'Sparks Will Fly' Begonia
Last summer, this new begonia quickly became a favorite of both visitors and staff at our Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden�. That's because every plant was smothered in fiery, orange-yellow blooms from spring to fall . Plus, this compact plant has handsome dark bronze foliage that makes the flower color pop out even more.
Name: Begonia 'Sparks Will Fly'
Growing Conditions: Shade
Size: To 18 inches tall
Grow It With : Euphorbia
Source: burpee.com
MiniFamous Double Rose Chai Calibrachoa
Ideal for hanging baskets and window boxes, this lovely, double-flowered calibrachoa has elegant trailing branches that develop pale rose-yellow flowers all summer. Like other calibrachoa, it looks great planted by itself or mixed with other annual flowers.
Name: MiniFamous Double Rose Chai Calibrachoa
Growing Conditions: Full sun
Size: Trailing to 15 inches
Grow It With: Evolvulus
Source: Visit ballhort.com to find a retailer near you.
Little Lucky Lantana Family
This summer, don?t let heat and drought wipe out your garden . Instead, grow the Little Lucky lantanas. This new family of compact lantana blooms like crazy, even when the weather is hot and dry. These compact lantana are available in a variety of colors: ?Lemon Cream,? ?Hot Pink,? ?Peach,? and ?Pot of Gold.?
Name: Lantana camara Little Lucky series
Growing Conditions: Full Sun
Size: To 16 inches tall
Grow It With: Pentas
Source: Visit ballhort.com to find a retailer near you.
'Honeycrisp' Coleus
In sun or shade, you can?t beat ?Honeycrisp? coleus: It?s a gorgeous newcomer with eye-catching, cream-color foliage that?s attractively splashed with green and red. The undersides of the leaves are red too. It has a tight, rounded habit and never gets leggy, so it makes a great container or bedding plant. In our Test Garden , we wanted to showcase this coleus? bold foliage by planting it in burgundy color pots. Turns out, the combination is spectacular.
Name: Solenostemon ?Honeycrisp?
Growing Conditions: Sun or Shade
Size: To 2 feet tall
Grow it With: Begonia
Source: Visit ballhort.com to find a retailer near you.
Superbells Lemon Slice Calibrachoa
One of the most exciting new calibrachoas on the market, Superbells Lemon Slice offers bright, lemon yellow flowers with a clear white stripe on each petal. Its trailing habit makes it perfect for hanging baskets and window boxes. The plant grows about 6 inches tall, but will trail up to 2 feet long. Like other calibrachoa, Superbells Lemon Slice will bloom nonstop all summer and does best with an occasional feeding to keep it in top form.
Name: Superbells Lemon Slice Calibrachoa
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: Trailing to 2 feet
Grow It With: Angelonia
Source: Order now from White Flower Farm.
'Luscious Pina Colada' Lantana
Everyone loves this new lantana, including hummingbirds and butterflies. Almost foolproof, ?Luscious Pina Colada? lantana develops nectar-rich white-and-yellow blooms throughout the summer. What?s more, it?s heat- and drought-tolerant, so it doesn?t need to be watered every day during hot spells. It?s ideal for containers or beds and borders.
Name: Lantana camara ?Luscious Pina Colada?
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 2 feet tall
Grow It With: Geranium
Source: Visit provenwinners.com to find a retailer near you.
Colorblaze Keystone Kopper Coleus
Talk about a hardworking plant! Colorblaze Keystone Kopper coleus thrives in sun or shade, is a snap to grow, and produces quantities of beautiful copper-color foliage. It makes a bold statement planted by itself in a container or garden bed or mixed with other annuals. And it can even be brought indoors in the fall as a spirit-lifting houseplant.
Name: Colorblaze Keystone Kopper Solenostemon
Growing Conditions: Sun or Shade
Size: To 3 feet tall
Grow It With: Other coleus
Source: Visit provenwinners.com to find a retailer near you.
Sunpatiens Compact Electric Orange Impatiens
If you haven't grown any Sunpatiens impatiens in your garden , you're missing the boat. As a group, Sunpatiens impatiens bloom like crazy in full sun or light shade and have few insect or disease problems. They are also tolerant of high temperatures and humidity. One of the newest members of the Sunpatiens family is Compact Electric Orange. It grows about 2 feet tall and wide and produces wave after wave of bold, orange blooms.
