Growers roll out a new crop of debuts

Thursday, March 23, 2006 Kym Pokorny for The Oregonian

Even though Mother Nature has had a hard time letting go of winter, it's officially spring now and the parade of new plants is about to begin.

Actually, if you attended any of the late-winter garden shows, you know the outpouring has already started. If it weren't for all the new varieties of Echinacea out there, we'd call this the year of the "H" -- for the hellebores, hydrangeas and hebes that filled the aisles and people's arms as they left the shows. But one letter of the alphabet just doesn't do justice to all the new plants out there, whether they're brand-new cultivars, introduced from other countries or just new to the Northwest.

So don't stop with "H" or even "E"; travel the alphabet right down to the hard-to-miss 'Zowie!' zinnia.

Kym Pokorny: 503-221-8205; kympokorny@news.oregonian.com

ANNUALS
Begonia 'Fireworks': Like an explosion of midnight colors, the foliage on this rex begonia radiates from deep-space burgundy-black to moon-dust white to margins of sunset purple. The big pink flowers are just about unnecessary, but like fluffy clouds, they serve a pretty purpose. 1 foot tall and wide. Shade. Zone 10, so treat as an annual or bring indoors in winter. (Terra Nova)

Calla 'Edge of Night' (Zantedeschia): Whirled into a cone, the flowers (actually spathes) of this calla lily are way too beautiful to top with ice cream. The luminous, almost-black color is repeated as a tiny edge on the leaves, which are also spotted with white. Works great for a pot. Wants consistent moisture. Partial shade. 2 feet tall, 1 foot wide. Zone 8, but better treated as an annual or lifted and stored dry for winter. (Terra Nova)

Indian marigold (Tagetes minuta): It's hard to find a marigold that makes a good cut flower because of the short stems, but here's one that's more than up to the task. Found in India by Log House, this impressively tall plant has lemon-scented foliage and fragrant cream-and-yellow flowers. Sun. 6 feet tall. (Log House)
 
Morning glory 'Sunrise Serenade' (Ipomoea x imperialis): Clothe a trellis, arbor or fence with this heirloom from Hawaii and you'll have a blast of color all summer long. Bright magenta-pink flowers with white centers are ruffled as a petticoat -- some even come out double. This is not the invasive morning glory. Full or partial sun. 8-15 feet tall. (Log House)

Marigold 'Frances Hoffman's Choice' (Tagetes patula): Whenever Alan Kapular of Peace Seeds is behind a plant, it's worth notice. After making several selections, Kapular asked the late plantswoman and conservationist Frances Hoffman to choose her favorite. Here it is, named after her. Long-stemmed flowers are bright yellow and red and lightly scented. This is a marigold that will work as a cut flower. Sun. 40 inches tall. (Nichols)

Nemesia cheiranthus 'Shooting Stars': Snappy yellow-and-white flowers resemble Bart Simpson's spiky head and will possibly give you just as much entertainment. Blooms profusely all summer with what Alice Doyle of Log House describes as a "distinct coconut fragrance." Wow! Works well anywhere, including containers. Sun. 1 foot tall, spreading. (Log House)

Poppy 'Falling in Love' (Papaver rhoeas): You'll easily become enamored of this early-blooming poppy that comes up semi-double and double and in picotees and bicolors of rose, salmon and coral. Flowers, though very delicate-looking, are held strongly on tall stems. Sun. 30 inches tall. (Territorial)

Salvia 'Sangria' (Salvia splendens): Bright red florets emerge from a stalk of thick, creamy bracts and look almost as if they're floating on air. Foliage is bright green. Very different. Blooms from early summer until fall. Adaptable to most soils and exposure. Sun or shade. 9-12 inches tall. (Log House)

Sunflower 'Sunspots Variegated' (Helianthus annuus): Variegation turns up everywhere in the plant world lately. Now here comes a variegated sunflower, with mostly cream foliage splashed with green. The flowers are large, golden-yellow blooms on strong, tall stems. Quite a show. It's a tall one, so plant it at the back of beds, borders or along fences. Sun. 6-8 feet tall. (Log House)

