Where are they now? An update on new perennial varieties

In our industry, time can play tricks on you. This is true even in “normal” years, but 2021 has been especially unique due to product and plant shortages and the sense of urgency around securing materials for next year. We have been planning our liner production for 2022 since last fall, and the order deadlines for many major growing supplies were moved ahead by weeks or even months, so we have all have been immersed in planning out 2022 for much of this season. Fortunately though, some of my favorite July traditions recently reminded me that it’s still 2021, and we have some solid weeks of summer left to enjoy: seeing the perennial Hibiscus begin to set their buds, and finding 2022 plant catalogs in the mail. I think many of you can appreciate the excitement that comes with opening up next year’s catalog and immediately flipping to the “New Varieties” section. It’s always fun to shop for new plant varieties, and it gives us something to discuss and look forward to throughout the winter months. Of course, it’s essential to evaluate how these plants actually perform in production and the landscape, and now is a perfect time to take a look at how some of the new varieties that we tried this year have been holding up to the hype.

We only grew two varieties from the Kismet® series of Echinacea this year, Intense Orange and Raspberry, but they made an impression on everyone in the nursery. We were not familiar with this series until we potted some for a contract grow, but we are hearing that this may be a hardier substitute for the Sombrero® series, especially in northern climates. We will have to overwinter these for ourselves to see how they hold up, but, in the meantime, we love the sturdy, compact habit of the plants, and the contrast between the vivid flower colors and the dark-colored flower stems really sets them apart.

I was especially excited about trying Heliopsis ‘Bleeding Hearts’ this year, mainly because I love the color combination of the bright orange flowers against the backdrop of dark foliage. They filled out quickly and were starting to set flower buds by mid-June. It was difficult to snap a photo of the flowers at first because they were hidden under the canopy of foliage, but they have since fully developed, and they are just what I had imagined. The flowers are long lasting, and we haven’t seen any mildew yet, although we have been spraying them preventatively with fungicide.

One of my favorite new varieties this year was Heuchera Forever® Red. It may have the truest red, glossiest foliage I have seen in a Heuchera, and it catches your eye from a mile away. Don’t get me wrong, I still love ‘Mahogany Monster’, but I definitely prefer the look of Forever® Red over that of ‘Fire Alarm’. The Forever® Red grew about twice as fast as the Forever® Purple in the pots. So far, the foliage color of Forever® Purple seems to be comparable to that of ‘Wildberry’ and slightly glossier than ‘Electric Plum’, but it doesn’t significantly stand out from the other purple varieties as far we can tell.

Echinacea ‘Mellow Yellows’ was a low-key addition to our Echinacea lineup this year. We didn’t have any strong opinions on this variety, but I think it would be a nice addition to a native landscape. So far, ‘Mellow Yellows’ is exactly what you would expect: an unpretentious Echinacea with different shades of yellow all aging on the same plant.

I was excited about Pink Crush and Grape Crush Asters, but, so far, they haven’t held up to our expectations or to the catalog photos. They both started to bud by late June, but the flowers have been very short-lived, brown out quickly, and the brown flowers persist on the plant, which is not an attractive look. About half the crop of Pink Crush that we planted has stayed very small, probably due to a vernalization issue. We will continue to watch these and see if they improve as we approach fall.

We would love to hear about your thoughts and experiences with these and other new varieties, and which new plants you are anticipating for 2022!