No matter how large or small a garden is, there’s nothing like a few new plants to make the gardener’s heart sing. We’ve looked over the introductions for 2024 and found some we think you’ll love as much as we do. From jaw-dropping flowers to fabulous foliage and a few tasty edibles, there’s sure to be a plant (or several) that will have friends asking, “Where did you get that?” The challenge with new introductions is that numbers are often limited the first year, so it can be a bit of a challenge to find them at garden centers or online nurseries. So shop early and don’t give up; these gorgeous new plants are sure to be around next year too.
A rose so pretty . . . you’ll want to eat it?
Flavorette™ Honey-Apricot rose (Rosa ‘Boznatafra’)
Zones: 4–11
Size: 5 to 8 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Hybrid
That’s right—this is a new line of roses bred specifically with the kitchen in mind. Flavorette™ Honey-Apricot has gorgeous orange blooms with hints of coral. The flowers are indeed edible, and they sport—you guessed it—a slight honey-apricot taste. This is a disease-resistant plant that grows into a bulky shrub over time. The blossoms start in early to midsummer and continue into fall. Pruning is minimal for this rose; just cut out any winter-damaged stems in early spring. Every few years you’ll want to remove old stems back to the crown to encourage new growth, which produces more flowers.
Introduced by: Proven Winners® ColorChoice®
An orange foliage enhancement for a stalwart evergreen
Lucky Leu™ drooping laurel (Leucothoe axillaris ‘Bailcothoe’)
Zones: 6–9
Size: 3 to 5 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; well-drained soil
Native range: Eastern United States
Here’s a new twist on an evergreen favorite. Lucky Leu™ produces peachy-orange new growth, which is accented by small white flowers in spring. The foliage eventually shifts to a deep emerald green in summer, making this low-care shrub a good boxwood (Buxus spp. and cvs., Zones 5–8) replacement. Lucky Leu™ keeps its weeping, rounded shape with little to no pruning.
Introduced by: Bailey Nurseries
This neat and tidy conifer won’t take over the yard
Spruce It Up™ dwarf white spruce (Pinus glauca ‘Kolmschagi’)
Zones: 3–7
Size: 7 feet tall and 3 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun; well-drained to sandy soil
Native range: Northern North America
Looking for a perfectly cone-shaped conifer that won’t take over the whole yard and is super cold-hardy? Spruce It Up™ dwarf white spruce can do the job. It can fit in just about any garden to provide structure, winter color, and habitat for the neighborhood birds. Its habit is a bit more open than that of other varieties; this means air can circulate easily, which helps prevent mite troubles. The plants won’t revert to a larger size either (like other dwarf white spruces), so you can be confident your tree will stay the size you want.
Introduced by: Plants Nouveau
An earlier bloom time and a better rebloom distinguish this chaste tree
Queen Bee™ chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus ‘Bailtexthree’)
Zones: 6–9
Size: 5 to 6 feet tall and 7 to 9 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun; well-drained soil
Native range: Mediterranean region, Asia
Heat, drought, and deer tolerant with lovely deep lavender blooms, Queen Bee™ is a chaste tree with a more manageable size than the species or other cultivars. The flowers start in early summer—earlier than most varieties—and keep going until fall. You don’t have to deadhead to keep the plants blooming, but doing so will encourage a heavier rebloom. This variety is reliably cold hardy in Zone 6, but the grower has reported seeing plants that are root hardy in parts of Illinois and Minnesota (Zone 5). In those cases the stems die to the ground, regrow from the roots, and flower by summer.
Introduced by: Bailey Nurseries
Burgundy new growth is a bonus of this pink-blooming camellia
Just Chill Red Tip™ camellia (Camellia ‘FARROWCJRF’)
Zones: 6–9
Size: 5 to 8 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained, acidic soil
Native range: Hybrid
Just Chill Red Tip™ camellia brings year-round interest to borders in mild winter areas. Burgundy new growth provides a lovely contrast to the glossy evergreen mature foliage. In mid-fall to winter when other plants are winding down, Just Chill Red Tip™ comes alive with dozens of fragrant soft pink blooms. It doesn’t need much pruning, if any; just remove any errant stems.
Introduced by: Proven Winners® ColorChoice®
A sophisticated look and lemony fragrance from a tough-as-nails rose
Easy Bee-zy™ Knock Out® rose (Rosa ‘SRPylwko’)
Zones: 4–10
Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide
Conditions: Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Hybrid
This is a Knock Out® rose that doesn’t look or smell like a Knock Out® rose. Easy Bee-zy™ has single yellow blooms that are reminiscent of those from an antique species. They have a light citrus scent that you can enjoy up close along a path or near a patio or deck. Like all other members of this series, it has stellar disease resistance and low care requirements. The exceptionally glossy foliage perfectly complements the cheery blooms from early summer through late fall.
Introduced by: Star® Roses and Plants
Sherri Ribbey is the senior editor for Garden Gate, and Danielle Sherry is the executive editor for Fine Gardening.
