Each year the National Garden Bureau selects an annual, perennial, bulb crop, edible, and shrub as “Year of ” plants, plus a houseplant for this year. Plants are chosen because they are popular, easy-to-grow, widely adaptable, genetically diverse, and versatile. 2022 is year of the Peperomia, Gladiolus, Verbena, Lilac, Phlox, and Salad Greens.
Along with this list, we also have several of our own “new and noteworthy” plant recommendations for 2022! Read on if you’re looking for some fresh additions to your landscape this year.
You Had Me at Hydrangea
*Delivery date TBD; stock varies per location
*’Little Lime Punch’ – NEW: “super dwarf” version of ‘Little Lime’ featuring sturdy stems and panicle blooms that change from lime to white to deep pink; 4 feet tall and wide, full sun to light shade
*’Fairytrail Bride’ – NEW in US: horizontal, cascading habit with white, lace-cap style blooms; 3-4 feet tall by 3 feet wide; needs partial sun; won “2018 Plant of the Year” at Chelsea Flower Show
*’Little Quick Fire’: dwarf form of popular ‘Quick Fire’ variety; early blooming with white panicle flowers that age to pink-red; 3-5 feet tall and wide; partial sun; Garden Design Magazine’s “2022 Hydrangea of the Year”
‘Summer Crush’: from the ‘Endless Summer’ series, this compact macrophylla type has big mophead-style flowers in shades of raspberry or grape, depending on soil pH; blooms on both old and new wood for a long flowering period of spring through summer; 18-36 inches tall and wide; best in partial shade, but especially heat-tolerant and able to grow in full sun if well watered
Small But Mighty
*Delivery date TBD; stock varies per location
Dwarf Fig ‘Little Ruby’: great fig for containers; rarely gets taller than 6 feet; extreme cold hardiness (reported hardy to Zone 6); compact habit with high yields of bite-sized, sweet brown figs with a ruby colored center; best in full sun
Forsythia ‘Show Off Starlet’: compact form with large yellow flowers that bloom from the tip of bare stems all the way to the soil line; fall foliage turns deep purple before dropping; 2-3 feet tall and wide; best in full sun; deer resistant
Double Take Quince (Chaenomeles ‘Peach’): new to the ‘Double Take’ series; soft peach-colored flowers in spring on bare branches; plant is thornless and compact to 4-5 feet tall and wide; very tolerant of hot/dry conditions; full or partial sun; low maintenance and deer resistant
Syringa ‘Little Darling’: compact lilac; blooms twice, heavily in spring and lightly again in fall with dark purple buds that open to pale lilac, fragrant flowers; best in sun; compact habit to 4 feet tall and wide with purple fall color; heat/drought tolerant and deer resistant; great in containers.
Little Lady Lilac (Syringa x ‘Jeflady’): dark pink buds open to fragrant, lilac pink flowers in late spring; dwarf, shrubby habit at 4-5 feet tall and wide; best in full sun; moderately deer resistant
*Pinktini Lilac (Syringa x prestoniae ‘Jeftin’) – NEW: outstanding dwarf lilac with fragrant, bright pink flowers in late spring; 4-5 feet tall by 3-4 feet wide (non-suckering); best in full sun
*Cotinus ‘Velveteeny’: teeny form of ‘Royal Purple’ smokebush; feathery pink flower plumes in summer with silky, burgundy foliage; 3-4 feet tall and wide; best in full sun to light shade, heat/drought tolerant and deer resistant
Some Like It Hot
*Delivery date TBD; stock varies per location
*Amsonia ‘String Theory’ – NEW: hybrid of the North American native plant; 18-22 inches tall by 3 feet wide; sun to part shade; light blue flowers in spring and vibrant yellow fall color; heat and drought tolerant and deer resistant
Senecio ‘Angel Wings’: ghostly white, velvety soft leaves with a bold texture; adds contrast to container plantings or landscapes; fast growing to about 1 foot tall and wide; best in full or partial sun with some light winter frost/rain protection; heat and drought tolerant and deer resistant; USDA Zones 8-11
*Sedum ‘Back in Black’ – NEW: part of the ‘Rock ‘n Grow’ collection; upright succulent with large, purple-black leaves; summer-blooming with clusters of deep red and cream; grows up to 2 feet tall and wide; best in full sun; heat/drought tolerant and deer resistant
Hellebore Ice N Roses Series: bread for improved heat-tolerance, this hybrid cultivar is in the ‘Gold Series’; depending on variety, flower colors range from greens to reds on early-blooming (winter) plants with large, outward facing blooms; best in partial sun, but able to take full sun; 1-2 feet tall and wide; deer and rabbit resistant
Vitex ‘Flip Side’: large (8-inch) lightly fragrant purple flower spikes with strong reblooming tendency in late summer; attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds; olive green leaves have dusky purple undersides; 6-8 feet tall by 8-10 feet wide; best in full sun; heat/drought tolerant and deer resistant
Images from Proven Winners and First Editions Plants