National Garden Bureau announces 'Year of the' crops for 2015

The National Garden Bureau, the non-profit organization promoting gardening on behalf of the horticulture industry, has announced the three crops that will be featured in the 2015 “Year of the” program.

For annuals, 2015 will be the Year of the Coleus.

For vegetables/edibles, 2015 will be the Year of the Sweet Pepper.

For perennials, 2015 will be the Year of the Gaillardia.

Coleus 'Kong Jr.,' Ball Horticultural. As always, the National Garden Bureau Board of Directors selects crops that are easy to grow and genetically diverse with a lot of new varieties to choose from. Breeders, growers, brokers and garden centers are urged to consider these flowers and plants when planning for the 2015 season as the publicity generated from this program is substantial. To view the publicity generated from past programs, visit the National Garden Bureau website and click on “Press Room.”

By November of this year, National Garden Bureau will have photos of numerous varieties of all three crops (provided by members) posted on its website. NGB also provides PDF’s of fact sheets, flyers, handouts, signage etc. After November 1, all of the above can be downloaded at no charge from the NGB website. These tools will help the home garden industry promote the crops to consumers and encourage gardening with these specific crop classes.

Photo courtesy of the National Garden Bureau.