What's Hot in the Plant World?

Spring makes gardeners anxious to add plants to containers and color to their outdoor spaces. Local nurseries are bursting with traditional plants as well as many new and exciting annual, perennial, tropical and edible offerings.

Edibles continue to be A-list plants. A Garden Writers Association survey found 53 percent of U.S. households with a lawn or garden grew vegetables in 2010. The National Gardening Association claims 41 million American households grew some of their own food in 2010, up by 5 million over 2009.

Tomatoes, the favorite home-grown edible, come in abundant varieties from conventional meaty beefsteak-types to multiple colors of miniature fruit to compact container plants. Other edibles such as hot and sweet peppers, eggplants, beans, beets and carrots come in shades of orange, red, yellow, white and purple. Salad greens, Swiss chard and kale hues range from bright greens to deep reds.

Fruit lovers will find ever-bearing strawberries and dwarf blueberry shrubs suited for container life. More adventurous gardeners might consider potted citrus and fig. Nancy Ballek-Mackinnon at Ballek's Garden Center in East Haddam finds both men and women excited about growing these small fruit-producing trees, which add color, height and interest to patios and decks during summer.

Easy-care plants are also popular. Striking native shrubs such as winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) or American cranberry bush (Viburnum trilobum) need little care outside of occasional pruning. Plentiful varieties of sedum, hens-and-chicks and other sun-loving succulents combine for eye-catching combinations.

For outright cheer, nothing says "Welcome" like a container of blooming flowers. Pots of happy-faced pansies remain in vogue, while potted perennial hellebores are gaining favor.

Attractive annuals nearly ensure spring and summer color. For petunia-like blossoms, the coral-pink and maroon Calibrachoa hybrid Superbells® Coralberry Punch "looks very promising," says Gail Staehly of Staehly Farms in East Haddam.

She also likes the sun-loving yellow of Bidens ferulifolia Goldilocks Rocks™, the shade-loving yellow and purple flowers of Torenia Catalina® Guilded Grape and the tuberous begonia Nonstop® Fire with sensuous blooms of yellow to dark peach.

You're bound to find plants to strike your fancy at Town & Country Nurseries in Haddam, Halfinger Farms in Higganum and Staehly Farms and Ballek's Garden Center in East Haddam. You may even find a whole car full.

Joene Hendry shares gardening tidbits for Connecticut and northeast gardeners plus her gardening successes and mistakes, fondly known as Gardening Oops or GOOPs, through her blog, www.joenesgarden.com.