Now that Spring has finally sprung, it’s time to think about gardening and what plants you’d like to grow this year. If you’re considering trying something new in 2014, Burpee has a large selection of classic and favorite plants, as well as several new offerings of flowers, vegetables, and fruits for 2014. Here we take a look at some of the new flowers and vegetable seeds for 2014 offered by Burpee.
New 2014 Flower Seed Offerings
Sunflower lovers are in for a treat this year! The new Ms. Mars sunflower variety features beautiful reddish-purple leaves. The stems and leaves also have the reddish-purple hues, making this is a truly unique sunflower. Seeds can be sown directly outdoors, and the plants will reach a height of twenty to thirty inches tall, making them ideal for borders, beds, or cut flower arrangements.
The Sriracha Rose Cuphea is a great plant for attracting butterflies and bees to the garden and makes a great bed or border flower. This plants has large rosy red blooms and will keep blooming all summer long. Grows to be ten to sixteen inches tall and will also work well in container plantings. Sow seeds indoors and then plant seedlings later after danger of frost has passed.
The Zahara Sunburst Zinnia is a beautiful bicolor orange-yellow annual whose seeds can be sown directly outdoors. These flowers have an attractive red stripe that runs down the center of the petals and will produce blooms from spring until summer. Good for beds and borders, loves full sun, and grows to be twelve to eighteen inches tall.
Other new flower varieties for 2014 that can be grown from seed include the Sweet Black Cherry Dianthus with its dark red, fragrant blooms and the Uptown Grape Zinnia with big reddish purple flowers that bloom from spring until fall. The Elegance Sunflower is also new, a bright yellow, more compact sunflower, and the climbing variety of Petunia called Tickled Pink.
Vegetables New For 2014
No garden would be complete without tomatoes, and Burpee certainly has a new one for you! The Steakhouse Hybrid is the biggest tomato ever bred, and can weigh up to three pounds each. Sow seeds indoors and later plant seedlings in a sunny location to enjoy huge, flavorful tomatoes all summer.
If you thought all radishes were red, think again! The Mardi Gras Radish Mix offers festive colors, with radishes in black, white, yellow, and purple. Direct sow seeds every two weeks to keep these colorful veggies coming all summer.
Amaize Hybrid Corn is an all white, extra sweet variety with crunch and delicious flavor. Sow seeds directly outdoors and enjoy corn on the cob grown in your own backyard. Equally impressive is the Sweet Tweety Hybrid Pepper, a one to two inch bright yellow pepper that is ideal for snacking or stuffing. Seeds should be sown indoors. Burpee also has many other new varieties of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, peas, and more for 2014.
New Fruit Varieties For 2014
The El Gordo Hybrid Cantaloupe is the biggest and sweetest cantaloupe around, with some weighing in at up to fifteen pounds. Direct sow seeds outdoors to produce full vining plants and huge melons with fewer seeds and more flesh than other cantaloupe varieties.
Although there seems to be some debate as to whether a pumpkin is a fruit or vegetable, either way, the new for 2014 Porcelain Doll Hybrid pumpkin is the first ever pink pumpkin. A percentage of the proceeds from this plant will go to the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation to help in the fight against breast cancer. Pumpkins grow from twenty to twenty four pounds and make great seasonal decorations, as well as pies, soups, and other tasty dishes.
Most of the other new fruit varieties are available in plant form as opposed to seeds. Some interesting ones include the Glencoe Raspberry, a thornless bush that keeps the berries coming from early to late summer. Another good pick is the Asian Hosui Pear, with the taste of a sweet pear and the crunchiness of an apple. The Japanese Burgundy Plum is another good choice, with sweet, juicy fruits that can be grown in small garden spaces. Burpee also has pomegranates, cherries, apples, and many other delicious fruit offerings this year.
About Paula Atwell
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