides summerlong color in sun and shade.

Benary’s BIG series offers large flowers, container appeal and landscape potential. The series has three members: BIG Red with Green Leaf, BIG Red with Bronze Leaf and BIG Rose with Bronze Leaf.

Benary also introduced B. tuberhybrida Nonstop Fire. Its showy shades of yellow, gold, orange and red provide contrast to its green foliage.

Proven Winners introduced two series of basket begonias.

The Bellagio series offers large double flowers in soft colors -- Blush, Apricot and Pearl. This series works best in filtered sun in the North and shade in the South.

The Mandalay series displays a delicate, single flower in strong colors -- Mandarin, Pearl and Flamingo.

Pink was added to the Abunda series from Ball FloraPlant.

Goldsmith Seeds’ Go-GoB. tuberosa series added Yellow Improved. It requires less plant growth regulators and is ideal for finishing as a 4-inch crop, yet vigorous enough for long-lasting garden performance.

The Volumia series from Syngenta Flowers has five colors: Light Pink, Pink, Scarlet, Rose Bicolor and White. Plants branch vigorously for premium pot annual programs. Extra-large flowers are eye-catching at retail.

Bidens

Bidens ferulifolia Namid Compact Yellow is a new crop for Selecta First Class. Its well-branched habit is excellent for pots or mounded baskets. It has large, golden-yellow flowers and dark-green foliage. It flowers early.

Mexican Gold Compact from Syngenta Flowers has a tight, mounding habit and slightly smaller flowers than Mexican Gold.

Brachyscome

Enduring Blue is new from Ball FloraPlant. It’s well-suited to mixed containers and landscapes.

Bracteantha

Additions to the Mohave line from Selecta First Class are Yellow, Fire and Lemon evol. All have brilliant colors, are self-cleaning, free-branching and have low to medium vigor.

Calibrachoa

The Aloha series from Dummen USA now includes Tiki Soft Pink, Tiki Hot Pink and Hot Orange. Dummen’s breeding efforts concentrated on a calibrachoa for combination plantings. Plants are semi-upright with tropical flowers and large flower heads.

Superbells Trailing Lilac Mist from Proven Winners reaches 4-6 inches tall and spreads to 12-18 inches. Petite lavender flowers are marked with dark-lavender to purple veins. A trailing habit makes it great for baskets or mixed containers.

The Suntory Million Bells series gained six members. They’re available from Jackson & Perkins. Brilliant Pink displays electric-pink flowers atop upright, mounding, disease-resistant foliage. Chiffon has cascades of soft orchid-pink flowers. Lime has vigorous growth and light bloom color to provide contrast to mixed plantings. Neon Yellow is offset by deep-green, disease-resistant foliage. It has a semi-upright habit. Plum is an excellent brancher that creates mounds of flowers. Trailing Blue 09 has deep-violet color and exhibited excellent field performance, especially in the heat. Trailing Yellow flowers are framed by deep-green foliage. It has a semi-upright habit with good vigor and excellent branching.

Selecta First Class made changes to several of its calibrachoa series.

MiniFamous Double Blush Pink has a great habit and outstanding outdoor performance. MiniFamous Double Yellow flowers early and fits into a spring program.

Improvements to the MiniFamous line include Lemon evol., Vampire evol., Dark Blue evol. and Lavender Blue evol. Additions to that series are Tangerine and Scarlet, both with large flowers, excellent center branching, early flowering and strong performance.

Callie Mango, from Syngenta Flowers and bred by Goldsmith, flowers early under shorter daylengths.

Capsicum

Kieft’s F¹-hybrid ‘Cappa Round Tricolor’ has strong stems with three to five branches per plant. Plants have early plant set with round, egg fruits. Fruit changes color from white over orange to red.

Centradenia

Skagit Gardens’ ‘Blushing Cascade’ has florescent salmon buds opening to light pink that contrast with dark, reddish-bronze leaves. The trailing foliage turns orange and crimson in fall. It grows to 18-24 inches tall and spreads to 18 inches.

Coleus

Athens Select introduced two coleus. ‘Gold Brocade’ is a fast-growing, sun-tolerant variety with glimmering golden leaves with deep-maroon variegation on veins and stems. It reaches 18-20 inches tall and is suited for sun to partial shade. ‘Mariposa’ has very large, showy leaves that drape downward, showing off their dark-crimson color and deep-pink edging. It reaches 30 inches and is for sun to partial shade.

Solenostemon scutellarioides Dark Chocolate was added to PanAmerican Seed’s Fantastic Foliage program. It’s easy to grow and its rich dark-purple color is solid across the entire leaf. Midseason flowers are purple and green.

Ball FloraPlant added three new C. hybrida. Henna has chartreuse to copper color complemented by burgundy undersides. Indian Summer has multicolor leaves and is a vigorous grower. Mint Mocha has multicolor green leaves with mottled yellow and red flecks.

Ball Horticultural Co.’s Kong series added a seed variety and a mix. Salmon Pink has the same huge leaf size as the series with an interesting multicolor pattern of salmon-pink and chocolate-brown with an irregular green edge. The Empire Mix is Red, Rose, new Salmon Pink and Scarlet.

‘Zesty Zucchini’ from Hort Couture Plants has a radish-colored midrib with a zucchini-green leaf center surrounded by a toothed leaf margin. The interesting color combination is ideal for mixed containers. Another variety, ‘Juicy Lucy,’ has rich-gold undertones illuminated by overlaid hues of burnt orange. It grows to 24 inches tall and takes both sun and shade.

Colocasia

Elena, from Hort Couture Plants, is part of the Tres Chic Tropicals Collection. It is a durable suckering form with chartreuse-yellow foliage accented by purple veins. Plants reach 30 inches tall and are hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 8.

