2026 New Plant Survey Q&A
Sue Adams Thank you for taking the time to fill out the online survey and for the many comments that are helpful to not only us at Mark Adams Greenhouses, but also the companies who send me sample plants. And believe it or not, next week 2027 new introductions will be arriving, and you’ll see a few of them at the Dutchess County Fair this summer!
Here’s a look at this year’s top 5 flowers:
Along with your likes and dislikes, we gathered lots of great questions about these varieties and I wanted to take a moment to answer some of them.
Bidens – Annual flower, blooms all summer
“Would love in different colors”
Good news! Bidens does come in different colors. New for 2026 is “Pink Buzz.” and “Campfire Red Ember,” plus we’ll have “Campfire Marshmallow”, and one of our first offerings, “Namid Early Yellow”. At the trials I visited last summer, I saw 15 different varieties of bidens – brazen, blazing, bee, beedance, yellow +eye, red + eye….making my own eyes twitch. Hope Adams customers like what I chose.
“Does not do well in heat”
Haven’t had this experience, but I plan to plant one at my house in full sun and give it a test.
Rudbeckia Hirta Chocolate Orange
“I’ve purchased in the past, but they don’t come back for me”
Rudbeckia genus includes annual, biennial, and perennial species. The infamous “fulgida Goldsturm” is a hardy perennial for our area. Even if a rudbeckia is an annual, it may reappear as it self-seeds prolifically. Check the zone when purchasing perennials. This one is zone 5-9, but some sources indicate it can handle zones 3-7. Mulching will help perennials survive our winters. Mulch around Thanksgiving, then remove when the forsythia bloom.
Angelonia Guardian Angel Pink – Annual flower, blooms all summer
“Does it come in other colors besides pink?”
Yes. We’ll also have “Guardian Angel Cherry Red” this season, plus “Archangel Fuchsia,” and the serena series that includes rose, purple, blue and white. The serena series is a little smaller than the “angels”.
“Does it have to be deadheaded?”
No.
Vegetables
“I would love to see any new vegetables you are considering”
This year I’m very excited about tomato “Sunpeach” which Mark & I discovered at the Burpee Seed trial. Mark is swearing by “Sungold,” but I liked this one better. “Sunpeach” has a thinner skin, making it more flavorful (my opinion). We are hosting the New York State Flower Industries annual meeting and tour this July, where we’ll have a tasting competition. Stay tuned! Also new is Pepper Serrano and Eggplant Baby Jack which was bred for containers, and Pepper Sweet Heat which will be in the barrel planters this spring.
Viola Cornuta Spring Morning Bumblebee – Perennial
“Is this in the pansy family?”
Yes. The pansies you see in 4-packs, baskets and bowls are viola x wittrockiana and grown from seed. Viola cornuta differ primarily in size, hardiness and growth habits. We start these as unrooted cuttings. Standard pansies offer large “faced” flowers, whereas v. cornuta provide smaller, abundant blooms that are more heat-tolerant and better for spreading.
“Is it more possible to get some rugged varieties as well?”
Spring Morning series is rated for USDA zones 4-9.
Petunias – Annual flower, blooms all summer
“Rainy weather and flower gets messy looking”
Yes and no. Smaller petunia flowers have been bred to be more weather resistant than the traditional large ones.
Vinca Soiree Kawaii Lilac Dream – Annual flower, blooms all summer
“But the deer have eaten all my vincas”
You have mighty hungry deer! I plant vinca in containers where it’s difficult to water, and neither deer or my goat have touched them. Usually I can tell if a plant is deer resistant if a goat doesn’t touch it. Two Bits, however, didn’t get the memo and eats silver plants and herbs that the deer don’t touch. But she didn’t eat the vinca.
Didelta Silver River – Annual to be used as an accent
“Does it have a scent”
No. When I asked at a conference about putting scent back into flowers, the breeders on the panel all held their heads in their hands and moaned, and said “This is the hardest trait to breed.” But we are seeing a few, like begonia “I’conia Scent Peachy Keen.” They’re trying.
Superlophus Sunglow (Oenothera)
“Like low but this looks messy”
I am working with S.U.N.Y. Cobleskill which has started a trial garden (they get new plant introductions – this year they will get 2027 varieties), and last year they grew this, and it looked fabulous in the bed. The plant stayed in a nice clump and flowered all summer. When I was at Proven Winners last August, their trial manager used this oenothera in combination baskets, so I am, too. The leaves do go beyond the flowers, so I agree, it could look like a bad hair day, but the fine, airy leaves will give a nice texture in a combination (I hope).