NEW VARIETIES FOR 2002: PART 2

Gardeners are looking for new plants every year. Here are new flowers and vegetables that will be featured in 2002 mail order seed catalogs, seed packets or as bedding plants at garden centers. The varieties are listed alphabetically by class, with the seed source listed in parentheses after the description. The designation "R" means a retail seed company from which gardeners may purchase seed directly by mail order or also in stores that carry the variety in seed packets. The "W" designation indicates a wholesale seed company which does not sell directly to home gardeners, but these varieties should be available in catalogs or as bedding plants at garden centers next spring.

FLOWERS

Cleome F1 'Sparkler Blush' AAS Flower Winner - This first F1 hybrid Cleome has pastel pink blooms covering full, bushy, upright 3 foot tall plants. (Goldsmith) W

Geranium F1 'Black Magic Rose' AAS Bedding Plant Winner - Unique bicolor leaves; dark brown centers with green margins. Large rose umbels; free flowering plant. Height 10-14 inches, spread 14-18 inches. (Sahin) W

Ornamental Pepper F1 'Chilly Chili' AAS Flower Winner - The first non-pungent Ornamental Pepper with exceptional garden performance. Two inch-tapered peppers are yellow, orange and red upon maturity. (PanAmerican) W

Pansy F1 'Ultima Morpho' AAS Flower Winner - Bicolor patterns of blue upper petals and bright yellow lower petals with whiskers. Excellent garden performance. Abundant 2.5 inch flowers on a compact plant. (Sakata) W

Petunia 'Avalanche™ White, Lavender' - Their spreading habit will fill a garden bed or make an excellent, long lasting container. (Bodger) W

Petunia 'Double Madness Satin Pink' - Outstanding double Floribunda Petunias are compact, floriferous plants delivering masses of 3 inch flowers all summer. Thriving in pots, baskets and landscapes, they bounce back within hours of a rainstorm. Also new: Sheer and Pink. (Ball Seed) W

Petunia F1 'Explorer Rose Pink' - Among earliest to flower in spring, continuing to flower under short fall days. Tremendous flower power and quick recovery after a storm. Series colors include white, coral and lavender. (Sakata) W

Petunia 'Frillytunia Rose' - Early Grandiflora Petunia with stunning, large ruffled flowers. Compact and uniform habit, mid-green leaves, earliness to flower, and an outstanding display of bright rose, ruffled flowers. (Floranova) W

Petunia F1 'Lavender Wave' AAS Flower Winner - Large two-inch rich, deep lavender blooms on ground- hugging 5-7 inch tall plants spread up to 4 feet. Exceptional garden and container performance. Blooms freely all season, tolerates heat and cold conditions. (PanAmerican) W

Petunia F1 'Tidal Wave Silver' AAS Flower Winner - Distinct bicolor flower; silvery white with dark purple center. Plant height depends upon plant spacing, attaining 2-3 feet if spaced 6 inches. Hedgiflora type. (PanAmerican) W

Petunia 'Ramblin Peach Glow' - This new Petunia series offers a fascinating crawling habit. Grows 8-10 inches high and crawls 2-3 feet! Best grown in full sun or partial shade. Try in containers, window boxes or hanging baskets. New series is available in 4 colors. (Goldsmith) W

Ranunculus 'Bloomingdale Series' - Dwarf plants 8-10 inches tall with very small foliage. Large 3-inch diameter full double flowers are borne on short, sturdy stems. New colors are Rose Pink Bicolor Shades, Blue Bicolor Shades, and Orange Bicolor Shades. (Sakata) W

Rudbeckia 'Cherokee Sunset' AAS Flower Winner - Double and semi-double blooms in sunset colors; bronze, mahogany, golden yellow, orange. Mature plants are 24-30 inches tall. (Thompson & Morgan) R

Salvia 'Marble Arch Mix' - Produces a robust floral display of rose pink, deep blue and white. These impressive floral spikes provide color from July to end of August. Classified as an annual, these plants will go to seed to produce the following year. (McKenzie) R

Salvia 'Sahara' - Compact plant with vivid red flower spikes over dark green foliage. Sahara gives a striking color impact in the garden all season. Bred particularly for improved heat tolerance. (Floranova) W

Scabiosa S. columbaria 'Nana' - Compact and long flowering Scabiosa. This fully first year flowering perennial produces many blue violet flowers from summer till frost. Border and landscape plant. (Kieft) W

Scabiosa 'Salmon Pink' - An old fashioned favorite, producing flat quilled flowers ideal for cutting, perfect for attracting butterflies. Landscape uses include borders and massing, but ideally these plants provide color to any part of your garden. (McKenzie) R

Snapdragon 'Crown Red' - Crown Snapdragons are semi-dwarf with lots of secondary branching for the most color on a full plant. Up to 10 days earlier, they combine easy growth with outstanding garden performance. Additional new color is Crown Yellow. (Syngenta) W

Snapdragon F1 'Solstice Mix' - Winter-flowering knee-high Snaps flower 30-60 days earlier under short days than other intermediate winter flowering varieties. Great home garden cutflower growing 16-20 inches. Colors: Burgundy, Orange Tricolor, Pink, Purple & Yellow. (PanAmerican) W

Stock 'Vintage Antique Mix' - Copper, Peach and Yellow mix provides an unusual and striking display. Excellent garden performance. Prefers cool growing conditions. Early to flower, 15-20 inches high. (Waller/PanAmerican) W

