MORE "New" Flowers for 2016 at Amandas Greenhouse

Customers often ask for flowering vines.  Morning glories and clematis sell well.  This year I am trying clerodendrum, which is an annual grown from cuttings.

CLERODENDRUM
(Photo courtesy Jolly Farmer)

Clerodendrum is a vining "tropical" appearing plant.  The blooms have white outer petals and bright red inner petals.  It is commonly grown further south where it is known as "glory bower."  The selling points to me are that it was described as "easy to grow" and "a fast climber."

The 'Sunpatiens' series are excellent new guinea impatiens for full or partial sun and they are exempt from the impatiens downy mildew.  

SUNPATIENS SPREADING TROPICAL ORANGE

                                                                             (Photo courtesy Jolly Farmer)

Sunpatiens Spreading Tropical Orange scored at the top of many university trial gardens last year. The flowers are vibrant and long lasting and the plants can easily be planted 20 inches apart as they will fill in the space within six weeks.

There are MANY kinds of dahlias and they can be grown from seeds, cuttings, or tubers.  

                                             HYPNOTICA BOCOLOR ROSE DAHLIA
                                                                                (Photo courtesy Jolly Farmer)

I offer dahlias started from seed in six packs and dahlias started from cuttings in 4.5 inch pots ($3.99).  Last year Hypnotica  lavender dahlia from cuttings performed beautifully, so this year I am adding Hypnotica Bicolor Rose.

Bacopa sutura is an ideal plant for containers as long as it is kept watered.   It has white  flowers which tumble out of window boxes and baskets.   This flower always looks wonderful in the spring, but it peters out for me as the season goes on.

 JB PARTY  BACOPA ROSE

J B Party Bacopa is actually a relative of bacopa and is described as "a Jamesbrittania type of bacopa."    It performs in a similar manner with warmer colors and better heat tolearance.  It should be good for baskets and mixed containers.

NEW New Guinea Impatiens

Plant breeders have put a lot of energy into developing new varieties of New Guinea impatiens, many of which can now tolerate sun.   Impatiens downy mildew swept across the country (and the world) a few years ago, decimating many plantings of seed grown (walleriana) impatiens.  New Guinea impatiens are immune to this disease.   Typically impatiens grown from seeds have more flowers and a lower and more spreading growing habit than New Guinea impatiens.

Impatiens 'Bounce Pink Flame' is a winner of All American Selections (AAS) for 2015.  It looks like an Impatiens walleriana in habit, flower form and count, but is completely downy mildew resistant. Breeders promise "...a massive amount of stunning, bright pink bicolor blooms with tons of color to brighten your garden, be it in shade or sun."

BOUNCE PINK FLAME

(Selecta Photograph)

'Florific® Sweet Orange' is the first bicolor in seed-raised New Guinea impatiens.  This one prefers the shade.  It is a showy, full plant with huge flowers that present nicely above the foliage. Its color ranges from deep orange to light orange.  

FLORIFIC SWEET ORANGE
(Syngenta Photos)

I like variegated leaves on New Guineas (and on any flowering plant) and am offering 'Strike Orange' this year.  It is a more compact grower.

STRIKE ORANGE

(Danziger photo)

Customers like the "Sunpatiens" series of New Guineas, which thrive in sun or shade  and this year I will add 'Spreading Pink Flash'.  Spreading SunPatiens can grow 18-36" tall and 24-36” wide in the garden.  Their aggressive spreading nature allows you to plant further apart (14-24” spacing) and increase your coverage versus traditional annuals.

SUNPATIENS SPREADING PINK FLASH

(Sakata Photo)

New Guineas will let you know when they are too dry by kind of collapsing.  They look like they have "had the radish" in that situation, but with a watering they bounce right back.  New Guinea impatiens are excellent choices for containers and hanging baskets.