New perennial plants
By: Garden Gate staff
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New perennials for 2018!
Ready to start some garden planning? There are some great new plants out you may want to try this year. Click ahead to meet some of our favorite new perennials.
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Pink Carpet dianthus Dianthus hybrid
What we love: Pink Carpet provides lots of bright color every spring on top of low-growing green foliage. Remove the spent stems to keep these lightly fragrant blooms coming until fall. Part of the Mountain Frost™ series, it tolerates wet rainy conditions better than some dianthus so you don’t have to worry about plants rotting.
Type Perennial
Blooms Pink blooms in spring, reblooms until fall
Light Full sun
Soil Well-drained
Size 6 to 8 in. tall 12 to 14 in. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 5 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
Introducer Darwin Perennials®
Source Local garden centers
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‘Bleeding Hearts’ false sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides scabra
What we love: This false sunflower will make you look twice. Its deep purple foliage is topped with flowers that start out red, mature to orange and finally, bronze. There’s a multicolored show from summer to fall on every plant. Remove spent blooms to encourage more to take their place.
Type Perennial
Blooms Red blooms change to orange then bronze in midsummer
Light Full sun
Soil Well-drained
Size Size 36 to 48 in. tall, 12 to 18 in. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 3 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
Introducer Jelitto®
Source Local garden centers
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Wild Rose coral bells Heuchera hybrid
What we love: Looking for some drama in your shade garden? Try Wild Rose coral bells, which has rose-purple leaves with deep charcoal veining. Plants have a dense, tidy habit. Pair it with chartreuse foliage to really make the color pop!
Type Perennial
Blooms Pink flowers in midsummer, purple foliage with a silver overlay
Light Part shade
Soil Moist, well-drained
Size 8 to 10 in. tall, 18 to 20 in. in bloom, 26 to 30 in. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
Introducer Proven Winners®
Source Sooner Plant Farm
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‘Summer Crush’ betony Stachys hybrid
What we love: Deer-resistant and full of flowers, ‘Summer Crush’ is larger and more vigorous than other cultivars and is covered in flowers that last three to four weeks in summer. Deadhead spent stems below the foliage to tidy up plants. Its deeply veined wrinkled-looking foliage forms an attractive mound that looks great at the front of the border. Provide soil rich in organic matter and consistent moisture for the best-looking plants.
Type Perennial
Blooms White to pale pink blooms in summer
Light Full sun to part shade
Soil Moist, well-drained
Size 24 to 30 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide
Cold-hardy USDA zones 4 to 9
Heat-tolerant AHS zones 9 to 1
Introducer Intrinsic Perennial Gardens
Source Song Sparrow
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Check out more new favorites!
You’ll find even more photos, profiles and growing tips for 2018’s best new perennials (and other plants!) in the January/February issue of Garden Gate magazine, available on newsstands now!
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