Flower Show Highlights

We reported on our visits to the Philadelphia Flower Show,San Francisco Flower & Garden Show and Ball Horticultural Spring Trials in the spring 2012 issue of Gardeners On the Go!. Here are some more images and info:

From our visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show in early March, 2012, Jenny Koester (Horticulture's The Landless Gardener) shares these photos:

Above: We found this serene island of calm amid the excited chaos of show attendees.

Above: Dining al fresco couldn’t be more beautiful!

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Rebecca Sweet, Horticulture contributing editor and principal at Harmony in the Garden in Los Altos, Calif., visited the Ball Horticultural Company's Spring Trials along with Jeanette Sinclair of Woodside Images for Team Horticulture in late March, 2012. Here are just some of the sensational plants they saw:

Impatiens ‘Center Stage’
Impatiens are loved by gardeners everywhere because they add much-needed color to the shadiest of gardens. But these aren’t ordinary impatiens. The green leaves are variegated with shades of lime and gold that perfectly complement their cherry red flowers, creating an eye-popping combination.

Cool Wave Pansies (Trailing Pansy)
You might be asking yourself “Don’t all pansies ‘trail’ at the end of the season?" Definitely not! This is one of the most exciting pansies to hit the market in years, with twice the spread of traditional, standard pansies. A mere 3 or 4 plants will create a lush 2-gallon hanging basket. And unlike their standard cousins, these pansies are self-cleaning, meaning no more deadheading to keep them blooming! Hardy to USDA Zone 5 and more heat-tolerant than standard pansies, these trailers will provide an extra month of bloom time in the hottest of climates.

Echinacea Sombrero Series
If you’ve been let down by the brightly color echinaceas, or coneflowers, of the past, the new Sombrero Series might be just what you’re looking for! These Zone 4 coneflowers have proven reliable in the coldest Chicago winters, vigorously returning year after year. Traditional purple coneflowers are taken to new heights with long-blooming flowers in colors such as sandy yellow, salsa red and hot coral, allowing for endless color combinations in your perennial garden.

Isotoma Gemini Series
While widely planted in Europe, this newcomer to North America is a welcome addition to your mid-spring planting bed. Don’t let its delicate and airy appearance fool you, though! These hardy cottage annuals, with their prolific pink or blue star-shaped flowers, love the heat and will continue to bloom through the end of summer. Perfect when paired with lobelia, since it begins blooming about the same time lobelia decides to call it quits. Definitely something to look forward to in 2013!

Burpee’s Edible Boost Collection
As if vegetables weren’t good enough for you, Burpee has introduced a new line of gorgeous veggies that has been specifically hand-selected for the highest nutrition. This selection of peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and salad greens have 30 to 70 percent more lycopene, carotenoids and Vitamin C than their traditional counterparts. Delicious tasting, beautiful in the garden and more nutritious—clearly some of the healthiest vegetables you can grow from one of the most trusted names in gardening.