New All-America Award winning Flowers
Three new flowers have won coveted All-America Selections awards for 2013. All three should grow well in the Pacific Northwest.
A new coneflower mixture (Echinacea ‘Cheyenne Spirit’) brings a new range of colors to this elegant daisy-flowered perennial. Previously only shades of purple, lavender and white have been available. This new mix contains purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, cream and white. Another advantage of Cheyenne Spirit is that will bloom the first year when planted from seed inside. Seed can be planted directly outside with good success in our climate but will not bloom until the second year.
Cheyenne Spirit has sturdy plants that hold up well to wind and rain and need very little dead-heading. Compact plants grow about 2 feet high. It is a great plant for attracting butterflies and for cut flowers.
Purple coneflower has been one of our most dependable summer and fall blooming perennials. Cheyenne Spirit is a welcome addition as a permanent perennial.
‘Pinto Premium White with Rose’ is a new geranium with a unique color that starts out white and deepens to rose pink. Pinto geraniums are well adapted to the Pacific Northwest. They have dense, well branched plants with flowers as large as 5 inches and deep green leaves with darker zones. Pinto Premium White with Rose grows quickly so new growth covers old blooms.
Geraniums are frost tender and should not be planted outside until May. They grow best if given regular fertilization and watering.
Canna ‘South Pacific Scarlet’ is grown from seed, not tubers. South Pacific Scarlet is more vigorous and compact growing and has better basal branching than tuber grown Canna Topical Red. It needs full sun and plenty of water. Most people will purchase greenhouse started plants but it is possible to start seed inside in February and transplant outside in May.
Check with your local nursery or greenhouse early and request plants of these new varieties. All three need early seed planting to produce plants by Spring. Pictures and descriptions of these new flowers can be seen at allamericaselections.org.