Name: Sunpatiens Compact Electric Orange Impatiens
Growing Conditions: Sun or Light Shade
Size: To 3 feet tall
Grow It With: Sunpatiens Impatiens in white
Source: Visit sunpatiens.com to find a retailer near you.
Santa Cruz Sunset Begonia
Although it looks exotic, ?Santa Cruz Sunset? begonia is actually a really easy plant to grow, especially in pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets. It?s a fast grower that shows off pendulous, red-orange, bell-shape flowers that smother the plant with color throughout the summer. ?Santa Cruz Sunset? begonia is also versatile, looking good in both full sun and light shade.
Name: Santa Cruz Sunset Begonia boliviensis
Growing Conditions: Sun or Light Shade
Size: To 1 foot tall
Grow It With: Lobelia
Source: Learn more at benary.com.
Million Bells Tropical Delight Calibrachoa
Unlike most calibrachoa varieties, Million Bells Tropical Delight doesn?t trail. Instead, it forms a lovely compact mound of blooms that stays upright, making it ideal for patio containers . The pretty yellow flowers have peach and reddish highlights that mirror the colors of a summer sunrise.
Name: Million Bells Tropical Delight Calibrachoa
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 15 inches tall
Grow It With: Verbena
Source: Visit suntorycollection.com to find a retailer near you.
'Kiss Frosty Red' Gazania
Every day, just as the sun begins to rise, the bright red, petal-packed single blooms of ?Kiss Frosty Red? gazania pop open over mounds of divided silvery-gray foliage. Like other gazanias, the flowers of ?Kiss Frosty Red? close up at night, but during the day they are the star attraction in containers or the landscape. ?Kiss Frosty Red? loves hot, sunny weather and is drought-resistant.
Name: Gazania ?Kiss Frosty Red?
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 10 inches tall
Grow It With: Petunia
Source: Visit syngentaflowers.com for more information.
Calliope Burgundy Geranium
If you think all geraniums are alike, think again. The Calliope family of geraniums is a relatively new type that combines the constant bloom of ivy geraniums with the big, bold flowers of zonal types. This year, Calliope Burgundy joins the Calliope family, bearing deep reddish-purple flowers and dark green foliage. It's an excellent choice for containers or the landscape.
Name: Calliope Burgundy Pelargonium
Growing Conditions: Sun or part shade
Size: To 2 feet tall
Grow It With: Lantana
Source: Visit syngentaflowers.com to find a retailer near you.
Harmony Radiance Scarlet New Guinea Impatiens
A stunning new family of New Guinea impatiens, the Harmony Radiance series is a top choice for 2013 because each variety develops stunning bicolor flowers. For example, Harmony Radiance Scarlet produces bouquets of beautiful pure white flowers delicately edged in scarlet. Other new colors to the Harmony Radiance series are coral, lilac, magenta, and pink.
Name: Harmony Radiance Scarlet Impatiens
Growing Conditions: Shade or part shade
Size: To 2 feet tall
Grow It With: Other New Guinea impatiens
Source: Visit danzinger.com to find a retailer near you.
'Magnum Dark Red' New Guinea Impatiens
Electrify the shaded corners of your landscape with ?Magnum Dark Red? impatiens. This stunner develops masses of rich red, extra-large flowers that don?t fade when the temperatures soar. ?Magnum Dark Red? works well in containers or in beds and borders. Be sure to mulch your plants to keep the soil slightly moist.
Name: Impatiens ?Magnum Dark Red?
Growing Conditions: Shade or part shade
Size: To 2 feet tall
Grow It With: Other New Guinea impatiens
Source: Ask for this variety at your local garden center.
Great Balls of Fire Ivy Geranium Family
Here?s a new family of geraniums that lives up to its name. Extensively tested under hot, humid conditions in Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, the Great Balls of Fire ivy geraniums didn?t disappoint. These double-flowered varieties have a lovely mounding/trailing habit that?s perfect for hanging baskets and window boxes. Members of the Great Balls of Fire family include varieties in blue, burgundy, dark red, deep rose, lavender, merlot, pink, and white.
Name: Pelargonium Great Balls of Fire series
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 16 inches tall
Grow It With: Verbena
Source: Ask for this variety at your local garden center.
Potunia Mochaccino Petunia
Perk up your pots, planters, and garden beds with a splash of Potunia Mochaccino. This new petunia bears large, trumpetlike, cream-color flowers with latte-brown veining. Like other petunias, Potunia Mochaccino stays compact all summer and looks terrific even after heavy downpours.