Zinnia 'Zowie! Yellow Flame' (Zinnia elegans): The name might be over-the-top, but the color lives up to the hype. Rose Marie Nichols McGee couldn't say enough about this 2006 All-America Selections winner, which she says radiates the color of the hottest sunset -- magenta-orange centers tipped with fiery yellow. Blooms, blooms and then blooms some more. Sun. 23-30 inches tall. (Nichols, Territorial)

VEGETABLES AND HERBS

Basil 'Pesto Perpetuo' (Ocimum x citriodorum): A variegated basil? You bet. The first one to hit the market is great-tasting, upright and calming to look at with its light-green foliage edged in not-too-much cream. Best of all, it rarely flowers, so you can keep cutting and cooking and it just keeps putting out new leaves. Can be grown as a tender perennial if brought inside during winter and given plenty of light. Sun. Hybrid. 18-24 inches tall, 12-18 inches wide. (Blooming, Log House)

Carrot 'Purple Haze' (Daucus carota var. sativa): Everybody's excited about this sweet new carrot, an All-America Selections winner for 2006 that's purple on the outside, orange on the inside. Looks fabulous cut in rounds and served raw on a vegetable tray. Will lose purple color when cooked but retains its high level of anthocyanin (an antioxidant). Can be grown in containers if your soil is heavy clay. Sun. 10- to 12-inch carrots. Hybrid. 70 days from sowing to maturity. (Nichols)

Cauliflower 'Cheddar' (Brassica oleracea): Yes, this cauliflower really is orange -- and really, really pretty. Nice dense texture and great flavor. Has 25 times the amount of beta carotene (vitamin A) as the white kind. Keeps color (which develops best if leaves are not tied around heads during growth) even when cooked. Sun. Heads are 4-7 inches wide. Hybrid. 80-100 days from sowing to maturity. (Nichols)

Cilantro 'Delfino' (Coriandrum sativum): An herb from the 2006 All-America Selections (we can't resist winners), it's a cilantro like none other with fine, fernlike foliage and a branching habit that increases yields. It lives up to the divine trinity of beautiful, aromatic and edible. Robust flavor. Sun. 20 inches tall. Hybrid. 50-55 days from sowing to maturity. (Nichols, Territorial)

Corn 'Double Red' (Zea mays): Even if this didn't taste so good, it would be worth the space. Orange silk sprouts from dark, dark red stalks and husks. Corn kernels are red, too, and very sweet. Sun. 10 feet tall, 13- to 14-inch ears. Open-pollinated. 80 days from sowing to maturity. (Log House)
 
 
Cucumber 'Poona Kheera' (Cucumis sativus): Crisp, juicy, sweet and mild, this heirloom cucumber from India has potato-shaped fruit that looks sort of like a melon. Strong, disease-resistant vines with heavy yield. Stays crisp and sweet weeks after harvest. Sun. Hybrid. 60 days from sowing to maturity. (Log House)

Leek 'Giant Musselburgh' (Allium ampeloprasum): A Scottish heirloom from the 1830s, this dependable leek produces white stalks 2-3 inches in diameter, the largest in Territorial's trials. And it was the last to bolt. Mild flavor and smooth, tender stalks. Sun. Open-pollinated. 105 days from seeding to harvest. (Territorial)

Pepper 'Black Pearl' (Capsicum annuum): Billed as an ornamental, this dramatic pepper is edible, too (but very hot). A showy 2006 All-America Selections winner, 'Black Pearl' emerges with green foliage that turns a glossy purple-black. Peppers are round, shiny and black, and mature to a fiery red. Excellent for containers. Easy to grow. Sun. 18-20 inches tall, 16-19 inches wide. Hybrid. 20-24 weeks from seed to first fruit. (Log House, Nichols)

Tomato 'Gill's All-Purpose' (Lycopersicon lycopersicum): Bred in 1947 by Gill Brothers Seed Co. in Portland, this piece of Oregon history is being reintroduced by Territorial Seed. A great all-around tomato that has an outstanding yield and is good for canning, juicing and eating fresh. Deep-red fruits of about 3-41/2 inches. Sun. Determinate. Open-pollinated. 75 days from date of transplanting. (Territorial)

