Walters Gardens has a slide show of new varieties for 2009-2010.  It is a nice source of information and pictures but is not an endorsement of Walters Gardens by the website.

Link here.

The American Hosta Growers Association has selected Earth Angel as the 2009 Hosta of the Year. One of the largest variegated hostas, Earth Angel has heart-shaped, blue-green leaves with a wide yellow border that becomes creamy white in summer. It produces tall, straight scapes of large, near-white flowers in late June and July, and quickly forms a nicely mounding specimen plant in shade or part sun.

• Clump Size:  48" x 36"
• Leaf Size: 16" x 12"
• Light: Part shade to full shade
• Zones 2-8

The Fleuroselect Gold Medal is awarded to novel varieties that have been tested by expert and independent judges and proven to clearly supersede existing varieites in terms of breeding innovation and beauty.

Fleuroselects Gold Medal Winning varieties are lavishly displayed in more than forty Public Gardens across Europe, the U.S.A. and Asia. These varieties are the trendsetters of the moment, and represent the absolute top in breeding and beauty

Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Mesa Yellow'	Santivitalia speciosa  'Million Suns'	Physostegia virginiana 'Crystal Peak'

With trial gardens throughout the U.S., All-America Selections (AAS) continues its tradition of recognizing and promoting top-performing new varieties. Three flower varieties (no vegetables this time) made the cut and were named 2010 AAS Winners.

Chosen for their distinct genetics and proven garden performance, these varieties will also have promotional backing as AAS strives to get them recognized in the consumer media outlets in the coming year. These new cultivars are brand new, with seed being available to purchase from your distributor after May 1, 2009.

Gaillardia F1 Mesa Yellow	Snapdragon Twinny Peach	Zinnia Zahara Starlight Rose

  The Garden Media Group has posted their 2009 Garden Trends. Here is  the list.  Link here for details.

WHAT'S IN	WHAT'S OUT
Eco-Boosting	Conspicuous Consumption
Grow It Yourself	Doing it ALL for Me
Blended gardens	Segregated gardens
Locavore	Big Carbon footprints
Water	Water
Outside	Inside
Info Lust	Lack of Knowledge
Quick and Simple	Over-the-top gardens
Global Colors	Safe colors
Worldly	Cookie-cutter
Bubbling	Excess

Updates on diagnosis and control of several greenhouse/bedding plant diseases have been posted in News.  Covered are:

• Downy Mildew
• Powdery Mildew
• Botrytis Blight
• Phythophthora Root Rot

The Perennial Plant Association has announced the 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year--Baptisia australis.

Few things are as exciting as hearing that something new is about to hit the market.  Every industry, from clothes to cars and everything in between, introduces new products to the market every year.   Proven Winners® is no different.  Link here for complete article.

After careful consideration and extensive trialing, we have chosen 35 new plants to be designated Proven Winners®.  While we evaluate greenhouse performance, we put a lot of weight on outdoor garden trials, wide adaptability, and low-maintenance needs.  We know your lives our busy, ours are too, and we want to help you have a garden that looks like you fussed over it, with a minimum of actual fussing. 

The introductions this year include: 2 new series of plants, a collection of Graceful Grasses^TM, great additions to existing series and a few outstanding stand-alone plants.  I can guarantee you'll fall in love with at least one plant, just remember the first year a plant is on the market it can be very difficult to find.

Proven Winners rep Brian Bourdon previewed P. Allen Smith's "Hot 25" Plants for 2009 at the recent Wisconsin Commercial Flower Growers Conference. I have posted pictures and links to cultural information on the Plant Profiles Page.

Proven Winners markets heavily through traditional gardening magazines, "Lifestyle" magazines such as Oprah, Martha Stewart Living and Real Simple. They also run ads on CNN, the Weather Channel and radio stations throughout the country.  Traffic to their website has grown 40%. In all likelihood some of your clients will ask for one or more of these plants next season.