Amazing! Biggest yet! Sweetest! These superlatives (and more like them) are just some of the words you’ll find describing many new and fabulous plant varieties for home gardeners to try. With every plant catalog page we gardeners turn and with every picture we see, we want to believe those rich bits of descriptive prose we read. Then we faithfully fill out our seed order, mail it in and wait.
Burpee’s ‘Sweet Seedless’ Tomato is sure to be an interesting addition to your vegetable garden.
Photo Credit: Rob Cardillo
‘TigerEye’ rudbeckia is a tough, hardy plant that grows well in hot weather.
Photo Credit: Rob Cardillo
‘Carnevale di Venezia’ morning glory has gorgeous blue- and pink-striped blooms.
Photo Credit: Thompson & Morgan
A newer cherry tomato , ‘Vilma’ was born to be grown in a container on a sunny patio.
Photo Credit: Thompson & Morgan
But we gardeners in Southern California have to be a bit more judicious than the average American about choosing which veggies and flowers to grow in our gardens. We have to remember that if we order cool-weather flowers (or even some of the vegetables that do best in winter), it’s okay to have the seed on hand, stored in a cool, dry place for planting in fall. Of course, we can use most of the summer-planted flowers and vegetables. But we have to choose carefully: Some will do well in our many mini-climates, and some just won’t.
After years of reading catalogs I’ve learned to be careful and try to use good judgment in ordering. I get my catalogs early from the major seed houses, and I usually spend a couple of weeks going through them several times to evaluate the “new” items. (Sometimes the seed companies send me samples to try out the year before introduction, and that helps.)
At the end of the day, one lesson I’ve learned is that just because something is labeled “new,” it doesn’t mean that it’s better. But I have been able to pinpoint a few new varieties of flowers and vegetables from seed that I think will do well in Southern California. Here are my picks…
Burpee’s Offerings
‘Sweet Seedless’ tomato – Described as an early tomato (68 days), this may be the first seedless tomato to get good recognition and to produce well in the garden. There have been seedless tomatoes around before, but they weren’t good size, they weren’t that seedless all the time, and they didn’t grow well. But this one just might be what we’re looking for in a new tomato in the garden.
‘Diana Blueberry’ hybrid dianthus – Dianthus is one of the most rewarding of the small bedding-type flowers. Those of us who are over 39 remember the “pinks” that Grandma grew in her garden – charming little flowers with a heady scent. This new dianthus has a color not usually found in the class – almost a true blue – and it’s a strong and reliable grower that’s best for a massed bed or an edging. The catalog description says the plant will take summer heat, but I’d be cautious. (Mine will be planted in a spot that has a little shade during the hottest part of the day.)
Rudbeckia ‘TigerEye’ hybrid – All of the rudbeckias, including such well-known ones as gloriosa daisy, are perfect for Southern California. They tolerate heat, they bloom and bloom, and their colors are magnificent and strong. ‘TigerEye’ is a hybrid, so it’ll be vigorous. Its main attraction is the production of lots of golden yellow, 3-inch blooms. All rudbeckias are easily grown from seed, and this is one class Southern Californians can start in fall – or in early spring in frost-free areas.
Thompson & Morgan’s Offerings
‘Cherry Brandy’ rudbeckia – ‘Cherry Brandy’ is another new rudbeckia, and it’s noteworthy since it has the best red color of any of them. There have been some in the past that had almost fully red blooms, but they didn’t look as good as this one. The plants are said to be a compact, 24 inches tall. ‘Cherry Brandy’ will provide a mass of red blooms throughout summer and well into late fall.
‘Carnevale di Venezia’ morning glory – Morning glories used to be seen only around the outhouse or on garden fences, but today many gardeners grow them for show, and this new striped blue-and-pink morning glory will put on quite a beautiful one. Growing to about 6 feet, this vine doesn’t take a lot of water and will flower early and long – well into fall and perhaps all winter long in some of the warmer mini-climates. What’s more, it’s an easy flower to grow from seed.
‘Black Beauty’ dahlia – This is certainly one of the darkest foliaged dahlias from seed I’ve seen! The flowers are very dark red with a central golden disk, and the foliage is quite dark, too. Dahlias are easily grown from seed, and ‘Black Beauty’ reaches almost 2 feet tall. These plants grow well in summer heat and bloom well into fall.
‘Vilma’ tomato – With container gardening becoming more popular every day, the Vilma tomato may be a good choice for gardeners who like to grow in pots on the patio. Its midsize cherry tomatoes are sweet, juicy and cherry red, and the plant produces prolifically through the summer.
Park Seed Co.’s Offerings
‘Profusion Apricot’ zinnia – The Profusion Zinnia series of compact, dwarf plants has been a real success, and this new color has 2-inch-wide blooms, gets about 12 inches tall, spreads a bit, and the color seems to be a true apricot. It may fade a little in the hottest areas, but the color should be stable if given a little shade in the mid-afternoon. All the Profusion colors make great mass plantings – or use just a single color for striking effects.
‘Trionfo Violetto’ pole bean – This is one of the purple-podded beans that have been around for a long time, but this oldie from Italy is more of a violet color. The purple beans are always good eating, have a distinct flavor and look good in salads. This one is worth trying.
So open up your seed and plant catalogs (or check them out online), drool a little at the exquisite photos and descriptions, then order your favorite picks – including the best of the ones that are new.
