What's HOT in 2021: Your Guide to New Annual & Perennial Varieties at Floral Acres!

Once again, Spring is here at Floral Acres!  This is such an exciting time when we get to feature some new varieties in our impressive lineup of plants. New varieties that are being introduced in the 2021 season and some that are new to Floral Acres!  Take a look at just a few of our new annuals and perennials. 

Annuals 

Photo Courtesy of www.provenwinners.com

Begonia Double Delight ‘Primrose’   -  Begonia Hybrid  -  Proven Winners

New for 2021, Begonia Double Delight ‘Primrose’ won the top performer award from the Michigan State University trials.  This outstanding tuberous begonia is a top performer with continuous yellow blooms tinged with apricot.  An additional bonus is that it is fragrant!  Primrose is classified as a mounding trailer plant that can be grown in hanging baskets or planters in a bright light to partly shady location.  Do not put in direct sun.  It measures 8-14 in. in height with a 12-24 in. spread.  Use a top- quality planter mix in a pot with good drainage.  Hanging basket and container plantings will need fertilizer every two to three weeks.  Use a ½ strength 20-20-20 or 15-30-15 all purpose water soluble flowering plant fertilizer.   At the end of the season, reduce the watering and let the plant leaves die back. Store the tuber in a cool, dry place for the winter.

Photo Courtesy of www.provenwinners.com

Also new this year is tuberous Begonia Double Delight ‘Blush Rose’ from Proven Winners.  Blush rose is a long bloomer in shades of pink and is mildly fragrant.  Growing information is identical to Primrose above.  

Photo Courtesy of BallSeed

Calibrachoa Cha-Cha Diva Apricot   -   (Cha-Cha Diva Apricot Million Bells)

You can never have too many million bells varieties!  Seriously!  The Cha-Cha hybrids are very vigorous compared to the Cascade series and are used as trailers in hanging baskets, window boxes and mixed planters.  Height: 6-12 in. Spread: 12-24 in.  They prefer a full sun or part-sun location and have a trailing and top mounding habit of growth.  Flowering occurs in late spring to early fall.  Diva Apricot likes a top- quality soil and a pot with good drainage.  Keep moist but not soggy and check daily for water needs. Fertilize once a week with a ½ strength 20-20-20 fertilizer or 15-30-15 flowering plant fertilizer. These plants do not like to dry out.  A big bonus in my books is that they do not need deadheading!  Bees and butterflies find them appealing.

Photo Courtesy of BallSeed

Also take a look above at Cha-Cha Diva ‘Hot Pink’!   Care instructions are as per Cha-Cha Diva Apricot.

If you are using a 12 in. hanging  basket use 3 – 4 in. pot million bells for maximum pot coverage.  If possible, keep your planted pots out of the wind and check for water needs daily.

Photo Courtesy of BallSeed

Osteospermum Sunshine Beauty  - Osteospernum ecklonis ‘Sunshine Beauty’

I grew African Daisies last year in a full sun south location and they provided us with color from late spring to fall.  The key is not to overwater.  Once established they can survive a bit of drought. Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds are all attracted to osteospermum. Bonus:  Rabbit resistant!

Sunshine Beauty is a beautiful osteo selection with orange edges fading into a yellow center.

Height: 10-14 in.  Spread: 14-20 in. 

Use a top- quality soil mix and a pot with good drainage. 

Regularly deadhead to encourage new blooms.  It is normal for the blooms to almost close at night.

Fertilize once a month with a ½ strength 20-20-20 fertilizer or an all- purpose blooming plant fertilizer.

...

And what would a new year and spring be without new Petunia introductions!  You have to admit they are very reliable and the best for awesome colour. 

Photo Courtesy of BallSeed

Petunia Headliner ‘ Crystal Sky’ -   Petunia x hybrida 

Unique petunias dotted with patterns that look like bright starry nights.  The pictures are worth a thousand words! 

Both petunias look striking on their own in planters or hanging baskets.

Height: 10-16 in. Spread: 20-30 in.

