Superior Plants for 2022 and Beyond

Year of the Lilac

Superior Plant Choices for 2022 and Beyond

Each year, the National Garden Bureau selects one annual (Verbena), one perennial (Phlox), one bulb crop (Gladiolus), one edible (Salad Greens), and one shrub (Lilac) as their “Year of the” crops. Plants are chosen because they are popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse, and versatile. Learn more about this year’s plants, download photos, logos, and more on each 2022 Year Of plant page at www.ngb.org/year-of-plants-2022/.

Snapshots of some of the plants

Year of the Lilac

Lilacs are among the most carefree spring-flowering, multi-stemmed, deciduous shrubs (or small trees), well-loved for their toughness, reliability, and fragrance.

Lilac blooms go far beyond every imaginable shade of lilac/purple from very pale to very dark. Look for lilacs in hues of red, pink, blue, yellow, cream, and white — even picotee (white-edged, deep-purple ‘Sensation’). The color may change from bud to bloom and as the flowers mature. Individual flowers can be single or double.

Many gardeners, especially those in urban spaces, just don’t have the room for the traditional larger lilacs yet want all their beauty and fragrance. Breeders have been hard at work creating compact varieties. There’s no excuse now for not having the joy, fragrance, and beauty that lilacs bring in spring. These beauties will even grow happily in a container on your balcony.

Pinktini™ Lilac (Syringa x prestoniae) is new in garden centers in Spring 2022. Upright, compact, and cold hardy to Zone 2, this new pink-blooming variety is great for small spaces and early-season blooms in cold climates. Pinktini™ is more compact and tidier than the classic ‘Miss Canada’ lilac.

Bloomerang Dark Purple by Proven Winners – National Garden Bureau

Bloomerang lilacs are outstanding reblooming lilacs with a profusion of stunning, sweetly scented clusters of star-like flowers in spring that seem to cover the plant and then rebloom less profusely from midsummer until the first frost. The fragrant flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators and are both disease and deer-resistant. Hardy to Zone 3.

• Bloomerang Dark Purple grows 4 to 6 feet tall and wide with dark purple flowers. Bloomerang®

Dwarf Pink grows 2 to 3 feet tall and wide with pure pink flowers.

• Bloomerang Dwarf Purple grows like Bloomerang® Dwarf Pink, but with purple flowers.

• Bloomerang Pink Perfume grows 4 to 5 feet tall and wide with highly fragrant, pink flowers.

• Bloomerang Purple grows 4 to 5 feet tall and wide and bears purple flowers.

Year of the Phlox

Year of the Phlox

Phlox is a wide-ranging North American native perennial and a common fixture in woodland, prairie, and meadow landscapes. Phlox are an easy-to-find wildflower stretching from Florida and Quebec to Alaska. One of the classic American perennials, this was one of the earliest North American natives to enter cultivation. With vibrant flower colors and blooms lasting many weeks, it is easy to understand what caught the eye of so many gardeners through the years. Although there is great variation within the genus, a tubular flower with five petals is common in all types. Flower color varies between white, pink, magenta, purple, and blue across the genus, with some species showing notable orange or red coloration. All species are popular with pollinators.

Phlox is a genus with a multitude of species, heights, bloom times, and garden applications. Many of these species are unrecognizable to the average gardener but are becoming more common in newer varieties now available. Through all of the diversity, perennial phlox can be loosely grouped into two types: spring bloomers and summer bloomers.

Spring Bloomers (Creeping/Groundcovers) Phlox subulata (Creeping Phlox, Moss Pinks) and other early-spring blooming species are low-growing, ground-hugging plants. Typically native to rocky, well-drained environments, when put in a garden without restriction, they become carpets of color. Most of these types tend to spread and work well as groundcovers.

Drummond’s Pink’ Phlox subulata – An exceptionally vigorous spring bloomer Creeping series with large pink flowers.

Summer Bloomers (tall garden phlox and related types)

When referring to Phlox, most first think of Tall Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata). This clump-forming perennial blooms in midsummer and is among the tallest of this species. Also characteristic of Tall Garden Phlox are the perfectly formed large, rounded flower panicles that top each stem.

In addition to Tall Garden Phlox, summer-blooming species (including Phlox glaberimma and Phlox pilosa to name a few) are becoming more common, particularly in newer varieties. These newer garden varieties tend to bloom a bit earlier, have a more mounded shape, and have a stoloniferous habit. Also characteristic of summer bloomers is a propensity to rebloom after the first flush of flowers, particularly when trimmed back. Sweet Summer® Phlox paniculata – Compact series of Tall Garden type at 1½-2’ tall with good mildew resistance. Sweet Summer Red by Syngenta – National Garden Bureau

The Best Plans Deserve the Best Landscaping Products

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Year of the Verbena

Year of the Verbena

Verbena are known for withstanding the pressure of hot, dry conditions. Most verbenas on the market are hybrid cultivars bred to have a winning combination of traits from many different verbena species. These hybrid varieties generally have larger flowers; brighter and more saturated colors; and larger, more weather-tolerant leaves than their species relatives. They are also bred to be more heat, water-stress, and disease tolerant (especially powdery mildew). These cultivars are often available in a series that includes verbenas with similar characteristics and in different colors.

Leaves and foliage are often dense and in many species “hairy.” Its flowers are small with five petals, arranged in dense clusters. Typical colors include shades of blue and purple, but they can also be found in white and pink shades. Environmental factors can determine the flowering time and size of a verbena plant. As temperatures rise, some plants may go out of color and stay green until a cool-off. Others are bred to withstand heat and humidity with flowers and bulky growth non-stop through the growing season. Pollinators love verbena! Hummingbirds, butterflies, and moths are all frequent visitors. Bees of all types love verbena, too.

Compiled by Kathleen Carroll

EnduraScape™ Pink Bicolor is a 2017 All-America Selections winner. This vigorous and spreading, long-flowering plant can be considered a hardy annual (zone 7) since it thrives in the heat and can take some chilling temperatures as well. Below: EnduraScape in the border

Lanai has distinct color patterns that remain strong and stable (and powdery mildew resistant) throughout the growing season. Lanais come in three types: regular, compact, and upright.

Twister series is popular because of its unique tricolor blooms and long-flowering periods. Lanai Twister Red from Syngenta – National Garden Bureau