It's never too early to start planning new garden and container additions for the year. Start listing now so you'll be ready to order seeds or buy plants early when the selection is at its peak.
Consider including multiple All-America Selections (AAS). These plants are "nationally tested and locally proven" for their high performance in home gardens and containers. Plant some of our 2023 Flower of the Year winners for a fresh look at some longtime favorites.
Coleus Coral Candy is part of the Coleus Premium Sun line. This is the first coleus grown from seed to be selected as an AAS winner. This uniformly compact coleus has unique narrow, serrated and variegated leaves. The AAS judges found that this variety retained its color even when grown in full sun. It grew well all season and practically did not bloom. You only need three seeds to fill a 14" to 16" diameter pot.
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Bring a touch of the tropics to your garden, patio or balcony with the Waikiki Royal Hawaiian Colocasia. Beautiful Elephant Ear wowed the judges with sturdy burgundy stems and large, glossy pink-veined leaves with creamy white centers. Waikiki reveals these wonderful colors sooner than any other variety of locations. This small variety tolerates wind and rain well.
The vibrant orange double snapdragon flowers will have you looking for locations and container gardens for this winner. This 18-20-inch snapdragon has double, open flowers that start in shades of orange and red-orange that become dusty with age. Its strong stem throughout the season produces many branches full of flowers that do not break in strong winds.
Blue By You Salvia blooms bright blue flowers from late spring until fall, when the faded flowers have fallen off. This perennial plant blooms two weeks earlier than similar varieties already on the market. Tested over three seasons including winter and proved to be very hardy in zones 4b to 9a. A favorite of hummingbirds and butterflies, this is a gorgeous, container-friendly, heat-resistant flower. All this and something else that deer and rabbits least like.
Save space in your garden to grow the high-yielding Sweet Jade Kabocha winter squash. The fruits weigh between one and two kilograms, making them ideal for a single serving of pumpkin, such as a soup bowl, or to add to various Asian dishes where the sweet and nutritious pumpkins are usually recommended. Roast, bake or mash the deep orange flesh of Sweet Jade, which has a dry texture with a sweet taste.
Plant a San Joaquin jalapeno pepper if you want a great harvest in a short time. This means that you will have enough peppers for canning, marinating, roasting and stuffing for large groups of guests. Leaving them on the plant for a longer period of time will allow them to take on a nice red color while retaining their flavor. These thick-walled peppers have a low temperature of 2500-6000 Scoville units.
Make room in your garden and containers for these and other winning strains. Adding new introductions that have been tried by gardeners across North America will help increase your gardening success.
Melinda Myers has written over 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardening Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. Myers is a columnist and editor for Birds & Blooms magazine, her website is www.MelindaMyers.com.