Variegated tomato (Lycopersicon lycopersicum): Again with the variegation! This heirloom from Ireland hardly needs a name with its unusual white-and-green foliage and yummy 2-inch red-orange fruits. Good for slicing, canning or drying. Will get to 8-10 feet on a trellis. Dependable, heavy harvests. Indeterminate. Open-pollinated. Sun. 75 days from transplanting to harvest. (Log House)

PERENNIALS
Alstroemeria 'Pink Lemonade' (Peruvian lily): Selected by Joy Creek Nursery about six years ago and tested in the display beds for two years, this Alstroemeria was so pretty and free-flowering that they had to release it. Blooms summer to fall. Flowers have three soft-pink outer petals barred in rich rose, and yellow inner petals splotched with dark rose. Sun. 3 feet tall, 21/2 feet wide. Zone 7. (Joy Creek)

Christia obcordata 'Butterflies': Burl Mostul of Rare Plant Research in Portland was walking through a marketplace in Thailand when he saw this graceful beauty. He had to have it. And now, after several years in tissue culture, we can, too. The green-and-purple-striped leaves really do look like butterflies about to take flight. Incredible container plant. Can be grown in full sun or full shade or as a houseplant. Will have bigger leaves and more subtle purple striping if grown indoors. Typically goes dormant in winter; must be brought in to survive. Give it a warm spot. 12-16 inches tall, 18-22 inches wide. Zone 11. (Rare Plant)

Coreopsis 'Autumn Blush' (tickseed): Get double the punch from this new hybrid that changes flower color in fall. In summer, blooms are a light, peachy-yellow with a striking red center, petals blushing to burgundy-rose in autumn. Easy to grow; nice clumping habit. Doesn't seed around. Sun. 2 feet tall, 32 inches wide. Zone 4. (Terra Nova)

Eucomis comosa 'Maroon Margin' (pineapple lily): A new form of pineapple lily from South Africa with bright-green, swordlike foliage edged in dark burgundy. It's really quite wonderful. Flowers that look like pineapples on long stems in late summer. Tolerates heavy soil. Needs even moisture. Deciduous at first frost, but resprouts when soil warms. Mulch where soil freezes deeply. Sun. 18 inches tall, 2 feet wide. Zone 6, might prove to be Zone 5. (Cistus)

Echinacea 'Big Sky Twilight,' 'Big Sky Harvest Moon' and 'Fancy Frills' (coneflower): Ever since Chicagoland Grows introduced 'Orange Meadowbrite' and then 'Mango Meadowbrite,' the color spectrum of Echinacea has exploded. Where once we had only pink, we now have orange, yellow, peach, white, frilly ones, double ones, even a double-decker one. We've chosen three knockouts that are said to come from hardier stock than the 'Meadowbrite' duo, which has proved rather wimpy in the Northwest. 'Fancy Frills' has big, frilly, pink flowers with multiple rows of petals and strong stems. 20 inches tall, 24 inches wide. 'Twilight' blooms with stunning rose-red flowers and a rose cone. 24-30 inches tall, 18-24 inches wide. 'Harvest Moon' flowers are described as golden-mango with a rich orange-brown cone. 2 feet tall, 18-24 inches wide. All are fragrant. All should be grown in sun. 'Fancy Frills' and 'Twilight' are hardy to Zone 4; 'Harvest Moon' to Zone 3. ('Twilight,' 'Harvest Moon' from Blooming; 'Fancy Frills' from Terra Nova)

Fuchsia microphylla 'Neon Tetra': Collected by Cistus production manager Joshua McCullough in the high-elevation cloud forests of Oaxaca, this introduction stands apart from the usual pink-flowered form with larger flowers and wider petals in a peachy-pink with white tips. Tiny green leaves. Semi-evergreen. Mulch in winter where temperatures drop below 20 degrees. Even moisture. Dappled shade. 5 feet tall, 3 feet wide eventually if grown in a container and brought in during winter; half that if left in the ground to resprout each year. Zone 8b. (Cistus)

