Sue Bradley takes a look at the latest plant introductions to see what’s going to be big in 2024.
We all have our old faithfuls: those tried and tested plants that have served us for years and will feature in our gardens for decades to come. Yet there’s often an urge to try something new, either out of necessity or for sheer enjoyment.
One driver for change is the warming climate and the need for cultivars that can cope with long dry spells or wetter weather. Another is the increasing need for compact plants for smaller spaces. There are also growers who strive for displays of flowers that are bigger, more colourful and floriferous than the previous year and eagerly await new introductions that will help them achieve their goal. Among those with an insight into what we’ll be growing in the years to come are companies like Ball Horticultural, which has been at the forefront of plant research, breeding, production and marketing for more than a century and keeps a close eye on developments across six continents.
Every summer it shows off the latest cultivars that will be available for the gardening public the following year at its trial grounds in Oxfordshire and invites visitors from across the horticultural industry to vote for their favourites. Other ways to discover the up and coming cultivars is to keep a close eye on competitions such as Rose of the Year, the latest of which was won by Rosa Meteor, and events like the Horticultural Trades Association’s National Plant Show, at which Dahlia ‘Dalina Maxi Starburst’ Pink was named best annual.
Top of Ball’s 2024 picks
All images: (C) Ball unless otherwise credited From Ball’s vantage point, the 2024 plants already judged to stand out from the crowd include the miniature Dahlia ‘Dalina Maxi Starburst’ Pink, Coleus (Solenostemon) ‘Coral Candy’, Allium ‘Bubble Bath’ and Calibrachoa Can-Can ® ‘Oriental’.
Ball’s Marketing Manager Stuart Lowen says fashions change, as do the requirements of gardeners. He says annual bedding remains popular, and that breeders have been working hard to improve and develop different types. His recommendations include the punchy new colour combinations for calibachoa, or ‘million bells’, a plant that has undergone a transformation over the past two decades. “They are so much better than they were 20 years ago,” says Stuart of this popular choice for hanging baskets. “They used to get quite straggly and flower on the tips with nothing on top. Now we’re seeing a far better coverage on the branches with much larger flowers.”
New varieties of petunia set to prove popular in 2024 include the Early Wave Series that flower in a shorter number of days and Surfinia® Heartbeats, with its endearing pattern of five soft pink hearts. Meanwhile, ‘Blueberry Sky’ has been added to the ‘Sky’ range of petuni