Name: Potunia Mochaccino Petunia
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 15 inches tall
Grow It With: Euphorbia
Source: Ask for this variety at your local garden center.
Plum Crazy Yellow Oxalis
Talk about charming! This little oxalis bears bright yellow blooms atop a mound of variegated red-and-pink foliage. It?s tough as nails, too, thriving in heat and drought and having almost no insect or disease problems. Plant several in small pots and use them to decorate your patio or porch .
Name: Plum Crazy Yellow Oxalis
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 8 inches tall
Grow It With: Succulents
Source: Visit hortcoutureplants.com to find a retailer near you.
'Patchwork Cosmic Orange' Impatiens
If an impatiens and a pansy had a baby, it would probably look a lot like 'Patchwork Cosmic Orange' impatiens. That's because each flower of this bright orange impatiens has a pansylike face or blotch of white and purple in the center. Like other impatiens, this newcomer loves shady spots with rich, slightly moist soil. Other new varieties in the same series include: 'Patchwork Cosmic Burgundy' and 'Patchwork Pink Ice.'
Name: Impatiens 'Patchwork Cosmic Orange'
Growing Conditions: Shade
Size: To 16 inches tall
Grow It With: Other impatiens
Source: Order now from White Flower Farm.
'Aloha Kona Mango' Calibrachoa
Like a gorgeous tropical sunset, the large, yellow-orange flowers of ?Aloha Kona Mango? are hard to resist. Unlike many calibrachoas, ?Aloha Kona Mango? doesn?t trail. Instead, it has a compact, upright form that?s ideal for containers . Other new members of the family include: ?Aloha Kona Cherry,? ?Aloha Kona Mandarin,? ?Aloha Kona Tiki Soft Pink,? and ?Aloha Kona Midnight Blue.?
Name: Calibrachoa ?Aloha Kona Mango?
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 8 inches tall
Grow It With: Verbena
Source: Ask for this variety at your local garden center.
'King Crab' Coleus
A stunning new member of the Under the Sea coleus family, ?King Crab,? sports large, deep red leaves with pretty chartreuse margins. The foliage is beautifully serrated, with no two leaves exactly alike. It?s a tough plant that?s equally at home in sun or shade.
Name: Solenostemon ?King Crab?
Growing Conditions: Sun or shade
Size: To 2 feet tall
Grow It With: Other coleus
Source: Visit hortcoutureplants.com to find a retailer near you.
'Mystic Wonder' Dahlia
Bold, scarlet petals and rich dark foliage are the trademarks of this gorgeous, single-flowered dahlia. It has sturdy, 18- to 24-inch-tall stems that are strong enough to keep the flower stalk upright during strong storms and high winds. And even when it?s not in bloom, the rich, blackish-purple foliage keeps the color show going all summer long.
Name: Dahlia ?Mystic Wonder?
Growing Conditions : Full sun
Size: To 2 feet tall
Grow It With : Melampodium
Source: Learn more at planthaven.com to find a retailer near you.
Photo courtesy National Green Centre
'Solar Flare' Sunflower
Just plant the seeds of 'Solar Flare' sunflower in a sunny spot in your garden and stand back. Before you know it, this fast-growing, 6-foot-tall beauty will burst into bloom. The large flowers have bold black centers, surrounded by scarlet petals edged in bright yellow. The blooms make ideal cut flowers, too.
Name: Helianthus annuus 'Solar Flare'
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 6 feet tall
Grow It With: Other sunflowers
Source: Visit burpee.com to purchase seeds.
Photo courtesy burpee.com
'South Pacific Scarlet' Canna
Wondering what can be new in the world of cannas? This new variety jumps ahead of its older cousins because it produces so many more flowers. The 4-inch-wide scarlet-red flowers appear all summer on 5-foot-tall stems over large, tropical leaves. It's so popular, it won an All-America Selections award for being one of the best new varieties for 2013.
Name: Canna 'South Pacific Scarlet'
Growing Conditions: Sun
Size: To 5 feet tall
Grow It With: Sunflowers
Source: Look for this variety at your local garden center.
Note: 'South Pacific Scarlet' canna is a perennial in Zones 7-10; in colder areas, it can be dug and stored inside over winter.
Photo courtesy All-America Selections
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