Heuchera sanguinea 'Snowfire' (coral bells): It wouldn't be a new year without a new Heuchera from Terra Nova. Out of several they are introducing this year, we've chosen 'Snowfire' because of its beautiful and unusual green-and-white variegated foliage that sets off the dark-pink flowers. More vigorous than most green variegated coral bells. Sun to part shade. 8 inches tall, 14 inches wide. Zone 5. (Terra Nova)

Sanicula caerulescens (blue sanicle): Unusual flowers look like little white brushes with sky-blue tips. Very pretty little thing that does well in a container or in woodland. Divided leaves have bronze veins and tint. Compact and blooms for months. Semi-evergreen. Part to full shade. 4 inches tall, 18 inches wide. Zone 5. (Terra Nova)

Sarracenia 'Scarlet Belle' (pitcher plant): A carnivorous hybrid that's been out for a couple of years but very hard to find in the Northwest. Pitchers, up to 18 inches tall and as many as 100 per plant, are dark ruby red. More vigorous and adaptable than other pitcher plants. Wants a boggy situation or can be grown in a container without drainage holes. Sun or shade, but will be all green if grown in shade. 1 foot tall and wide. Zone 6-7. (Rare Plant)

Sedum palmeri : Collected from the mountains of Mexico (10,000 feet), this sedum looks like an echeveria but is quite hardy. Blue-green succulent leaves form a clump of rosettes; bright yellow flowers in early spring. Works well in containers, rockeries and walls. Very cute. 1 foot tall and wide with multiple rosettes. Likes good drainage but not fussy. Evergreen. Sun or part shade (one of the most shade-tolerant of the sedums). Zone 7. (Viva)

SHRUBS
Abutilon 'Kenny Sweetheart' (flowering maple): Named for Cistus jack-of-all-trades Kenny Kneeland because, they say, its warm yellow to peach flowers blush to a saturated coral pink with temperature drops or embarrassment, just like Kenny. Give it even moisture and good fertilizer. Best in dappled shade. 5 feet tall, 3-4 feet wide. Zone 8. (Cistus)

Acnistus australis 'Lago Azul' (miniature angel's trumpet): Anything cobalt blue gets our nod, and this shrub has indigo-colored flowers that look like miniature Brugmansia blooms. You don't have to be a plant collector to appreciate this cool, profuse-blooming plant. Sun or part shade. To 10 feet tall, 3 feet wide. Evergreen at warm end of Zone 9, freezes to the ground and resprouts at cold end of Zone 7. (Cistus)

Arctostaphylos x 'Greensphere' (manzanita): Everything about this plant is "the best," says Paul Bonine of Viva Plants. It is compact, ultra-cold hardy, has stupendous blue-green leaves that come out in winter a bright red, and then the plant blooms a billion little pink urns in late winter-early spring. Plus, it looks good year-round, doesn't get black spot like other manzanitas, and needs no water once established but is OK with summer irrigation. Sun. 3 feet tall and wide. Zone 6; tolerated subfreezing wind. (Viva)

Chaenomeles japonica 'Hime' (flowering quince): A thornless (yay!) quince from Japan with riveting red flowers and obvious yellow anthers. Blooms in winter before leaves come out, so it makes a spectacular display. Sun to part shade. 4 feet tall and wide. Zone 5. (Gossler)

Fatsia japonica 'Variegata' (Japanese aralia): Even those of you who come from California where Fatsia is ubiquitous will love this variegated version. Leaves are unevenly bordered in creamy white and are evergreen. Even the flower stems are white and hold up clusters of weirdly stiff, cream-colored flowers. This plant is really all about the large, tropical-looking foliage and its ability to thrive in dry shade. Deer resistant. Deep shade to part shade. 8 feet tall, 6 feet wide. Zone 7. (Viva)

