Top plant picks

West

Vaccinium × ‘O’Neal’ Large, dark-blue fruit matures very early from summer to early fall. Needs 400 chilling hours. Evergreen foliage in mild winters or turns brilliant red before falling in cold climates. It’s hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. This rounded, spreading shrub grows to 5 feet high and 6 feet wide.

Gary Jones, vice president of marketing at Armstrong Garden Centers in Glendora, Calif., said the edible craze has not lost any steam and sales are expected to climb this year. Armstrong Growers is the wholesale arm of the company.
 
“The Southern highbush blueberry varieties such as ‘O’Neal’ and ‘Sunshine Blue’ sell well in our climate,” Jones said. “What’s not to love about the blueberries? They have bell-like flowers in spring, gorgeous fall color and fruit in summer.”
 
Other perennial edibles like artichokes are popular this year, too.

Jones also expects any of the Southern California Mediterranean varieties (think pittosporum) that are sturdy, water-wise plants will sell well this year.
www.armstronggarden.com

Midwest

Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk’ This lilac is considered to be low maintenance with excellent resistance to powdery mildew and other common lilac diseases. It’s hardy in Zones 3-7. It has a rounded crown and typically grows to 20 feet high. Creamy white, fragrant flowers on 12-inch panicles appear in May and June.

Price is the sales driver in Wisconsin, said Jeff Edgar, co-owner at Silver Creek Nurseries in Manitowoc, Mich.
 
“Just about anything on special is flying out the door,” he said.
 
There is a lot of interest in Autumn Blaze maple and Autumn Fantasy maple this year, he said.
 
One of the showiest sure-things this season is Syringa reticulata ‘Ivory Silk.’
 
“It’s a pretty but tough tree,” he said. “It’s pretty clean in terms of foliage diseases, and it has huge, puffy white flowers in spring that are close to 12 inches long.”
www.silvercreeknurseries.com

Ann Tosovsky, vice president of public relations at Home Nursery in Edwardsville, Ill., also pointed to edibles as hot sellers.

Green Mountain boxwood With its pyramidal habit, Green Mountain works well in beds or containers. It’s hardy in Zones 4-9. It features small, glossy, rounded, dark-green leaves and offers bronze-green foliage in winter. It grows best in well-drained, moist, neutral-to-alkaline pH soil in full sun to full shade, sheltered from winter sun and winds.

 “Fruit trees and small fruits like blackberries, raspberries and blueberries are doing well for us,” she said. The nursery grows fruit in 1- and 2-gallon pots.
 
“The back-to-nature movement is still strong, and people want to know what they’re eating,” she said.
 
Other top sellers include Green Velvet boxwood, a staple at Home Nursery, and Green Mountain boxwood, a pyramidal selection.
 
And hydrangeas from Proven Winners ColorChoice are selling well, she said.
 
“Incrediball and Invincibelle Spirit are creating a lot of excitement.”
www.homenursery.com

Mid-Atlantic

Aquilegia ‘Winky Double Blue & White’ This columbine offers upward-facing double blue and white flowers carried on short, sturdy stems above mounds of attractive green foliage. It’s hardy to Zone 3, and grows up to 30 inches high with a 12-inch spread. Use it in beds and borders, foundation plantings, alongside driveways, paths or walkways. Plant in full sun or partial shade. It’s also good for containers and cut flowers.

David Wilson, director of marketing at Garden Splendor in Bridgeton, N.J., is getting a lot of buzz about Aquilegia ‘Winky Double Blue & White,’ a Garden Splendor introduction last year.
 
“It’s quite an advancement in breeding,” Wilson said. “Gone are the days of the tall, lanky old columbines that my grandmother used to grow in her garden, the ones that bowed their heads and got bashed in the April wind and rain.”
 
‘Winky Double Blue & White’ features a short compact habit and double flowers.
www.gardensplendor.com

Southeast

Dyckia ‘Cherry Coke’ plant facts When grown in full sun, the leaves take on a striking burgundy or wine-red color. It also sends up bright orange flower stalks that are up to 6 feet tall. It’s hardy is Zones 8-11. It grows best with good drainage and occasional to very little irrigation.

Alan Shapiro, owner of Grandiflora in Gainesville, Fla., said on the traditional side of sales, Drift roses in 3-gallon pots are selling well. Coral Drift is the best seller so far.
 
“They’re trouble free, they don’t need to be deadheaded, they have good disease resistance and they stay lower to the ground,” he said. “They do really well in Florida, but we ship them to North Carolina and Louisiana.”
 
From the somewhat novelty category, sales of Aloysia virgata (almond bush) is quite popular for its intense fragrance. “This could easily become a mainstream tree,” he said.
 
Shapiro was a bit surprised, but lots of xeric items such as sedum, sempervivum and echeveria are selling well. “They really shine in a mixed container, and they’re more readily available from tissue culture now.”
 
He’s most excited about Dyckia, which is a terrestrial bromeliad. There are spiny silver- and purple-leaved varieties with attractive flower stalks.
www.grandiflora.pro