Originating in University of Hawaii’s breeding program, C. esculenta Royal Hawaiian series is new from PlantHaven. Blue Hawaii has green leaves with purple veins and margins and a matte finish. Diamond Head has glossy dark-purple to black leaves with dark-purple petioles. Hawaiian Eye has greenish-purple leaves with matte finish and burgundy petioles. Hilo Bay has glossy olive-green corrugated leaves with dark-purple petioles. Pineapple Princess has yellow-green leaves with light-purple veins and margin and burgundy petioles.

Cordyline

Cordyline terminalis ‘Mocha Latte’ from Hort Couture Plants makes a dramatic centerpiece for mixed containers. Reaching 2-3 feet tall, this plant grows best in full sun to part shade. Rich chocolate-brown leaves are suffused with red overtones as they mature and are skirted by creamy margins.

Bodger Botanicals’ Electric Pink seemingly glows with its hot-pink veination on deep, chocolate-crimson and rose foliage. Finely textured when young, its leaves broaden as the plant matures. Garden height is 2-3 feet.

Cuphea

Cuphea ignea ‘Ballistic’ from PlantHaven was selected for its compact habit, high volume of small tubular flowers, long flowering season and lack of noticeable seed set. Foliage is light green. Plants are naturally branching.

A sport of ‘Lavender,’ ‘Limelight’ from GroLink produces lavender flowers with chartreuse foliage. It’s recommended for combination planters and as a contrast plant in the landscape.

Cyclamen

Silver Heart is a new miniature cyclamen series from Goldsmith Seeds. Eye-catching silver foliage is covered with silvery hearts, making the plants perfect for holiday decorating and gift-giving. Series members include Purple, Rose, Scarlet, White, Wine plus a Mixture and a Flame Mixture.

Winter Ice is another new silver-leaf Goldsmith series that boasts high flower counts and large, showy flowers. Choose from Purple, Salmon, White and a Mixture.

Goldsmith made additions to two miniature cyclamen series. Pink was added to the Midori line, and fragrant White Improved joined the Miracle series.

Delma is a fringe-petaled series offered as a 10-color mix by Syngenta Flowers. Colors match in earliness and habit.

Dahlia

Fides’ new pot Dahlia series, branded Dahlinova Hypnotica, has vigorous plants with uniform growth habit and good branching. Flowers are large and are available in bold colors: Red, Yellow, White, Orange, Bronze Bicolor, Pink and Light Pink.

Dahlia variabilis ‘Black Beauty’ from Thompson & Morgan sports black flowers that fade to mahogany-red. At 18 inches tall, it’s ideal for containers.

Kieft’s D. variabilis Deco Mix is an early-flowering mix of double and semi-double colors.

Dianthus

Red Peppermint was added to Goldsmith’s Super Parfait series. Plants are covered with large flowers and tolerate high-density mass production in pots or packs.

Several colors were added to Selecta First Class Plants’ SuperTrouper series: Cherry + Velvet, Silver Pink, Magenta + White and Velvet + White. Improvements were made to Purple evol., Velvet Red evol., Sun Yellow evol. and Lilac on Purple evol.

Diascia

Flirtation Pink is the first in a new series from Proven Winners. It reaches 8-10 inches tall and spreads to 10-14 inches. Delicate pink flowers have maroon-red throats.

Darla Orange and Darla Appleblossom show reliable performance in a range of container sizes. The series, from Syngenta Flowers and bred by Goldsmith, has superb heat tolerance and garden performance.

Dipladenia

Rio, from Syngenta Flowers and bred by Goldsmith, has a controlled, upright habit with little to no vining. Colors are Hot Pink, Pink, Deep Red and White. Compact plants have 3-inch trumpet-shaped flowers all summer.

Euphorbia

‘Silver Fog’ is from Dummen USA’s Red Fox assortment. It is suitable for holiday decorations or in everyday spring combination planters. ‘Silver Fog’ is compact with short, round leaves and delicate white flowers.

Eustoma

Pink Improved and Violet are new to Goldsmith’s Twinkle series. Both have single flowers with intense color. Thick, single stems with tight flower clusters and smaller lower leaves allow for clean production and harvest.

Erysimum

Precious Bronze (orange-yellow flowers) and Precious Gold (golden-yellow flowers) are additions to Proven Winners’ Spring Magic line. Both offer a compact habit and reach 8-12 inches tall with a spread of 6-8 inches.

Fuchsia

Ecke Flower Fields is offering the Diva series, which is bred by Kieft. Plants are early and continuous flowerers in three color combinations: Coral White, White Lilac and Bridal Pink.

‘Fun Times’ is a triphylla-type fuchsia with dark-green leaves with a soft, velvety appearance. Three colors, Rose, Pink and Salmon, are available from GroLink.

Jackson & Perkins added three varieties to the Suntory Angel Earrings line. Double Red produces double flowers with strong color and great flower production. Its upright habit and heat tolerance make it ideal for sun and shade. Mauve has excellent branching and a compact habit suitable for 4- and 6-inch production. White has long, slender flowers that intensify to pink in cooler weather.

Gazania

The Kiss series from Goldsmith added Orange Flame and Golden Yellow. Both have short stems, big flowers and full plants. It’s not unusual to have 10-15 open blossoms at a time.

Cream-colored Moonlight is an addition to Ecke Flower Fields’ SunBathers series. Flowers are semi-double, large and showy without a typical dark eye around the center.

Rose and Violet Picotee are now in Kieft’s F¹Kontiki series.

Gaura

Selecta First Class improved branching, flower size and shelflife of Belleza White evol. so it matches Belleza Dark Pink more closely.

