By Bev Johnson

Master Gardener

Horticulture magazine has a list of the newest flowers, vegetables and shrubs every spring and this spring is no exception. Here is their all-American selections list for this year.

“Icicle” F1 eggplant. You should get 8 or 9 long, slim, white fruits from each plant of this one. It has fewer seeds and a thinner skin and resists yellowing. The plant is tall enough to keep the eggplants from dragging on the ground and the reduced spines make picking it less of an adventure.

Next is “Bauer” lettuce. Left alone this oak leaf lettuce will make a full 8-inch round head, but pick it early and the individual dark green crisp oak leaves will make an excellent fresh salad.

If you like hot peppers and are looking for a “hot” accent in your garden, look for “Buffy”.  The bright red (when ripe) fruit is about 2 inches long and thick walled making it easy to remove the seeds. The fruit sits high on a 2-foot-tall plant. The plant is pretty enough to plant in your flower garden. She would look good in a planter, but it will have to be a large one as she is described as being “quite vigorous” (grows like a weed).

If you grow watermelon, “Century Star” F1 is one to try. Great for Minnesota as it ripens in about 75 days. The skin of this seedless type is dark green with bright yellow “freckles.” The flesh is described as being particularly crisp and sweet. It was awarded a regional award by AAS marking its success in the Great Lakes region. The vine is short, about 10 feet and you should get two to three, twelve pound melons.

If you are a fan of petunias, “Bees Knees” is an intense yellow that was a standout in the AAS trials. It seemed to have an exceptionally long blooming time continuing to flower through summer heat and the cool, wet end of the season. She is about 10 inches tall and 20 wide and works well in hanging baskets or in the ground.

There are two new roses for zone 4 in this list. First is “Pink Freedom” from Spring Hill nursery. When in full bloom the bright pink old fashioned rose has a yellow throat that attracts butterflies. She’s not grafted, growing from her own roots. A fast grower, she will get 4 to 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, great for a hedge. Bred by Christian Bedard, she got a Regional Choice award in Northeast, Northwest, South Central and Southeast regions.  The other rose is also pink. “Pretty Polly Pink,” is a small girl, a polyantha, that can be grown in a large container. She was bred in Minnesota by Dr. David Zlesak and has the same awards as “Pink Freedom.” She is a bush type, 3 by 3 with good resistance to diseases.

Not too sure “Carmel Coral Bells” is a new cultivar, but Horticulture likes it. A zone 4 plant, the leaves emerge golden green then age to a bright peach-pink. It forms a dense, rounded clump 12 inches tall. It is tolerant of heat and humidity. Like all coral bells, it may winter kill if not well protected and even then may just say “the heck with it” and turn up its toes.   

Do plant zone appropriate plants. Although we are supposedly in zone 4, it would behoove any thinking gardener to mulch the snot out of any plants listed as zone 4. Afterall, zone 4 is only about 4 degrees warmer than zone 3.