Best New Trees and Shrubs of 2014

February 22nd, 2014

Yet another new crop of cutting-edge trees and shrubs debuts in 2014, including a narrow, four-season-interest tree you never heard of, three more intriguing new hydrangeas and a dwarf, evergreen nandina shrub with golden foliage.

Some of these wooded newbies to consider for your 2014 landscaping plans:

Stewartia ‘Skyrocket.’ This is that narrow tree that does something interesting in all seasons.

Highland Gardens in Lower Allen Twp. will carry this cross of two different stewartias, says manager Erica Shaffer. ‘Skyrocket’ grows about 30 feet tall but only 10 feet wide.

“It gets white camellia-like flowers in June and July, and the autumn foliage is deep maroon,” she says. “The trunk grows straight with a vase-shaped crown. And the smooth bark is a patchwork of muted rose, cocoa and cream colors.”

‘Skyrocket’ does best in compost-enriched, well drained soil in full sun to part shade.

Proven Winners’ deutzia ‘Yuki Cherry Blossom.’

Deutzia ‘Yuki Cherry Blossom.’ If you’re familiar with ‘Nikko’ – the best-known deutzia that grows in a low, spreading mound and looks like it’s snow-covered when in bloom – you get the gist of ‘Yuki Cherry Blossom’ … except it blooms light pink.

This one is shaping up as the favorite newcomer of Brandon Kuykendall, the assistant nursery manager at Ashcombe Farm and Greenhouses in Monroe Twp.

“I like deutzia for its ability to adapt to different locations,” he says. “Pink flowers are a bonus.”

‘Yuki Cherry Blossom’ grows only 1 to 2 feet tall and stretches out 2 to 2½ feet wide. It blooms in mid-spring.

Be aware, though, it’ll likely be available only in limited amounts this first season.

Plants Nouveau’s hydrangea Everlasting Revolution.

Hydrangea Everlasting™ series. The wave of new twists and improvements in hydrangeas continues with this line of long-bloomers that Stauffers of Kissel Hill garden centers will begin carrying this spring.

“The Everlasting™ hydrangeas offer a mophead flower that changes color throughout the bloom period and holds up well as a dried flower, either on the plant or as a cut flower,” says SKH buyer Bruce Kirby.

He adds that the series was actually bred for the cut-flower industry, yet it’s plenty cold-hardy in our winters.

Everlasting™ hydrangeas grow well both in the ground and in containers, reach 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, and do best in morning sun and afternoon shade.

Stauffers will carry three Everlasting™ varieties: ‘Ocean’ (two shades of pink, changing to lime green with pink edges), ‘Jade’ (lime green changing to deep green with red tips) and ‘Revolution’ (a rebloomer with flowers that run from pink to maroon to blue with green highlights).

David Wilson’s shot of hydrangea ‘Zorro.’

Hydrangea ‘Zorro.’ The combination of rich blue flowers and nearly black stems is what grabbed the eye of David Wilson, marketing director for Garden Splendor Plants, who rates this variety as his favorite new shrub of 2014.

“’Zorro’ is a spectacular new lacecap hydrangea from Holland with terrific large, deep blue or pink flowers, carried on dark – almost black – stems,” he says.

In acidy soil (pH of 5 to 5.5), he adds, “it’s one of the best blue-blooming lacecaps in existence.”

‘Zorro’ grows upright to about 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide and prefers damp soil in morning sun and afternoon shade.

Hydrangea BloomStruck™. This is the new hydrangea you’ll probably hear the most about because it’s the latest in the heavily marketed Endless Summer® hydrangea collection.

BloomStruck™ is a rebloomer with exceptionally large mophead-type flowers and colors that range from blue to pink to purple, depending on soil acidity. Sometimes they’ll bloom in all three at once.

What’s novel about this one is its red stems.

BloomStruck™ grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide and has good heat tolerance in summer. Its dark green, glossy leaves turn deep burgundy in fall.

As with most hydrangeas, it’ll perform best in morning sun and afternoon shade.

Plants Nouveau’s nandina ‘Lemon Lime.’

Nandina ‘Lemon Lime.’ Here’s a new and compact broadleaf evergreen – also known as “heavenly bamboo” – with leaves in a break-through color.

“You may have seen many heavenly bamboos with red foliage, but this is the first one on the market with lime-green foliage,” says Angela Treadwell-Palmer, co-owner of Plants Nouveau, which is introducing ‘Lemon Lime.’

“Each spring, the new growth emerges bright, limey-chartreuse and then fades to grass-green as the summer heats up,” she adds.

The plant grows only to 3 to 4 feet tall and wide, does best in full sun to part shade and has a dense, full look.

It’s sterile and so doesn’t produce the red late-season fruits that some nandinas have. Winter color is yellow-green.

Clematis ‘Wildfire.’ Garden Splendor’s Wilson has seen lots of clematis vines over the years, but he calls this one “the most spectacular variety I have ever seen.”

David Wilson’s shot of clematis ‘Wildfire.’

The flowers are big (6 to 8 inches each) and violet-purple with a velvety reddish-purple bar across the middle of each petal.

“When I first saw pictures of it, I was suspicious that the images had been Photoshopped,” Wilson says. “But when it first flowered, I could see that it really is as breath-taking as the pictures.”

The plant flowers twice per season – once in May and June and then again in August and September. It grows 8 to 10 feet tall, ideally trained up a trellis or pergola in a sunny spot.

“It would be especially fetching against a light or pale-colored background,” Wilson adds.

(For a look at some of my favorite new edible plants of 2014, visit http://georgeweigel.net/favorite-past-garden-columns/best-new-edible-plants-of-2014.)

(For a look at some of my favorite new annual flowers of 2014, visit http://georgeweigel.net/favorite-past-garden-columns/best-new-annual-flowers-of-2014.)

(For a look at some of my favorite new perennial flowers of 2014, visit http://georgeweigel.net/favorite-past-garden-columns/best-new-perennial-flowers-of-2014.)