Photo Courtesy of BallSeed

Petunia Headliner ‘Electric Blue Sky’                                 

As with most petunias they need a sunny location and are quite heat tolerant.  The blooms are constantly produced from late spring through to fall.  No need to dead-head.  When planting mix in a slow- release flowering plant fertilizer as petunias are heavy feeders and will rapidly fill the hanging basket or container.  You can also fertilize once every two weeks with ½ strength 20-20-20 or 15-30-15 water soluble flowering plant fertilizer.

Bonus:  No need to dead-head.

Photo Courtesy of BallSeed

 Phlox Gisele ‘Red’  -  Phlox x hybrida

Giselle is a phlox with the most amazing, vibrant flower color.  Flowers are in large clusters and bloom in spring and summer.  Giselle loves the sun and is very heat tolerant.  Good powdery mildew resistance.  Water at ground level only.  It has a mounding, trailing habit. Height: 10-12 in.  Spread: 14-18 in.

Plant in a rich, well drained soil in the flower bed or planters and hanging baskets.  Keep evenly moist and fertilize every two weeks with a ½ strength 20-20-20 or 15-30-15 flowering plant fertilizer. 

Additional new annuals at Floral Acres 2021

• Begonia Nonstop Fire and Begonia Nonstop Sunset
• Celosia Sol Lizzard Leaf
• Coleus Dragon Heart
• Fuchsai a. ‘Blutini’ – not your usual fuchsia!

Perennials

Nepeta Calamintha – 2021 Perennial Plant of the Year 

(Calamintha nepeta subspecies nepeta)

Height 18 in.  Spread 18 in. 

This low maintenance perennial features tiny white blooms that smother the plant from early summer to fall.  The white blooms sometimes feature a tinge of light blue as well.  Bees and other pollinators love them.  Bonus:  Deer resistant.

Calamintha catmint is a sun loving, drought tolerant perennial with a low mounding or bushy habit. Works well in borders and rock gardens.  Amend your planting bed with compost and there will be no need to fertilize. The soil should have good drainage.   In fall provide a mulch of compost around the plant as well. During the summer if the blooms are looking tired, shear them back lightly to encourage new blooms.

Photo Courtesy of www.provenwinners.com

Hosta ‘Rainbow’s End’ - 2021 Hosta of the Year

Hosta hybrid – Zones 3-9

Hosta are incredibly easy to grow and this one is no exception!  It has a very distinctive ‘look’ with vertical shiny flashes of dark green and yellow lime -colored leaves. The center will progress to a creamy white in summer.  Hosta like a fertile, moist, organic compost soil with good drainage.  They also like a part-shade to shady location. 

Rainbow’s End is a medium sized hosta at 11 in. in height with a 21 in. width at maturity.  As you can see from the picture it has a mounded form.   The red ‘scapes’ or flower stems reach high above the plant at 16-19 in. before producing tubular purple, dark lavender flowers.  Hummingbirds love the flowers. 

I have never covered my hostas for the winter but it doesn’t hurt to mulch around them in fall with a 2 inch layer of compost in preparation for next spring.  Keep the compost away from the crown or center of the plant.   

For a tropical look on the patio use hosta in mixed shade planters.  When fall arrives, transplant them into the garden for the winter.  

Photo: Pexels

 Lamium ‘Purple Dragon’  -  Lamium maculatum ‘Purple Dragon’  

Zones 3-9

This perennial groundcover is my favorite Lamium.  The bright purple flowers stand out from the silvery leaves.  Shows up very well in the shade.  As you can see, they resemble little snapdragons.  Purple dragon has a robust growth habit and does well in shade to part-sun.   Height: 4-8 in.  Width: 12-14 in. 

Like Rainbow’s End Hosta, consider putting Purple Dragon Lamium in mixed planters as a trailer. Blooms late spring into summer.

Prepare the planting soil with some natural amendments such as compost and moistened peat moss. Good drainage is very important.  Keep the soil moist but not soggy. 

Top up the soil around your plants with compost in the fall and early spring.  Do not dig it in- the nutrients will flow downwards around the root system with each watering.      

Other new perennials at Floral Acres this spring are:

• Itoh Peony ‘Yellow Crown’
• Hemerocallis ‘Fashion Rings’ - (Daylily)
• Dicentra spectabilis ‘Cupid’ - (Bleeding Heart) 

-

*This blog has been for information purposes only.   Floral Acre plant inventory may vary from day to day.