In the world of horticulture, there is one thing that you can always count on — there will always be new plant varieties coming out on the market. 

Every year, there are countless numbers of new plants being released to tempt us gardeners. These new and improved varieties have been tried and tested for several years before being released for sale. 

They will be tested for several reasons.

The plant breeders are looking for varieties that will bloom longer than others.

In recent years, there has been a call for more compact plants. Since properties are getting smaller, people are looking for smaller growing plants. 

There is also a constant hunt for plants that are more disease and insect-resistant and plants that are more drought-tolerant.

This keeps the nurseries in constant search for these winning, new cultivars.

Just in the world of perennials alone, so many new cultivars are released each year. Learning about all these new plants is an ongoing task. 

Here are just a few of the exciting new prospects that have come out over the past few years.

Pink Pearl hummingbird mint (Agastache ‘Pink Pearl’)

Agastache has been making a large comeback over the last three to four years. It is also known as anise hyssop and has that beautiful anise (licorice) fragrance to its foliage. 

As its name suggests, and because of its tubular flowers, it is a great plant for attracting butterflies.

Pink Pearl is different for its large, light pink blooms, densely arranged in a spike form. Pink Pearl delivers an extended bloom period, blooming from June to September. 

It grows fast and easily in well-drained soil. It features larger and denser blooms compared to previous cultivars and has excellent disease resistance and drought tolerance. It is very rarely bothered by deer.

Pink Pearl grows about 16 inches high and wide.

Serendipity Ornamental Onion (Allium ‘Serendipity’)

This new cultivar of Ornamental Onion is sure a winner. These plants are covered with globe-like, rosy-purple, fragrant flowers. 

The flowers attract many pollinating insects as well as butterflies. They bloom repeatedly from summer to fall.

The globe flowers are held above blue-green foliage that when crushed smells like onion.

This award-winning plant is both heat and drought-tolerant once established. They also resist deer and rabbits. It looks great massed planted. 

Serendipity will grow 15 to 20 inches high and 15 inches high and prefers full to partial sun.

‘Blazing Glory’ Daylily (Hemerocallis hybrid)

Just when you think they couldn’t possibly come up with a different daylily, here comes Blazing Glory daylily, a six-inch golden-yellow flower with a dark red center and a dark red picotee edge that extends the entire length of the petal. 

This cultivar reblooms as well, putting on quite a show that will last the summer. Like all daylilies, this one prefers a full-sun location with a minimum of five to six hours of sun each day. 

It grows up to 32 inches high and about 18 to 24 inches wide.

Little Red Fox little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Little Red Fox’)

Some of the varieties of little bluestem grasses are some of my favourite grasses. My favourite up to this time has been Standing Ovation little bluestem grass. 

Now, a shorter and more compact cultivar (and less prone to flopping) has come out on the market. It is named the Little Red Fox little bluestem grass.

It still provides a season-long texture of fine blades and great fall colour. Gray-green spring foliage changes to silvery blue early to mid-summer then develops red streaks in mid-to-late summer, deepening as fall progresses. 

It prefers a full-sun location and well-drained soil. It grows from 24 to 30 inches tall and 18 inches wide. It is cold hardy to zone 3 USDA.

So, if you are looking for some different to add to your gardens this spring, these are a few of the wonderful new plants to choose from.

Joanne Young is a Niagara-on-the-Lake garden expert and coach. See her website at joanneyoung.ca

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Horticultural Society is pleased to be hosting a series of Saturday morning gardening classes, available to the public. They will be facilitated by Joanne Young starting on March 1, and they will run until May 31 at the NOTL Community Centre. Join us for the classes that interest you. For all the details and to pre-register for the classes visit notlhortsociety.com/classes.