Ficus afghanistanica 'Silver Lyre' (fig): An introduction that's got what Cistus calls "entrancing, filigreed, silver-green leaves of about 5 to 7 inches." Though the folks at Cistus haven't seen them yet, fruit should be small, dark and very sweet. Drought-tolerant once established. Sun to part shade. Eventually about 15 feet tall, but can be kept smaller with pruning. Upper edge of Zone 7, so far. (Cistus)

Hebe 'Pink Elephant': Where do they think up these names? No, you won't think you've had too much to drink when you spy this sweet little guy that gives us new growth in winter in shades of pink, orange and light cream. In summer, foliage changes to gray. Inconspicuous white flowers in summer. A perfect candidate for winter containers. Sun. 14 inches tall and wide. Zone 7. (Viva)

Grevillea 'Marshall Olbricht': This drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, multi-stemmed shrub looks a bit like an olive tree, but when it blooms, the resemblance stops. A seedling of G. victoriae, this new form has even more vivid bristly, orange-red flowers and is hardier by 10 degrees. Viva's Paul Bonine says it's one of the best for the Northwest, where it blooms year-round. Drought-tolerant. No fertilizer or compost. Sun. 8 feet tall and wide. Zone 7. (Viva)

Hydrangea 'Blushing Bride' and H. 'Koby': Hydrangeas are hot, hot, hot, especially since the repeat-blooming, very hardy 'Endless Summer' came out a couple of years ago. In the same vein, 'Blushing Bride' flowers on new and old growth for a long season of bloom. Has pure-white blooms of semi-double florets that gradually gain a blush of pink. A sturdy plant. Even moisture. Partial shade. 3-6 feet tall, 3-5 feet wide. Zone 5, maybe 4. 'Koby,' from local Bell Family Nursery, has huge, 8-inch-wide mophead flowers that are blue in acidic soil, pink in alkaline. Foliage more lime-green than other cultivars. Needs quite a bit of shade to keep from scorching. 4-6 feet tall and wide. Zone 6. (Bailey Nurseries, Bell Family Nursery)

Sambucus 'Black Lace' (elderberry): Very finely cut, intense purple-black foliage distinguishes this new elderberry. Because of this and its cold hardiness, people have taken to calling it the "Japanese maple of the north." Clusters of soft-pink flowers about 6 inches wide bloom in early summer and are followed by blackish-red berries in fall. Can be harvested to make wine or left for the birds and other wildlife, which love them. Sun to part shade. 6-8 feet tall and wide. Can be pruned hard in fall if smaller size is desired. Zone 4. (Proven Winners ColorChoice)

WHERE TO GET PLANTS
Sometimes finding the exact plant you want can be a challenge. We suggest calling your favorite nursery or garden center to find out if they have what you want or if they can get it for you. Keep this list as a reference so you can tell them who the grower is.

Bell Family Nursery (www.bellfamilynursery.com), Blooming Nursery (www.bloomingnursery.com), Log House Plants (www.loghouseplants.com), Terra Nova Nurseries (www.terranovanurseries.com) and Viva Plants are wholesale growers that supply many Northwest nurseries and garden centers, which are listed on the growers' Web sites if they have one.

Cistus Nursery on Sauvie Island (www.cistus.com, 503-621-2233), Gossler Farms Nursery in Springfield (www.gosslerfarms.com, 541-746-3922) and Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose (www.joycreek.com, 503-543-7474) are mail-order plant sources and retail outlets.

Rare Plant Research (www.rareplantresearch.com) is a wholesale grower that supplies Northwest nurseries and garden centers and also does mail orders.
Proven Winners ColorChoice (www.colorchoiceplants.com) is a network of nationwide growers that supply nurseries and garden centers nationwide. Retail and mail-order sources are listed on the Web site.

Bailey Nurseries (www.baileynurseries.com) is a wholesale grower in St. Paul, Minn., with outposts in Oregon. Their hydrangeas are readily available at nurseries and garden centers.

Nichols Garden Nursery (www.nicholsgardennursery.com, 1-800-422-3985) and Territorial Seed Co. (www.territorialseed.com, 1-800-626-0866) are mainly mail-order seed sources and retail outlets.

©2006 The Oregonian