Best New Plants of 2011

Livin’ Easyâ„¢ 1996 AARS Winner

This is the time of year that the best new plants of the New Year are being announced: shrubs, trees annuals, perennials and vegetables. There is plenty of time to read about the plants to see if any will fit into your garden.

The Yellow Rose by AllHarts

All American Rose Selections has announced the 2011 roses of the year.  See here.  I love yellow roses so I was so pleased to see that one of the roses is yellow (see here) and if you want to see the names and types of all the AARS winners see here. 

TheGardenLady owns three of the winners. Besides the red Knock Out rose, I have Julia Child a yellow floribunda that won in 2006 and Livin’ Easy, and an apricot landscape rose that won in 1996 which I adore.

The All America Selections of annuals and vegetables  has some that this Garden Lady would love to have. I love the new Salvia “Summer Jewel Red and want it for my garden. And two of my favorite birds, hummingbirds and goldfinches, are also said to love this plant. I am very fond of Salvia plants and was delighted, one year, to visit the The United States National Arboretum in Washington DC where they had a show garden devoted just to salvias.  I don’t know if they have a salvia bed every year, but they should if they don’t. And two of my favorite birds, hummingbirds and goldfinches also love them. I am also eager to try the new cherry tomatoes. I am always dreaming of finding the taste of the tomatoes I ate when I was a child that are no longer available.

Then for shrubs and trees there are the Gold Medal Plant winners.  See here.  I wish I had room to plant the American Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua, ‘Slender Silhouette’. The narrow shape is fantastic. The American Sweetgum that is on my property is the more traditional shape.