As a new growing season unfolds each spring, garden communicators receive an influx of dozens of not-yet-available sample plants from breeders and growers, tasked with evaluating their potential.

One such expert meticulously trials these new varieties. Some are integrated into existing garden beds and borders, others are placed in containers, while a dedicated “Maternity Ward” – a three-foot-deep strip of soil – houses the remainder. This rigorous observation continues throughout the entire season.

The purpose of this extensive evaluation is to provide consumers with informed recommendations. By the time these plants reach garden centers the following year, the expert can confidently highlight those that demonstrated superior performance.

While personal preferences for certain colors, shapes, and textures naturally exist, the assessment prioritizes objective merit. Key criteria include the plant’s ability to thrive, its reliability in blooming, and its resistance to disease or infestation. Such insights are crucial for gardeners before investing their hard-earned money in new introductions, regardless of their initial appeal.

This spring marks the retail debut of the plants trialed last year, with the most impressive performers now available to the public.

Digitalis Arctic Fox ‘Lemon Cream’ and ‘Rose’ foxgloves

Suitable for horticultural zones 5-9, the the old-time cottage garden biennials with bell-shaped flowers that rise on 18-24-inch spikes are known for attracting hummingbirds and pollinators. They survived an especially harsh winter in my zone 7 garden and are blooming profusely as I write. Note: Digitalis is highly poisonous, so it should be grown out of the reach of small children and pets.

Agastache mexicana Summerlong Series

Also known as hummingbird mint, the plant is available in coral, lilac, peach, magenta and lemon. Suited for zones 7-10, it grew without issues, bloomed well for a first-year plant and returned nicely in the sunny, street-facing border outside my fence. When mature, it’s expected to reach 16-22 inches tall and 16-22 inches wide.

Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Magic Double Grapefruit’

These stunning “million bells” plants produce lovely lemon-yellow buds that open to reveal double flowers, which take on a soft pink hue, creating a beautiful, mottled pink-and-yellow effect. Suitable for sun and part sun, the drought-tolerant plant reblooms through frost, trailing nicely over the edges of hanging baskets in full sun.

Anemone Harlequin ‘Cameo’

This perennial, hardy in zones 4-9, produces joy-inducing, daisy-like pink flowers with uneven petals and bright yellow centers on mounded plants from early summer through frost. Suited for full sun to part shade, the plant should reach 14” tall (26” including flower stems) and 18 inches wide.

Echinacea French Tips

Full disclosure: I’m partial to Echinacea (coneflowers) of every color and size. But I found this variety to be especially cool for its white-tipped pink petals that are reminiscent of a French manicure. The flowers land at different heights on mounded plants that attract pollinators and bloom nearly nonstop from summer through fall. Hardy in zones 4-9, they’re expected to reach 20-24 inches tall and 24 inches wide at maturity. And like most coneflowers, they’re considered deer-resistant.

Lobelia Laguna Royal Blue Pearl

These airy plants remain covered in deep blue flowers with white centers all summer long, filling sunny containers densely. They would also work well as edging plants or in rock and crevice gardens. Treated as annuals, the plants are 8-12 inches tall with a 10-12-inch spread, and are more heat-tolerant than earlier Lobelias.

Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud

These petunias bloom continuously through frost as a container or bedding plant. Their ruffled petals set them apart from standard petunias, and each flower’s fading white center provides eye-catching detail against its cotton-candy pink petals. Expect them to grow 6-12 inches tall and trail up to 24 inches in a pot.

Begonia Hula White

This one demands another disclaimer: I’ve never really cared for begonias (something about their thick stems). But that all changed when I received this unique variety with a spreading habit and dense branching that allowed cheery, yellow-centered white flowers to completely obscure those stems. The plants grow 6-10 inches tall and 20-27 inches wide in either sun or shade.

Light Pink Beacon and Blue Pearl Impatiens

Beacon Impatiens are always a great choice for their resistance to downy mildew, a fatal disease that often plagues the straight species Impatiens walleriana. These new varieties produce vibrant yet elegant and understated flowers that perform like champs in full to part shade. They spread abundantly and bloomed from spring through fall. They would work equally well in beds or trailing over the sides of containers, growing 14-18 inches tall and 12-14 inches wide.

Spreading Petunia Shock Wave Rose Vein

These bi-colored beauties spread while retaining a somewhat mounded shape, so they didn’t sprawl out of control, as some petunias might. And their two-toned, boldly colored blossoms with a star-shaped center pattern commands attention without clashing with nearby plants. Grow them in full sun and expect them to reach 7-10 inches tall and 20-30 inches wide.