Geranium

The Maverick series from Goldsmith now includes Salmon Confetti and Scarlet. Both boast superior germination and uniformity. They’re easy to control with less plant growth regulators.

The new ivy geranium series branded Grand Idols from Fides has four colors: Pink, Purple, Red and Orange. Plants are vigorous and need little plant growth regulator. The intense flower colors contrast with dark-colored foliage.

Five members have been added to Ecke Geraniums, LLC Oglevee Products’ zonal offerings.

Candy Cherry has bright cherry-red flowers and dark leaves. Plants were developed for high-density production and have compact, controllable growth.

Pac Maestro Rose Pink has large, rose-pink flowers that appear early. Plants have medium vigor and good heat tolerance. They work in large and small containers for high-density production.

Three are Patriot or Patriot types:

Patriot Lavender Blue has light-lavender flowers with bluish overtones.

Pac Superstar Red has bright-red flowers.

Pac Berry Parfait’s flowers are almost fluorescent red with a dark-red bicolor.

Zonal geranium Picotee Pink was added to Ball FloraPlant’s Allure series.

Scarlet Red is a new zonal in Ball FloraPlant’s Designer series. It has fuller, larger flower heads than Scarlet Improved.

Six zonals were added to Ball Horticultural Co.’s Score series: Cherry, Cherry Stardust, Neon Rose, Pink Meteor, Rose Spice and Violet Picotee.

Daredevil is a new series of large geraniums from Proven Winners. There are seven colors: dark-red Claret, scarlet-red Fire, vibrant magenta Mulberry, lavender-pink Orchid, rose with white eye Rosita, coral Salmon and bright-white Snow. Plants are heat and drought tolerant and deer resistant.

With uniform habit and strong vigor, Dummen USA’s Red Fox Survivors series added two colors: Lilac Charme and Dark Red 09. Superior branching ensures continual flowering throughout summer.

Dummen USA also added to its Savannah zonal geranium series. Savannah Blue and Savannah White both have sturdy, dark foliage and bold flowers. Their vigorous habit ensures heat tolerance.

Royal Candy Pink is the latest addition to the Royal ivy geranium series from Selecta First Class. It has large pink and white bicolor flowers, dark-green zoned foliage and medium-high vigor.

A new variety and two improvements join the dark-foliage zonal Moonlight series from Selecta First Class. Moonlight Cranberry Blush is new, while Moonlight Dark Salmon evol. and Moonlight Brilliant Red evol. are improved.

A third geranium series from Selecta First Class, Sunrise, gained two varieties: Sunrise Dark Pink + Eye and Sunrise Rose evol. The zonals have medium-green foliage and large flower heads.

Syngenta Flowers made several additions to existing geranium series.

Graffiti Violet is an attractive novelty with excellent heat tolerance.

Summer Rose Dark Red is a well-branched and heat-tolerant ivy with a dense habit.

Cranberry Red and Pink Mega Splash joined the Americana series, bred by Goldsmith.

Velvet Red and Rose Mega Splash join the Eclipse series, bred for bright flower colors, dark foliage and vigor in the landscape by Goldsmith.

Calliope Dark Red is the first cultivar in a new interspecific hybrid series from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith. It has true dark-red color with zonal-like flowers, but won’t fade or burn.

Gerbera

Sakata Seed America’s Festival series added four varieties. Apricot with Eye shows an intense apricot color with a contrasting dark center. Red with Eye has intense-red color with a contrasting dark center. Spider Yellow is ideal for fall and spring sales. Spider Salmon Red Shades Improved has stronger flowering and improved flower form.

The Giant Spinners series from Bodger Botanicals has three colors: Red/Gold, Pink/White and Lemon/Cerise. They feature very large flowers on vigorous plants. All will flower throughout summer.

Kieft added two to its F¹ Revolution series. Yellow/Green Centre has bright-yellow flowers with a green eye. The Spring Pastels is a mix of white, blush, pink and other bicolors.

Kieft’s F¹ Mega Revolution series had changes, too. Scarlet/Dark Centre Improved has better vigor and flower quality. Orange/Dark Centre has bright-orange flowers with a dark eye. Yellow Shades has clear-yellow flowers (25 percent are green-eyed and 75 percent are dark eyed). Rose Shades has rose and deep-rose flowers (half have green eyes, half are dark). White has clear-white and vanilla-white flowers that are very large.

Hebe

‘Blue Angel’ from GroLink has bright-blue flowers, dark glossy foliage and burgundy stems. It flowers in fall, winter and spring and attracts butterflies.

Helianthus

Constellation Yellow from Syngenta Flowers is a pollen-free hybrid with large, showy 6-inch flowers. It reaches 36 inches tall in the garden.

Helichrysum

Helichrysum petiolare Minus, from Ball FloraPlant, is a low-maintenance accent plant that is a good middle-of-the-road choice between Licorice and Silver Mist.

Heliotrope

Selecta First Class’ Heliotrope arborescens Marino Silver Blue evol. has improved vigor and now matches the series much better.

Scentropia Dark Blue from Syngenta Flowers is easy to finish with a dense, semi-compact habit. Flowers have a sweet scent.

Impatiens

Two colors – Pink Blush and Watermelon – join the Jambalaya series from Syngenta Flowers.

Syngenta Flowers also added Pink Picotee and Red Star to the Blitz 3000 series.

Impatiens niamniamensis‘ Congo Cockatoo’ and ‘Golden Cockatoo’ from Hort Couture have lacquered black stems and shiny flowers that are gold with accents of sealing-wax red. Leaves are variegated.

