Cruisin' California

From superb hardiness to brilliant color, perennial breeders at the 2012 California Spring Trials offered a little something for everyone. These varieties were some of the standouts at this year’s California Spring Trials.

Primula Kennedy Irish Drumcliff
The large white flowers are brushed with a hint of lavender and the leaves are a dark bronze-purple. These flower from March until May and are hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 5. This series is available from Skagit Gardens. A red flower with a yellow eye (‘Innisfree’) is also available. Plants grow to 5 inches tall and wide.

Coreopsis Big Bang ‘Mercury Rising’
Also from Skagit Gardens, the Big Bang series features well-branched plants with daisy flowers. The color of ‘Mercury Rising’ is a velvety deep red – like a curtain on a window in the French Quarter. Think you can resist touching them? The flower color doesn’t fade in the summer heat. Other varieties in the series are bi-color. Grow in full sun. The series is hardy in Zones 5-9.

Monarda ‘Pardon My Purple’
This petite bee balm from Proven Winners and Walters Gardens only grows to about a foot tall or less, but the purple flowers are quite large. It flowers from mid- to late-summer. It’s a hummingbird, butterfly and bee magnet. And one of bee balm’s coolest features is its leaves – they smell like mint when crushed. It’s best planted where folks can observe the wildlife it attracts. Hardy in Zones 4-9.
 

Dianthus EverLast series
The EverLast dianthus series from Darwin Perennials solves the No. 1 complaint from perennial gardeners: short bloom time. EverLast flowers continuously throughout the seasons. The double flowers bloom early and stay in bloom, and then reblooms as night temperatures drop in late summer. It’s hardy to Zone 4a. Colors include: Burgundy Blush, Lavender+Eye, Lilac+Eye and Orchid.

Echinacea Double Scoop Cranberry
This flower from Darwin Perennials is a double-flowered variety with a color that matches its name. Pour a glass of cranberry juice and, voila, you’ve got a matching hue. Double Scoop Cranberry grows best in full sun and the flower color will not fade. For growers and retailers in hotter climates, this plant will still be flowering when others are succumbing to the heat. It’s hardy in Zones 4-9.

Colocasia Royal Hawaiian ‘Hawaiian Punch’
This tantalizing treat from the tropics just has to be seen in person to truly appreciate its beauty. New from PlantHaven, green foliage has an iridescent quality that gives ‘Hawaiian Punch’ a hint of mystery. But it’s the striking red stems and red veins that give this selection oomph. In the landscape, ‘Hawaiian Punch’ can be grown in pots or in the ground. The stems are really sturdy to boot, which hold up those big, glossy leaves. It grows up to 3 feet tall. The series is disease resistant. ‘Hawaiian Punch’ is hardy in Zones 7b-11.
 

Looking for more?
GIE Media’s Horticulture Group trekked nearly 1,000 miles earlier this year to attend the 2012 California Spring Trials. Check out all of our video coverage in the multimedia section of our website.