Looking for something new to grow? Plant breeders are constantly improving garden favorites, from tomatoes that resist disease to colorful vegetables and flowers that bloom all season. Here are some exciting plant varieties worth making room for in your garden.
Many of these selections have earned awards from All-America Selections (AAS) or the National Garden Bureau. Whether you’re growing in containers, raised beds, or traditional garden beds, you may discover a new favorite! You can find many award-winning varieties through participating seed retailers.
Disease-Resistant Tomatoes Worth Trying
Late blight can devastate a tomato crop, so we’re always excited to see flavorful varieties bred to resist this disease. These three tomatoes from Johnny’s Selected Seeds offer strong late blight resistance and mature about 75 days after transplanting.
‘Marmalade Skies’ Tomato
This dark-orange, half-pound slicing tomato is earlier and more productive than many similar varieties. Its uniform color and generous yields make it a great choice for tomato lovers.
‘Harvest Moon’ Tomato
Golden on the outside with a beautiful red blush inside, ‘Harvest Moon’ produces firm, round, 10-ounce tomatoes with excellent flavor.
‘Strawberry Fields’ Tomato
Love the taste of heirloom tomatoes? This juicy pink variety has the sweet-tart flavor and texture of a classic heirloom, plus resistance to late blight.
New Vegetable Varieties to Try
Colorful Broccoli
Want to eat the rainbow? ‘Purple Magic’ broccoli produces striking purple heads and stems, adding unexpected color to your vegetable garden.
For traditional green broccoli, try ‘Skytree’, which produces small heads and multiple side shoots on 2-foot-tall stems that are easy to harvest.
‘Red Impact’ Sweet Pepper
Growing red peppers can be tricky in short-season gardens. ‘Red Impact’ matures about 75 days after transplanting, producing large, 7-inch-long sweet peppers. Each plant can yield 10 to 15 fruits!
‘Quick Snack’ Cucumber
Short on space? This compact cucumber grows just 18 to 24 inches tall and produces crisp, 3-inch fruits. It’s ideal for containers and benefits from a small trellis.
Colorful New Flowers for Gardens and Containers
Petunias and Petchoas
‘SureShot White’ petunia produces large, pure white blossoms on compact plants. Perfect for hanging baskets and containers, it blooms from spring to frost without deadheading.
‘Enviva Pink’ petchoa, a hybrid of petunia and calibrachoa, offers bright pink flowers on mounding plants that bloom throughout the growing season.
Geraniums and Impatiens
‘Pink Batik’ geranium features large flower clusters blending several shades of pink for a striking display.
‘Solarscape Pink Jewel’ impatiens thrives in full to partial sun and offers resistance to downy mildew. Its cheerful pink flowers keep coming until frost.
Marigolds and Celosia
‘Siam Gold’ marigold produces large, double, golden-yellow flowers that brighten garden beds and make excellent cut flowers. Deadhead spent blooms to keep the flowers coming.
‘Burning Embers’ celosia features feathery red plumes above bronze-tinged foliage. This compact, long-blooming plant also attracts pollinators.
‘Stonehenge Rose’ Begonia
Looking for a statement plant? This tall begonia can reach 4 feet, with pink flowers contrasting against dramatic bronze foliage. It’s heat-tolerant when kept well-watered and requires no deadheading.
‘The Bride’ Sweet Sultan
With pure white, vanilla-scented flowers on 2- to 3-foot stems, ‘The Bride’ sweet sultan (Centaurea moschata) makes a lovely addition to flower borders and cut-flower arrangements. It’s easily grown from seed and prefers full sun.
New Shrubs and Perennials to Consider
‘Eclipse’ Bigleaf Hydrangea
This showstopping hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Bailmacseven’) pairs dark-purple foliage with flowers that have cranberry-red edges and creamy white centers. Hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 9, it grows 3 to 5 feet tall and wide and blooms on the previous year’s growth.
‘Chartreuse on the Loose’ Catmint
Bright chartreuse foliage makes the purple flowers of this compact catmint stand out. Hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 8, it forms mounds about 12 inches tall and performs best in full sun. The colorful foliage provides interest throughout the growing season.
Find Your Next Garden Favorite
When browsing seed catalogs or visiting your local garden center, look beyond your usual favorites. Try a colorful vegetable, a disease-resistant tomato, or a flower variety you’ve never grown before. You might discover a new garden staple!
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