Ball FloraPlant added two double impatiens to its Fiesta series. Pink Frost is a strong plant with striking variegated foliage and pink flowers. Ole Peach Sorbet replaces Fiesta Ole Peach. It has a darker, more interesting flower color than its predecessor.

Three improved varieties and a mix were added to Ball Horticultural Co.’s dwarf Dazzler series. Blue Pearl Improved has darker green foliage and an improved branching and full, mounded look. Coral Improved has a cleaner, more saturated color. White Improved is two to three days earlier than White, with improved plant shape and habit. Baby Shower Mix is a blend of this year’s three newcomers.

Moonlight Rose Mixture was added to PanAmerican Seed’s fancy-flowered Fanciful series.

The Accent series from Goldsmith gained four improvements: Orange Star, Pink, Scarlet and Violet Star. Plants have excellent branching and strong vigor and can handle environmental stresses. They’re perfect for larger containers.

Goldsmith added Salmon to its Xtreme series. Its non-stretching habit extends its shelflife.

Double Silhouette White was bred for uniform growth and early flowering. It’s from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith.

Trailing Butterfly Orange and Butterfly Violet are vigorous growers with early, small flowers that cover the plant through fall. It was introduced by Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith.

Ipomoea

Four varieties were added to the Suntory Desana series from Jackson & Perkins. Bronze has dark foliage that makes it a good backdrop for companion plantings. Compact Red foliage has shades of deep red that mature to green with maroon veining. Lime is very compact. Maple should be used to add texture and dimension to mixed baskets. It has great warm fall color.

Sidekick is a new series from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith. Colors are Black, Lime and Black Heart. Plants have a semi-compact, bushy habit that performs well in sun and shade.

Ismelia

Ismelia carnata Vestidos series from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith, has 3-inch flowers. Plants, which continue to flower through hot summers, have an upright habit with dense, lacey foliage. The series includes Red, Yellow and White.

Isotoma

Kieft’s ‘Tristar Sky Blue’ is earlier than Deep Blue with lighter-colored flowers.

Lantana

Pink Glow was added to Ball FloraPlant’s Landmark series.

Bandana Trailing Gold from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith, has exceptionally large flowers with strong color and heat tolerance.

Ecke Flower Fields’ ‘White Gold’ has the same habit and characteristics of ‘New Gold’ with white flowers that have an intense golden-yellow eye.

Lavender

Javelin is a new compact, early-flowering series from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith. Javelin Compact Blue has fragrant, dark-blue flowers.

Lobelia

Laguna Heavenly Lilac offers the same superior heat tolerance as the series. Flowers are a rich jewellike hue and appear early. It is from Proven Winners.

Three varieties joined the Magadi series from Selecta First Class. White evol., Ocean Blue and Basket Purple + Eye have thick-branching habits and are outstanding summer performers.

Syngenta Flowers’ Techno series added Heat Electric Blue, Heat Dark Blue, Heat Violet, Heat Upright Dark Blue and Heat Upright Light Blue. Bred by Goldsmith, plants produce a carpet of flowers throughout summer.

‘Belinda Blue’ has a compact, ball-shaped habit and is early and uniform flowering. This Kieft introduction has cobalt-blue flowers and deep-green foliage.

Marigold (American)

Bodger Seed is re-releasing Discovery Yellow and Orange. Both possess the same compact habit that commercial growers highly covet. Flowers have been improved so that round, tight flower heads appear atop tidy plants.

Marigold (French)

Orange Bee  is an addition to Bodger Seed’s Hero series. It has large, orange flowers with red highlights.

Musa

‘Tandarra Red’ from Terra Nova Nurseries is a red banana hardy to Zones 10-11. Waxy leaves are deep green with reddish-purple tones and leaf margins.

Nemesia

Lemon Mist Sachet is the latest color in Ecke Flower Fields series. Flowers are pink with yellow and white.

Selecta First Class’ Serengeti series went through an overhaul. White, Sunset and Upright Yellow were improved. Additions are Sunny Red, Upright Purple and Upright Violet + White. Large, scented flowers appear all summer.

Karoo Soft Blue, originally from the Cape of South Africa, is bushy and neat in habit. It covers itself with elegant, soft-blue flowers. It takes full sun and reaches 10 by 18 inches. It was introduced by Novalis as part of the Plants that Work by Color program.

Ball FloraPlant’s Aromatica series gained two new members. Violet Ice has bicolor flowers that are well-matched to the series. White Improved has bigger flowers but is still as fragrant as White.

The Confection series, from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith, is for cool-season production. Robust plants are loaded with small flowers. Colors are Blue, Pink and White.

New Guinea impatiens

Harmony Orange Star from Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm has a brilliant radiating star in a glowing white color, offset by orange on outer petals. Its growth habit is compact.

Versatile Icy Blue was added to Ball FloraPlant’s Celebrette series.

Blushing Crimson brings a new color to Proven Winners’ Infinity New Guinea impatiens series. Deep-crimson edges fade to white centers. Improvements were also made to White, Cherry Red, Lavender and Salmon.

Lavender and White are additions to Selecta First Class’ medium-vigor ColorPower series.

Nicotiana

Eight varieties make up the new Starmaker series from Ball Horticultural Co.: Appleblossom, Bright Pink, Bright Red, Deep Lime, Lime-Purple Bicolor, Pink Picotee, Rose and White. These brightly colored heat lovers put on seasonlong shows in landscapes and containers.

Nierembergia

Suntory Summer Splash White from Jackson & Perkins is a great variety for hot conditions. One-inch flowers are pure white with a bright-yellow eye. Summer Splash Light Blue is covered in light-blue flowers throughout the season.

