Categories: Flower Gardens

New Annual Flower and Foliage Garden Combos

Gardeners will find new annual plants by Proven Winners available in 2010. These cultivars of Ipomoea, Nierembergia and Verbena will add new color, foliage form or dependable plant growth to flower gardens.

Ipomoea Illusion™, Nierembergia Aususta™ ‘Blue Skies,’ and Verbena Superbena® ‘Pink Parfait’ will work well in plant groupings for garden beds or containers. Whether grown together or used with other plants, these annuals will add more choice to a gardener’s 2010 plant selection.

Ipomoea Illusion™ Vines

Ipomoea batatas ‘Emerald Lace’ and Ipomoea batatas ‘Midnight Lace’ are part of the Illusion™ series. Both cultivars create a lacy appearance with deeply incised foliage versus the heart shaped leaves often seen by gardeners in the lime green Ipomoea batatas ‘Margarita.’

The sweet potato vine is a trailing filler plant, remaining short with a dense shape. Like all sweet potato vines, the Illusion™ series prefers thorough watering and requires soil that drains well.

Ornamental sweet potato vines form potatoes below ground. Although not considered a food source because of the lack of flavor, they are edible.

Blue Flowers on Nierembergia

Nierembergia is a tender perennial used as an annual plant. The short dainty plant blooms throughout summer when planted in full sun. The cup-shaped blooms with lilac or blue coloring hides the simple very narrow leaves. Nierembergia grows well in summer heat and does not need deadheading to remain healthy.

The yellow center in the blue flowers of Nierembergia Augusta™ ‘Blue Skies’ stands out against a background of dark colored foliage. The dark purple, almost black, Ipomoea batatas ‘Midnight Lace’ contrasts well with blue or pink flowers.

Verbena Pink Parfait Annual

Verbena Superbena® ‘Pink Parfait’ has a strong upright cascading structure that holds the plant’s large flowers. The pink blooms, upon closer inspection, have a deeper pink center while the petals fade from light pink to white as they age.

Like all Verbena, it is drought and heat tolerant and along with it’s 14″ height can be successfully planted in gardens edged with hot sidewalks, as well as in its traditional hanging baskets. Verbenas deter deer but are favorite nectar plants for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Verbena ‘Pink Parfait’ can be paired with lime green sweet potato vine. But the Ipomoea batats ‘Emerald Lace’ is easy to match with other variegated foliage plants, too.

Ipomoea Illusion™, Nierembergia Aususta™ ‘Blue Skies,’ and Verbena Superbena® ‘Pink Parfait’ are three new annual plants. Gardeners will have more choices to grow individually or mixed in planting beds and hanging pots. Another new flowering plant from Proven Winners is the sweet alyssum called Snow Princess™.

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