New Plants 1999

Flower & Garden Magazine, Feb, 1999

Welcome to Flower & Garden's new plants 1999 issue! The garden industry is ending the 20th Century with a bang by offering a wide variety of new plants.

This year, Flower & Garden is featuring annuals, perennials, bulbs, irises, roses, fruits and vegetables. We will also take a look at some international offerings being made available to the United States for the first time ever. Finally, we have special coverage on new climbing roses and the All-America Selections.

To contact the companies offering these new plants, refer to our Source Guide 1999 (p. 31). For plants mentioned in "Roses: The New Climbers" and "1999 All-America Selections," check our regular source page (p. 48).

Please keep in mind this listing of new plants is not all-inclusive due to space and time constraints. Also, the companies listed after each plant entry may not reflect all the places a consumer may purchase that particular plant. If you don't find what you are looking for here, be sure to check other 1999 seed catalogs or your local garden nursery.

We wish you the best of luck in your search for the perfect new plant.

Annuals

Abutilon `Mobile Pink' has 3-inch, soft pink blooms with darker veining. The flowers are wide open and held outward rather than pendulous, giving a great show of color and form. Even young plants are free-flowering, with their compact, upright habit. It's great for a summer container or mixed in a pot with other summer bloomers. Logee's Greenhouses Ltd.

`Fantasy Red' milliflora petunia is an improved color (bright red) in the world's first miniature petunia series. It's about one-third of the size of a standard petunia. It's ideal for containers. Goldsmith Seeds Inc.

This `Potpourri' specialty geranium is a scented-leaf variety. Pelargonium Fragrans has the fragrance of apple and nutmeg, and its delicate flowers are white. This plant requires well-drained media for growth. Oglevee Ltd.

`Pillar Salmon' is a pillar or pyramid geranium that can reach 3 feet or more. It bears single coral flowers and dark green foliage. Plant five cuttings in a 12-inch or larger pot and provide support as it grows. Oglevee Ltd.

Morning glory `Milky Way' has soft white flowers with crisp accents of rose down the center of each petal. The show goes on long past morning, often until the lunch hour. It's an unusually beautiful selection of this old-fashioned annual vine. This vigorous plant will quickly cover a fence or trellis with its deep green, three-lobed foliage. Burpee

`La Bella' is a hybrid intermediate snapdragon with an open butterfly-type flower. Plants are 18 to 22 inches high -- perfect to use as cut flowers in floral arrangements. These plants are slower to set seed and last longer in the garden. They are available in 10 colors and a formula mixture. Goldsmith Seeds Inc.

Snapdragon vine (Asarina) `Bridal Veil' is the best petite climber for scrambling through roses, small shrubs and container plantings. This delicate flower has clear white blooms and bright yellow-green throats. Single colors of asarina are hard to find -- seed packets usually only have a mix of colors. The vine grows best in sheltered spots with partial shade. The beautiful foxglove-like blossoms are 1-1/2 inches across and 2 inches long. Burpee

Digitalis purpurea `Pam's Choice' is a uniquely colored foxglove with large spikes of white bells and reddish maroon-burgundy spotting in the throat of the petals. It is a good plant for the rear of a perennial border since it is a 36- to 48-inch plant. It blooms in early to midsummer. Plant in full sun in well-drained soil 24 to 30 inches apart. Zones 4-9. Wayside Gardens

CINERARIA

`Jester' is a hybrid dwarf cineraria featuring smaller leaves. It has a more compact, rounded growth habit that doesn't require chemical growth regulators. The plants grow 8 to 10 inches high and have large, daisy-like flowers. Four of the five colors of `Jester' are bicolors. It's also available as a formula mixture. Goldsmith Seeds Inc.

`Libre Lavender' (Primula obconica) is a new color in the `Libre' series. It's bred to be primin-free, eliminating the possibility of skin irritation from primin. Grow it alongside other cool-season flowers. Goldsmith Seeds Inc.

SUNFLOWER

Helianthus annuus `Yellow Disc' is a sunflower like you've never seen before. The disk is very concave when the flowers start to open. While it opens, the disk pulls itself out in a ring of yellow pollen. It's striking when seen against the mahogany disk. Pinetree Garden Seeds

SNAPDRAGON

`Chimes' are dwarf snapdragons with improved coloring. Traditional snapdragon flowers bloom atop the new `Purple & White Chimes,' and the two improved colors, `Bronze Chimes' and `Red Chimes.' Plants grow 6 to 8 inches high and offer bright color and uniform bloom. `Chimes' is available in eight colors and a formula mixture. Goldsmith Seeds Inc.

IMPATIENS

`Accent Watermelon' impatiens are shade-loving, 10- to 12-inch plants that are great for containers, hanging baskets or in-ground plantings. The addition of `Watermelon' brings the `Accent' series to 25 colors. Improvements have also been made in `Accent Coral' and `Accent Lavender Blue.' Goldsmith Seeds Inc.