Osteospermum

Doris Daisy Pillow Talk is part of Novalis’ Plants that Work by Color program. Tough yet beautiful, these daisies grow wild in the dunes of South Africa. Plants have large, pure-white flowers with purple eyes. It might go out of flower in extreme heat, but it will bounce back once it cools down.

There are three additions to Ball FloraPlant’s Serenity series: Dark Purple, Pink Improved and Vanilla.

Purple was added to Goldsmith’s seed-grown Asti series. No vernalization is needed, and plants remain uniform from sow to flowering.

The FlowerPower series of O. ecklonis from Selecta First Class added three: Orange, Silver Pink and Yellow evol. Plants are easy to grow and are outstanding performers.

Selecta First Class also added three varieties to the FlowerPower Compact series: Compact Bronze, Compact Lemon and Compact Pink. This series is more compact than the FlowerPower series but can easily fill pots due to a slightly wider habit.

Sun Yellow was added to Selecta First Class’ Zion series, which has medium to high vigor, large colorful flowers, good summer performance and great consumer appeal.

White replaces White Purple in the FlowerPower Spider series from Selecta First Class.

Ecke Flower Fields has three new osteospermums.

Side Show Copper Apricot has medium-apricot flowers with copper edges.

Sunscape Daisy Cape Daisy Mara has medium-apricot flowers with bright-pink centers.

Crescendo Dawn Blush’s flowers start off pale cream and fade to light pink.

The interspecific Kenai series from Selecta First Class gets an improvement. Orange Dream evol., with incredible orange color, will eventually replace Orange Dream.

Tradewinds Trailing Deep Purple is a no-pinch, no-plant growth regulator variety that’s easy to schedule alongside other Tradewinds varieties. It’s from Syngenta Flowers.

Bodger Botanicals’ Pinwheel series added its first Yellow. Pure, lemon-yellow flowers are highlighted by a blue eye. It’s more tidy in habit than other osteospermums. Garden height is 8 inches.

Pansy

Two new varieties and an improved variety were added to Goldsmith’s Karma series. Primrose and Purple are new colors, and White is an improved variety. The series is uniform.

The Mariposa series gained Yellow Blotch. The Goldsmith variety is loaded with midsized flowers and has uniform habit and flower time and a non-stretching habit.

PanAmerican Seed added numerous individual varieties and mixes to its Panola line. New colors: Beaconsfield XP, Deep Blue Botch XP, Deep Orange XP, Fire XP, Marina XP, Purple Face XP, Purple XP, Rose Picotee XP, Scarlet XP, Sunburst XP, True Blue XP, White Blotch XP, White XP, Yellow Blotch XP and Yellow XP. New mixtures: Autumn Blaze Mixture XP, Baby Boy Mixture XP, Blackberry Sundae Mixture XP, Blotch Mixture XP, Citrus Mixture XP, Clear Mixture XP, Halloween Mixture XP, Jewels ‘N Jazz Mixture XP and Panola Mixture XP.

Ball Horticultural also introduced four Panola mixes. Berry Smoothie Mix XP includes Rose Picotee and Yellow. Morning Mix XP includes Orange, True Blue and White. Spring Break Mix XP includes Purple, White and Yellow. Spring Fling Mix XP includes Marina, True Blue and Yellow.

Two pansies – Lilac and Violet -- were added to Ball Horticultural Co.’s Ultima Radiance series.

Magnum Rose Wing and Magnum Scarlet Shades bring Floranova’s F¹ Magnum series to 21 colors. A compact, early-flowering and well-branched habit is maintained in hot and cold extremes as well as in low light. The series is available as primed seed.

Fizzy Lemonberry is a ruffled pansy from PanAmerican Seed. Frilly yellow blooms are highlighted with dark-purple picotee edges. Stronger ruffling occurs in cool conditions.

Two varieties and a mixture were added to PanAmerican Seed’s large-flowered Matrix series. Rose Wing has a rose blotch with white halo. Rose is a clear color addition. Raspberry Sundae Mix is a designer mix of Rose Wing, Rose and White Blotch.

Penstemon

Phoenix Lavender from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith, has large, bell-shaped flowers on strong, upright plants.

Pentas

P. lanceolata Kaleidoscope Deep Rose and Kaleidoscope Pink are new from Benary.

Starla series from Goldsmith has three new members: Appleblossom, Lavender Shades and Red. Large, long-lasting flowers are held above the foliage. Plants are vigorous and can withstand the stress of cool northern nights and hot southern days.

Pepper

PanAmerican Seed introduced three ornamental Capsicum annuum. Calico has compact, rounded plants that are uniform in size across the crop. Purple Flash plants are topped with small, round, glossy black fruits. Plants have flashes of bright-purple foliage among almost-black leaves. Sangria plants have a full and somewhat spreading habit and produce striking purple and red fruits that are not hot when eaten.

Petunia

The Plush series from Syngenta Flowers added Deep Purple, Rose, Spirit Mix and Formula Mix.

The F¹-hybrid hedgiflora Soprano series from American Takii reaches 18-24 inches tall and 36-42 inches wide. As plants grow, they spread and then gain height, filling in both directions. Branches intermingle, creating a sturdy shrublike habit that holds up well in wind and rain. There are four colors: Rose, Rose Pink, Rose Red and Salmon Pink.

Two improved varieties were added to Ball Horticultural Co.’s Madness series: Plum Crazy Improved and Yellow Improved. A new double, Double Madness Summer, is salmon with a red vein.

Ball Horticultural also added the Ball Picotee Mix. The single grandifloras come in burgundy, red, rose and blue.

