Photos courtesy of Spring Meadow Nursery
Spring Meadow Nursery is proud to unveil 25 new Proven Winners ColorChoice shrub varieties for 2023, many of which will be available for viewing this January in the Spring Meadow booth at trade shows across the country.
Bringing new excitement to existing Proven Winners ColorChoice shrub series are RED PILLAR and STARBLAST CHIFFON Hibiscus syriacus, DOUBLE PLAY DOLLY Spiraea, the white-flowered DOUBLE TAKE ETERNAL WHITE Chaenomeles, BLOOMERANG PURPINK, a compact reblooming Syringa with purple-pink flowers, and SONIC BLOOM WINE, the first-ever dark-leafed Weigela with repeat flowering.
Four introductions feature variegated foliage. BUBBLY WINE Weigela is a brightly colored selection of the popular FINE WINE weigela, with yellow, green, and burgundy hues on a compact, mounded shrub. PARAPLU ADORNED is a unique and eye-catching Hibiscus syriacus with foliage that flushes bright yellow in spring with splotches of dark green variegation that appear in the center of each leaf. Variegated selections that are also heat tolerant include GOOD VIBRATIONS Vicary privet, and MUCHO GUSTO Abelia, with silver-green foliage outlined by a creamy-white margin.
Continuing with heat tolerant selections, Spring Meadow has added several cultivars that can take the heat to their 2023 catalog. JUST CHILL RED TIP fall blooming Camellia, PILLOW TALK Gardenia, KINDLY, the first-ever seedless Japanese privet, and JUICED Orange Cestrum, a compact, tropical evergreen with a superior bushy habit. SWEET & LO Sarcococca hookeriana is an extra bushy selection with glossy, dark green foliage and fragrant, thread-like, white flowers with red tips. Finally, EL NIÑO Chitalpa is an intergeneric hybrid of desert willow (Chilopsis linearis) and catalpa (Catalpa sp.). This hybridization gives it a wide growing range as it is tolerant to the poor soils and dry heat of the West, as well as mildew resistance for southern climates.
Evergreens are also a hallmark of this year's Spring Meadow introductions. Adding to its series of evergreens that can act as a replacement for boxwood is SQUEEZE BOX Ilex glabra, the first-ever upright, pyramidal inkberry, and BERRY BOX, a Pyracomeles cultivar that is showy all season, from its button-like blooms in the spring and late summer/fall pea-sized berries that change from orange to red. Rounding out the evergreen collection is CEDAR RAPIDS Chamaecyparis, a fast-growing feathery selection of false cypress with fresh-looking, lime-green foliage.
Known for their innovative hydrangea breeding, Spring Meadow has introduced three new cultivars for growers in 2023. LET'S DANCE LOVABLE Hydrangea macrophylla is a robust and reliable rebloomer that can produce hot pink or royal purple flowers. TUFF STUFF TOP FUN is a heavy flowering Hydrangea serrata that blooms in hot pink or vibrant purple. Dark blue-green foliage takes on shades of burgundy in late summer. It also boasts much-improved reblooming and an irresistibly tidy habit. PINKY WINKY PRIME Hydrangea paniculata impresses with bigger, fuller blooms that age to a richer pink than its namesake. The large, pointed panicles emerge pure white and then gradually transform to a saturated hot pink starting from the bottom and moving to the tip.