The best gardens are blooming with colors of spring and summer flowers that you have planted and grown with your own hands. While there are hundreds of varieties of flower seeds available in store and online this upcoming season, these few breeds will be flying off the shelves as the best and brightest seeds of the season.
Allium Millennium
The Perennial Plant Association has selected the Allium Millennium as the 2018 Perennial Plant of the Year, and it is easy to see why. These lavender globe-shaped flowers from Wayside Gardens bloom by the dozens, and grow during the late summer months, giving your garden one last flare of color before the colder weather begins to arrive. This breed brings with it a dense bouquet of dark green stems, topped with vivid purple blooms bobbing in the wind.
The flower heads bloom perfectly round, each reaching about a 2-inch diameter orb of fluffed purple florets tinged with red coloring. It also has a bit of the typical Allium scent, which wards off rabbits and other fuzzy creatures form nibbling on your garden. However, bees and butterflies will find the find the blooms enticing, and will be flapping and buzzing around your garden until the summer is over.
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Zinnia, ‘Forecast’
This new zinnia seed from Burpee is a long-lasting breed that will bring striking summer colors to your garden all season long. These annual plants bloom purple, pink, orange, salmon, yellow and cream petals, with an average diameter of 2- to 3-inches.
The ‘Forecast’ zinnia is mildew resistant, making it an ideal flower choice for damper regions such as the Pacific Northwest or Canada. It can be grown indoors and transplanted outside after frost, giving you a head start at growing these beauties and giving your home a little color in the meantime. Zinnias attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees, so your garden will always be full of wildlife activity that is beneficial.
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‘La Park’ Floribunda Rose
Named after the original headquarters of Park Seed Company for their 150th anniversary, the ‘La Park’ Floribunda Rose will be another big seller this season. Park Seed is honoring their company roots by introducing a rose that combines the best of old and new in glorious double-flowered blossoms.
The La Park Rose breed blooms 4-inch blossoms in unmatched colors, with no two blooms exactly like each other. The roses sit upright on strong branches, sporting a strong scent known as spinoissima, which some heritage rose lovers may find similar to the scent of the Old Scot Briar Rose. The flowers are banked by deep green, very glossy foliage that keeps its good looks all season, and grow as high as 4 feet high.
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Sunset Magic Crape Myrtle
With true and vibrant red flowers, these easy-care Sunset Magic Crape Myrtle blooms from Nature Hills are a must-have for your garden this year. In full bloom, these flowers cover the entire shrub, giving the beautiful sunset effect they are named for. Surrounded by dark purple-black leaves, the intense redness of the flowers stands out in your garden.
Sunset Magic is an easy plant to care for, making it wonderful for beginner or armature gardeners. They respond well to pruning, but naturally grow to a manageable size of about 5 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide. The Sunset Magic breed is also highly resistant to typical Crape Myrtle issues, such as Cercospora.
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Hibiscus ‘Pinot Noir’
Hibiscus flowers are known for their overwhelming size, but Logee’s new “Pinot Noir’ Hibiscus is pushing their reputation even further. This new breed produces an exceptionally large 8- to 9-inch flower with light lavender petals and a maroon center. There is also a hint of pink hidden in the petals for a more complex and rich coloring.
These hibiscus flowers are easy to grow, especially in areas with plenty of sun and rich soils. Since the hibiscus is usually grown in a tropical climate, plants should be grown outside in a container and brought inside during colder months for most USDA growing zones.
If your garden is more veggies than flowers, check out our Spring 2018 Featured Vegetable Seeds.
This press release is presented without editing for your information. MOTHER EARTH NEWS does not recommend, approve or endorse the products and/or services offered. You should use your own judgment and evaluate products and services carefully before deciding to purchase.