Supertunia Vista Silverberry from Proven Winners offers incredible performance in the landscape, is heat, drought and humidity tolerant with a vigorous mounding habit. It does best in full to partial shade. Supertunia Citrus has soft-yellow flowers. It is a vigorous grower that flowers consistently all season in full sun.

PanAmerican Seed’s grandiflora Dreams series gained new Fuchsia. Day Dreams Mixture includes Rose Morn, Rose and White. Mixture Improved is a crisp blend of solid Dreams colors.

The Easy Wave spreading petunia series has a new mix: Pink Marble Mixture. The PanAmerican Seed mixture includes White, Mystic Pink and Pink.

The single grandiflora Supercascade series from PanAmerican Seed added Red Improved. It’s better branched and has a fuller plant structure, plus deeper and cleaner-colored large flowers.

Ultra petunias have large flowers that stimulate impulse sales. Goldsmith added Fresh White.

Picobella is a new mini petunia series from Goldsmith. They were bred to be more vigorous on the bench without growth regulators. Plants are nicely mounded with loads of branching and petite flowers. The series includes Blue, Carmine, Light Lavender, Rose, White and a Mixture, which includes Red.

The Potunia series, Dummen USA’s daylength-neutral mounding petunia, added two vibrant colors: Lobster and Dark Red.

Selecta First Class made a number of changes to four petunia series.

Charming Red and Charming Dark Pink join the small-flowering series.

Fame Blue Velvet evol. and Fame White evol. are improvements to the series that boasts easy-to-control vigor, very early flowering and great consumer appeal.

The Famous line of semi-trailing petunias gained Lilac Picotee and Purple Dream.

Dark Blue is in the SweetSunshine series. It has stunning dark-blue double flowers that hold up well in various weather conditions.

Bicolor Fantasy is the latest color in Ecke Flower Fields’ vegetative Cascadias series. Flowers are white with a heart-shaped purple bicolor.

Syngenta Flowers’ Sanguna series added Rose Vein and Vanilla.

Phlox

Three colors were added to the Suntory Astoria series from Jackson & Perkins. Hot Pink has traffic-stopping color and impressive flower production. Peach has a soft flower color. Pink Splash is a novel combination of pink and white with a mounding, compact habit.

Plectranthus

Dwarf ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy’ is ideal for 4-inch pots. The Hort Couture Plants introduction has cool-green leaves with milky-white margins.

Primula

The Delight series from Sakata Seed America presents an interesting color pattern with deep-green foliage. The series matches with a Danova production schedule. Colors are Almond Blossom, Strawberry and Blueberry.

Goldsmith made additions to two of its primula series.

The P. acaulis Orion series gained Light Yellow and Lilac. Their large, scented flowers are great for outside containers.

The P. obconica Libre series gained Blue Bicolor. Plants are hypoallergenic and have strong stems that can handle shipping.

Real is a midseason series from Syngenta Flowers with large flowers in bright and pastel colors: Neon Rose, Blue, Rose, Golden Yellow, White, Scarlet and Rose with Edge. Plants are uniform across the series.

Ptilotus

P. exaltatus ‘Joey,’ an Australian native introduced by Benary, offers heat and drought tolerance. Luminous, silver-green foliage is topped by large, conical spikes of feathery flowers. The 3- to 4-inch bottle-brush flower spikes start out silver and gradually darken to neon pink near the tips.

Purslane

PanAmerican Seed’s new seed-grown Toucan series has three colors -- Fuchsia, Scarlet Shades (bright scarlet and red) and Yellow -- and a Hot Mixture.

Ranunculus

The Mache series from Goldsmith has four additions: Cream, Purple, Red and Rose.

Goldsmith’s Magic dwarf series added Orange, Red and Rose.

Rudbeckia

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Cherry Brandy’ from Thompson & Morgan produces masses of cherry-red shades. Its final garden height is 20 inches.

Large-flowered Denver Daisy produces eye-catching bicolor flowers on well-branched plants. The Ball Horticultural introduction was chosen by Denver officials to celebrate the city’s 150th anniversary in 2008.

Ball Horticultural’s Bikini series has two members: Coral and Pink. The vigorous, semi-creeping plants show off an abundance of 2 1/2-inch flowers.

Tiger Eye is a new F¹-hybrid series from Goldsmith Seeds. The first variety, Tiger Eye Gold, has excellent growth regulator response, nicely branched plants covered with long-lasting flowers and reduced sensitivity to powdery mildew.

Ruellia

The Ruellia brittonianaSouthern Star series from PanAmerican Seed is the first dwarf ruellia from seed. Heat-loving plants have pastel-colored flowers in Blue, Pink and White.

Salvia

American Takii’s dwarf Fizz series has five colors: Cream, Grape, Peach, Raspberry and Strawberry (a renaming of the previously introduced ‘Bloody Mary’). Plants reach 12-14 inches tall and are bred to have more florets packed onto each flower spike.

Salvia farinacea Velocity Blue, from Syngenta Flowers and bred by Goldsmith, has large, dark-blue flower spikes on strong stems and a dense habit.

Syngenta Flowers also introduced the Mesa series, bred by Goldsmith. Colors are Azure, Purple, Rose and Scarlet. The dense, bushy plant is well-balanced in a 4-inch pot.

S. farinacea ‘Saga Blue’ is from Kieft. Flowers are intense blue. Plants have a compact, well-branched habit.

Sanvitalia

Sundance Compact Yellow is new from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith. It is an excellent branching type with thick stems and large flowers.

Two varieties join the S. procumbens Tsavo series from Selecta First Class. Golden Yellow evol. has larger flowers and a nicer habit than its predecessor. Yellow Ice is a new color that can be finished with a spring annuals program.