Sunflower F1 'Double Dandy' - First ever dwarf, double-flowered red Sunflower. Well-branched habit reaches only 1.5-3 feet tall with 4-5 inch velvety wine red blooms. Great companion to Burpee's dwarf 'Elf' Sunflower. (Burpee) R

Sweet Pea 'April in Paris' - The perfect match of fragrance, form and color. Large wavy blossoms are soft primrose cream with a lilac edge that deepens and increases with age. Brings intense scent into exhibition blossoms - long-stemmed, vigorous and prolific. (Renee's Garden) R

Vinca 'First Kiss Ruby' - An especially unique color with beautiful wine red blooms. The new 'First Kiss' series offers 7 colors and a mix. Flowers early and uniformly with large round blooms that have wide, overlapping petals. Excellent basal branching and superb garden performance. (Benary) W

Vinca 'Garden Leader Cascade Beauty Salmon, Rose Eye, Purple' - This new and exclusive Vinca grows in the toughest climate, thriving in heat and drought. Full sun loving. Trailing mounds with overlapping petal flower form are 6 inches high and spread to 18 inches. (Grimes) W

Vinca 'Jaio Scarlet Eye' AAS Bedding Plant Winner -Rose-scarlet blooms with a small white eye on uniform 12- inch tall plants that proved exceptional garden performance and flower production all season. (Dai-Ichi) W

Viola 'Cottage Mix' - An ultra-mini Viola with a very neat mounded habit which perfectly displays the tiny flowers which are produced in abundance. 'Cottage' is available in three subtle pastel shades to give an old-fashioned 'Cottage Garden' look. (Floranova) W

Viola F1 'Sorbet Series' - Early and uniform, excellent vigor, remains compact, exceptional over-wintering. New 'Black Duet' has black upper petals with deep lavender on sides and bottom of each bloom. The petite 'Babyface White' has a dark purple-blue center. (Waller/PanAmerican) W

VEGETABLES

Basil 'Magical Michael' AAS Vegetable Winner - Ornamental, edible sweet Basil with uniform plant size and shape. Mature plant only 16 inches tall and spreads 16-17 inches. Aromatic leaves can be used fresh or dried. (PanAmerican) W

Cucumber 'Diva' AAS Vegetable Winner - All female flowers mean a potential for higher yield for this slicing cuke with tender skin, sweet flavor and crisp texture. Plants tolerate scab, angular leaf spot, powdery and downy mildew. Harvest in about 58 days. (Johnny's Selected Seeds) R

Pumpkin F1 'Orange Smoothie' AAS Vegetable Winner - Smooth-skinned 8-inch diameter dark orange fruit weighing 5-8 pounds can be harvested in about 90-110 days from sowing. Easy to grow, semi-determinate bush habit takes less garden space. (Seminis) W

Pumpkin F1 'Sorcerer' AAS Vegetable Winner - Full-sized pumpkin - 15 to 20 pounds grown on restricted vine plants. Dark orange color and strong handle are advantages for Jack-O-Lanterns. Pumpkins mature in 90 to 100 days. (Harris Moran) W

Squash, Summer F1 'Cougar' - Cougar is a beautiful yellow straightneck traditionally bred to have tolerance to zucchini yellow mosaic and papaya ringspot viruses. This variety is very similar to very popular Multipik and matures in 50 days on large bush type plants. (Harris) R

Squash, Summer F1 'Super Zuke' - Finally, a zucchini you do not have to pick small. Harvest these substantial fruits at 12 inches long and over 3 inches wide. Use them grilled, baked, in stews and fresh in salads. (Burpee) R

Squash, Summer F1 'Revenue' - Zucchini tolerant to zucchini yellow mosaic virus. A great choice for warmer, main season conditions, this variety has consistently produced high quality, medium-green fruit. Upright, medium-sized, open bush is easier to harvest. (Syngenta) W

Squash, Yellow 'Enterprise' - The standard for growers, Enterprise is known for its very productive, vigorous plant and broad adaptability. Typically a high yielding, consistent performer that produces very smooth fruit with a slim, attractive bulb. (Syngenta) W

Swiss Chard 'Italian Silver Rib' - Clean, mellow flavor makes this variety a favorite of Italian cooks. This heirloom Chard has wide, crisp, silvery-white midribs and broad, crinkly, deep green leaves. Large-framed, handsome plants grow vigorously spring through late fall. (Renee's Garden) R

Tomato F1 'Agriset 8279 Grape' - Sweet, bite-size grape tomatoes produce in clusters of 20-plus on large indeterminate-type plants in 75 days. The small, bright red colored grape-size fruit are firm, and are rated highly for their texture, flavor and crack tolerance. (Harris) R

Tomato F1 'Health Kick' - A 21st Century 72-day tomato with 50% more lycopene and resistance to spotted wilt virus, a devastating disease that cripples tomato production in parts of the U.S. Strong determinate plants produce big crops of tasty plum-shaped 4-ounce fruits. (Seminis) W

Winter Squash 'Cornell's Bush Delicata' AAS Vegetable Winner - Ornamental and edible 1.5-2 pound smooth, striped fruit on plants 4-6 foot wide with semi-bush habit and strong powdery mildew tolerance. (Seminis) W

Disease Resistance Codes

ASC=Alternaria Stem Canker
St=Gray Leaf Spot
F1=Fusarium race 1
V1=Verticillium race 1