Will these be on your shopping list this year?
During the past year I’ve been on my many travels, and had a particularly wonderful time in the Netherlands at the Royal Flora Holland trade event, where there really was something for everyone.
So this issue, I’ll be looking towards the New Year with some sparkling new houseplants, shrubs and even a beautiful new cut flower.
These items should all be coming into garden centres sometime in 2025, so why not cut out and keep pictures of the ones that you like, so you’ll be able to find them soon.
Lilium ‘Tropical Dragon’ (The Parrot Lily)
When I’m out hunting for plants, sometimes I can get very distracted when I spot a gem. This absolute beauty was hidden in the corner of a lily display so I was so lucky to spot it.
This variety is called ‘Tropical Dragon’, but I prefer to call it the parrot lily, because the ruffled petals have the exact same look as a parrot tulip, and a whole host of rainbow colours. Absolutely glorious, I think this will reach the cut flower market first, but if we shout loud enough, they might let us buy a few bulbs too.
Photinia x fraseri Magical Volcano (‘Kolmavoca’)
From the same family as the infamous hedging plant ‘Red Robin’, this new photinia had the most glorious bronze foliage. It is primarily being released as a cut stem, which would be a wonderful addition to bouquets.
Magical Volcano will make an awesome shrub for borders, just imagine how you could pair that shiny brown colour with your favourite flowers.
Pelargonium ‘Ylenia’
It is not always about new plants when you’re looking for exciting things to grow. This variety has been in the marketplace for a few years, but it happened to catch my eye during my trade show visit due to the size of its flowers.
‘Ylenia’ is a high quality pelargonium from German breeding company Selecta, and those flowers look big and blowsy, almost like a hibiscus.
Petunia ‘Caliburst Petchoa Yellow’
In case you hadn’t heard, for a few years now breeders have been hybridising petunias with calibrachoa (the ones that we used to call ‘million bells’ in the 90s) and this Caliburst Series brings together all those qualities.
Also sold as Petchoa ‘Caliburst Yellow’, they have large flowers, like a petunia, but with the tough resistance of calibrachoa. And this yellow is divine. The best news is that it’s available to grow from seed, so represents very good value.
Peppers from Heaven
Prudac is a fantastic vegetable company in the Netherlands, who always display something that blows you away.
These peppers have very unusual trailing stems, which means you can grow them in a window box or hanging basket.
Crunchy, and available in all different colours, this has the potential to revolutionise how people grow vegetables in urban spaces.
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