Scaevola

Improved Fairy Blue evol. from Selecta First Class has larger true-blue flowers and a better habit. Fairy Violet and Fairy White were added and match the series perfectly.

Bombay White and Bombay Lavender have good branching with a consistent semi-trailing habit. They’re new from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith.

Sedum

Ball FloraPlant added three sedums to the Hot Summer Survivors collection.

Sedum album Athoum has plump, dark-green rosettes of leaves and light-pink to white flowers in July and August.

S. lineare Sea Urchin has small, narrow leaves edge in white.

S. makinoi Salsa Verde is well-branched and filled with dark-green leaves that are flat and rounded. Small starlike flowers form in late summer.

Senecio

Senecio vitalis Blue Chalk from Ball FloraPlant reaches 6-12 inches tall and spreads 8-10 inches. Upright plants have narrow, long and fleshy leaves that look like fingers along each stem.

Setcreasea

Setcreasea pallida ‘Grape Ape’ from Hort Couture Plants is a giant form of purple-heart wandering Jew with broad leaves up to 3 inches wide. It’s an easy-to-grow, bold-textured mixer for pots and baskets. It takes full sun or part shade.

Snapdragon

Orange & White, Purple & White and Red & White are new to American Takii’s F¹-hybrid dwarf Palette series. All have heavy branching that translates to full plants with many flower spikes.

Ball Horticultural created two mixes within its Snapshot series: Berry Cream Mix includes Burgundy, Pink, Rose and White. Citrus Mix includes Orange, White and Yellow.

Antirrhinum majus nanum‘Bronze Dragon,’ a Thompson & Morgan introduction, produces bicolor flowers all summer. Its deep-purple foliage resists rust.

The Arrow series from Syngenta Flowers gained Deep Red, Pink, Yellow and White. Plants have a strong central leader with dense lateral branching that stands up to rough weather.

Kieft’s Axiom series added Paper White and Yellow Improved.

Tecoma

Seed-grown Tecoma stansMayan Gold from PanAmerican Seed has a compact, well-branched habit. Heat-loving plants have large, gold flowers and glossy, green leaves.

Torenia

Catalina Gilded Grape from Proven Winners matches the performance of the series. Flowers are rich golden yellow with a deep-burgundy throat.

The Suntory Summer Wave series from Jackson & Perkins has three additions. Amethyst 09 has a compact habit and continual blooming. Silver has 1-inch, blue-gray flowers on a compact plant. Large Silver has 2-inch silvery-blue flowers.

Torrie Blue flowers early with great branching and a dense habit. It’s from Syngenta Flowers, bred by Goldsmith.

Vegetables

Floranova’s Patio Vegetable Collection has been extended with three F¹-hybrid introductions.

Windsor is a deep-orange pumpkin that sets fruit in 90 days.

Balmoral white scalloped squash produces saucer-shaped white fruit in 70 days.

Buckingham zucchini produces impressive yields of yellow, cylindrical fruit in 45 days.

Verbena

Tuscany series added Burgundy with Eye, Orchid Frost, Scarlet and Peach. The Goldsmith series is naturally compact and well-branched.

Syngenta Flowers’ Lanai series, bred by Goldsmith, added Magenta, Dark Red and Upright Bright Rose. The series shows excellent resistance to powdery mildew.

Also, the Rapunzel series added Magenta, which produces medium-sized flowers on a semi-trailing habit.

Tropical Breeze Red & White has white flowers splashed with red splotches. This Ecke Flower Fields introduction has demonstrated mildew tolerance in a wide range of conditions.

Tukana Scarlet Star from Proven Winners has more of a trailing habit than other Tukanas. It has rich-scarlet blossoms with clear-white throats.

Homestead Red is a durable, vibrant-red verbena from Athens Select. Its vivid color, robust constitution and appealing habit make it great for baskets. It takes full sun.

Dummen USA has four new members to its Red Fox Empress verbena series: Burgundy Charme, Lavender, Peach and Violet 09. The entire series tolerates heat, flowers profusely and endures all summer.

Suntory Temari Blue from Jackson & Perkins is extremely vigorous and is best used as a trailing variety. It will easily spread beyond 10 feet. Indigo flowers are large.

Red evol. and Bright Red are additions to Select First Class’ vigorous, large-flowering Fuego series. Bright Red has large flowers and stunning outdoor performance. Red evol has better color and larger flowers.

The Lascar series from Selecta First Class added Red evol., Dark Pink + Eye, Red + Eye and Burgundy. The low- to medium-vigor line is perfect for pots, monoculture baskets and mixed containers.

Vinca

Syngenta Flowers expanded two vinca series, bred by Goldsmith. Nirvana added Raspberry Halo and Sky Blue. Nirvana Cascade added Burgundy. Also new from Syngenta: Sunstorm Deep Lilac. It’s compact, well-branched and free-flowering. Sunshower Apricot is a spreading variety that makes beautiful pots and baskets.

Four colors were added to Floranova’s F¹-hybrid Sun Devil Extreme series: Hot Pink, Peach, Raspberry and Tropical Oranges. Sun Devil Extreme varieties are recommended for 4-inch production. Plants are well-branched, even when young, with excellent disease tolerance, vigor and flower size.

Floranova also added the F¹-hybrid trailing vinca Serpentine series in six colors: Burgundy, Peach, Peppermint, Rose, White and Red with Eye.

Four designer mixes were added to Ball Horticultural Co.’s Pacifica series. Berry Cobbler Mix XP includes Burgundy Halo, White and Cranberry. Bubble Gum Mix XP includes Deep Orchid, Icy Pink and White. Christmas in July Mix XP includes Dark Red, Polka Dot and Really Red. Cranberry Relish Mix includes Apricot and Cranberry.

