Best of 2022: Shrubs Edition
Friends: as we find ourselves accelerating towards the end of another season, many of us may be feeling a mix of emotions. I think we all deserve to take a moment and acknowledge that 2022 has been a challenging year, to say the least. The cold, late spring denied us the momentum that we sometimes take for granted early in the season - that momentum that usually motivates us as we bridge the gap from spring into summer, and this left us fighting to catch up for the past four months. Many of us are still dealing with labor shortages that have persisted since the beginning of the Covid era. And some of us may have had personal challenges in our lives that have only intensified the pressures of working in our industry.
Fortunately, 2022 has been a bit more forgiving lately, allowing us to ease into fall with perfect, sunny days and cool, comfortable nights. At Mariani Plants, we have been savoring these past few weeks, and we’ve also been taking some time to reflect on our favorite varieties of the season. A few weeks ago, we talked about a few of our favorite new perennials, and we are equally excited about the following shrub introductions that we’ve now had a season or two to trial.
If you had told us twenty years ago that a Spiraea would someday top our list of outstanding new shrubs, we probably wouldn’t have believed you. But, due to the plant breeding industry’s renewed focus on Spiraea in recent years, this once-boring, old-fashioned shrub no longer needs to be relegated to the forgotten parking lot island or the anonymous landscape of the fast-food drive-thru. We have quickly fallen in love with the Double Play® series, especially Double Play Doozie®, Double Play® Red, and Double Play Big Bang®, due to their brilliantly bright emerging foliage, large, vibrant flowers, and clean, tidy habit. We’re so confident in the improved performance of this series that we are discontinuing ‘Anthony Waterer’ and ‘Neon Flash’ for 2023. We’re excited to be trialing the newest addition to the series, Double Play® Dolly™, next year as well.
Of course, we can’t talk about top new shrub introductions without discussing Hydrangeas. We realize that many in our industry may be suffering from a mild to severe case of Hydrangea fatigue. There’s no doubt that the number of new Hydrangea introductions in recent years has not only been overwhelming, but has caused a lot of confusion for everyone from professionals in our industry to homeowners. This isn’t just due to the sheer volume of new introductions over a short period of time, but also to the redundant and often misleading nature of the nomenclature and branding. But we feel that part of our responsibility as growers is to evaluate the new varieties side by side with the old, so that we may determine how and if they are different or improved, in order to give you our honest and unfiltered feedback.
Among the new Hydrangea cultivars that we believe truly stand out above the rest are Little Lime Punch®, Quick Fire Fab® and Fire Light Tidbit®, all panicle Hydrangeas. While we have seen sales of Little Lime® decrease over the past year, the comparably sized Little Lime Punch® has blown us away with its unique blooms. Flowers emerge green, but, unlike Little Lime®, they then mature to shades of white, blushing pink, and deep red, resulting in a mix of all four colors present on the plant at the same time. The resulting flower display makes an incredible impact in the landscape, and, forgive us for saying this, but it really does pack quite a punch.
Like Quick Fire®, Quick Fire Fab® blooms earlier than other H. paniculata varieties, but we feel its large, mophead flowers are much showier than the lacecap flowers of its predecessor. Flowers age from white, to blush pink, to deep red, from the bottom up, one floret at a time, in a way that compels you to come in for a closer look.
When it comes to dwarf Hydrangeas, Bobo® has become somewhat of an industry-standard in the past few years. But the blooms of Fire Light Tidbit® are denser, more floriferous, and have a brighter pink blush, giving Bobo® a run for its money. Fire Light Tidbit® offers one more option when it comes to dwarf Hydrangeas at a time when landscapes are getting smaller and versality is increasingly valued.
Although 2022 may be winding down somewhat, the year is far from over. Part of the nature of our industry is that we must always be planning months in advance while also staying grounded in the present. We are, on one hand, thinking about 2023 spring prebooks, and, on the other, trying to maintain our momentum throughout the remainder of 2022. We hope you all not only finish out the current season strong, but also take a moment to recognize your successes in a year that has been uniquely characterized by its many challenges.
