Favorite old-time flowers get new boost for planting season

Clothing, food, and hip nightclubs don’t have a monopoly on trendiness. Flowers get ranked accordingly, too. And for those who like to stay on top of the latest flower trends, here’s a glimpse of what’s being talked about in 2019.

Science and chemistry combine with an eye for something pretty as breeders created a new line of impatiens for 2019: the Impatiens Imara XDR (itÕs not a car — honest). According to a story in PennLive, breeders have been working for six years to create a line of impatiens that resemble “the old-fashioned bedding impatiens that once was the top-selling annual flower.”

A downy mildew disease in 2012 wiped out the impatiens and turned gardeners off of them; they turned to other plants or switched to an expensive hybrid, according to the story. The Imara XDR is seen as a solution to the problem. It’s available in seven colors.

Other varieties mentioned in the article include:

The Vinca Tattoo series from PanAmerican seed, a four-color series with large flowers and multicolor patterns.

A new zinnia from AmeriSeed Inc called Zinnia Elegance Scarlet, with orange-scarlet blooms and yellow stamens.

Petunia look-alikes called Doublette Love Swept, a two-toned pink flower.

A new begonia called the Viking XL Red on Chocolate, featuring red flowers on glossy dark burgundy leaves.

And if you would like to stick with traditional spring flowers, look to tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, crocuses, and Lily of the Valley, among others.