Seven individual colors and three formula mixes were added to the trailing/mounding Mediterranean vinca series from PanAmerican Seed. New colors: Dark Red XP, Hot Rose XP, Peach XP, Red XP, Rose XP, Strawberry XP and White XP. Mixes: Mediterranean Mixture XP, Lipstick Mixture XP and Peach Colada Mixture XP.

PanAmerican Seed added 17 colors and seven mixes to its Pacifica upright vinca series. New colors: Apricot XP, Blush XP, Burgundy XP, Burgundy Halo XP Cherry Red Halo XP, Coral XP, Dark Red XP, Deep Orchid XP, Icy Pink XP, Lilac XP, Magenta Halo XP, Polka Dot XP, Punch XP, Raspberry XP, Really Red XP, Rose Halo XP and White XP. Mixes: Georgia Peach Mixture XP, Halo Mixture XP, Lipstick Mixture XP, Merlot Mixture XP, Pacifica Mixture XP, Raspberry Shake Mixture XP and Strawberry Shake Mixture XP.

Pink and Punch are new colors in Goldsmith’s Cora series. The series has a uniform habit and flowering time, large flowers and thick, glossy foliage.

Viola

Rebelina is a new series from Sakata Seed America with a branching and creeping habit, but on shorter internodes. Plants are extremely floriferous with a sweet, strong fragrance. Colors are Red & Yellow, Blue & Yellow, Purple & Yellow and Golden Yellow.

Three colors were added to the Suntory Violina series from Jackson & Perkins: light-lavender Aquamarine, golden-orange Orange and dark purple and lavender Purple Blue. The strongly fragrant flowers attract hummingbirds.

The Penny series from Goldsmith is uniform in habit and flowering. Denim JumpUp, Mickey, Primrose Bicolor, Red Wing, Rose and White Blotch are new. Plants are stretch-resistant under high temperatures.

Endurio White from Syngenta Flowers fills containers quickly for efficient production and better shelf appeal. It continues to flower even through light snow cover.

Ecke Flower Fields’ new vegetative Velocity series has a mounded habit that keeps plants in pots and the landscape full. Plants perform well in the heat for flowering from spring until fall. Colors are: Lemon & Plum Picotee, Baby Blue, White, Purple with Yellow Eye and Purple Bicolor.

Bodger Seed’s new Aero series has 10 colors (Black, Blue Clear, Blue with Blotch, Deep Yellow, Marina, Purple Clear, Rose & Yellow with Blotch, Velvet, White Clear and White with Blotch) that are very uniform in time to flower and habit. They are a perfect choice for 4-inch pots or packs.

Two colors were added to Kieft’s Skippy XL series. Bronze-Gold has terra-cotta brown flowers with a golden-yellow center and a bronze wing. Plum-Gold has brown flowers with a golden-yellow center and a plum-rose wing.

Zinnia

The disease-tolerant Z. marylandica Zahara series from PanAmerican Seed was chosen for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Plants have very low water needs and are outstanding in sunny, hot and dry conditions. There are four colors -- Coral Rose, Scarlet, White and Yellow – and a Mixture.

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Bodger Seed is offering the Distance Mix as seven individual colors: Yellow, White, Pink, Cherry, Grape, Orange and Scarlet. They are very well-branched and floriferous, producing semi- to fully-double flowers that are 3 inches in diameter. Plant habit is upright/mounding.

Three new colors bring the double-flowering Profusion series to seven varieties. Sakata Seed America’s Double Golden, Double Fire and Double White have compact growth with strong basal branching. Masses of flowers appear on self-cleaning plants that flower profusely until frost.

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American Takii Inc., (831) 443-4901; www.takii.com.

Athens Select, (760) 944-788; www.athensselect.com.

Ball FloraPlant, (800) 879-2255; www.ballhort.com.

Ball Horticultural Co., (800) 879-2255; www.ballhort.com.

Bodger Botanicals, (626) 442-6161; www.bodger.com.

Bodger Seed, (626) 442-6161; www.bodger.com.

Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm, 011 (972) 3-9602525; www.danziger.co.il.

Dummen USA, (614) 850-9551; www.dummenusa.com.

Ecke Flower Fields, (760) 753-1134; www.ecke.com.

Ecke Geraniums, LLC Oglevee Products, (760) 753-1134; www.ecke.com.

Ernst Benary of America, (815) 895-6705; www.benary.com.

Fides, (805) 525-7125; www.fidesnorthamerica.com.

Floranova, (574) 243-8100; www.floranova.com.

Goldsmith Seeds, (800) 549-0158; www.goldsmithseeds.com.

GroLink, (800) 451-6319; (941) 750-8885; www.grolink.com.

Hort Couture Plants, (866) 955-HORT; www.hortcoutureplants.com.

Jackson & Perkins, (800) 877-6737; www.suntorycollection.com.

Kieft, www.kieftseeds.com.

Novalis, (888) 845-1988; www.novalis.com.

PanAmerican Seed, (800) 879-2255; www.panamseed.com.

PlantHaven, (805) 569-9169; www.planthaven.com.

Proven Winners, (877) 865-5818; www.provenwinners.com.

Sakata Seed America, (408) 778-7758; www.sakata.com.

Skagit Gardens, (800) 334-1719; www.skagitgardens.com.

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Syngenta Flowers, (800) 344-7862; www.syngentaflowersinc.com.

Terra Nova Nurseries, (800) 215-9450; www.terranovanurseries.com.

Thompson & Morgan Wholesale (Andrew Spencer), 011 (441) 473-695275; www-thompson-morgan.com.

- Jyme Mariani

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