New year, new plants (shrubs edition)
When we talk about our favorite new shrubs for 2021, it’s probably no surprise to our customers that new Hydrangeas are at the top of our list. There are undeniably a lot of Hydrangeas on the market and vigorous breeding programs yield more varieties every year, but we feel strongly that all this attention to developing improved Hydrangea cultivars is justified. For one thing, Hydrangeas are a great “gateway plant”. There are so many cultivars to choose from that you can find one to fit nearly any size landscape. And their low maintenance makes them accessible to gardeners with any level of experience, unlike something like roses, which can require more knowledge of pruning techniques and are susceptible to a host of disease and insect problems. If a first-time gardener is successful with the Hydrangea they plant in their yard, they’ll be less likely to get discouraged and more likely to pursue gardening and collect more plants. And since there are so many cultivars with different bloom times, it’s easy to design a landscape that will leave you with blooming Hydrangeas all season long.
Some of our favorite new Hydrangeas are Quick Fire Fab®, Limelight Prime®, and Fire Light Tidbit®. Each of these varieties has something new to offer. Quick Fire Fab® blooms early like Quick Fire®, but features huge, mophead flowers. In fact, Quick Fire Fab® is now the earliest blooming panicle Hydrangea with mophead flowers, and the massive blooms are held up on sturdy, strong stems. Flowers open white, then gradually transition to blush pink, bright pink, and then red, from the bottom up (similar to Vanilla Strawberry™). We can’t wait to see our first overwintered crop of Quick Fire Fab® bloom this year!
Limelight Prime® offers a more compact habit than the original, growing only 6’ tall and 4’ wide, and has an earlier bloom time, with green flowers starting in mid-summer and aging to pink and red in August. The fall flower color of Limelight Prime® is also denser and more saturated than the classic. You could say Limelight Prime® is a more refined version of Limelight®, with darker foliage and stronger stems.
As you might guess, Fire Light Tidbit® is a dwarf cultivar that only reaches 2-3’ tall and 3’ wide, making it a perfect small Hydrangea for tight spaces or the front of a border. Tidbit® is similar in habit to Bobo®, but with flowers that age to raspberry pink. Because it blooms late in the season and often puts on a nice fall color display, Fire Light Tidbit® is great for adding late- season color.
Another promising new cultivar that we’re very excited about Spiraea Double Play Doozie®. This is an innovative introduction because it’s the first non-invasive Spiraea; it doesn’t produce seed, which means that it doesn’t require deadheading and all of its energy is spent producing flowers. Waves of dark red-pink flowers essentially bloom from late spring until frost.
When it comes to adding new plants to our production, we try to select cultivars we feel we can offer to garden centers, re-wholesalers, and landscapers alike, and we also aim to add plants with unique characteristics that set them apart. We love watching as these new additions grow and develop so we can see how they perform and stand up to the marketing. And of course, your feedback is essential when it comes to guiding the future of what we grow.
