Plant breeders are listening to growers and gardeners, who are asking for low input, drought-tolerant plants that look great. There are some exciting new additions to this year's line up of new plant introductions, including some lovely low-water annuals and tough perennials that perform well all summer.

Look for these plants, and others like them, at your local Landscape Ontario member garden centre this spring. Keep in mind that plants are a living commodity, and availability depends on more than weather and growing environment. Knowledgeable garden centre staff will be able to suggest similar varieties should the specific one you are searching for be temporarily unavailable.

'Twinny Peach' snapdragon Antirrhinum majus 'Twinny Peach' A snapdragon without the snap, 'Twinny Peach' is the first double-flowered snapdragon with a compact habit. Flowers in soft shades of pastel peach, yellow and light orange. Grows best in full sun. Great for use as a filler in mixed containers, or flower beds. Grows to a height of nearly 30 cm (12 in.). An All America Selections Flower Award Winner. Bonfire® Scarlet begonia Begonia boliviensis Bonfire® Scarlet The original Bonfire® begonia was a huge hit several years ago. Bonfire® Scarlet has a very similar growth habit and flower, but in an attractive red. Like the original it is drought tolerant, takes the heat and sun, and will perform well all summer long. Bonfire® does best when planted in full sun, where it grows large quickly to create a sensational look. It flowers from early summer through early frost, handling more heat and cold than many other begonia varieties. Bonfire® recovers easily after water stress. Outstanding in hanging baskets and containers. Illumination 'Peaches 'n Cream' Begonia tuberhybrida 'Illumination Peaches 'n Cream' Illumination Peaches 'n Cream has an abundance of large double flowers in a soft spectrum of peaches 'n cream colour shades, creating a spectacular display in hanging baskets and large containers that will brighten shady locations. Cora® Cascade™ F1 trailing vinca Catharanthus roseus Cora® Cascade™ Cora Cascade is a brand new series introduced because it is disease resistant to aerial Phytophthora - a common disease affecting annual vinca. This vigorous trailing plant fills large beds and landscapes and is perfect for baskets too. Large blooms cover the entire plant leaving no bald spots. Noa 'Dark Pink Carnival' calibrachoa Calibrachoa hybrid Noa 'Dark Pink Carnival' 'Dark Pink Carnival' combines a large pure white eye with a shimmering hot pink flower. Flower size is nearly 4 cm (1.5 in.). 'Dark Pink Carnival' flowers abundantly and makes a great "spiller" in mixed containers. 'Silver Fox' chrysocephalum Chrysocephalum 'Silver Fox' Soft, touchable, but tough-as-nails grey foliage spiller plant for containers or flower beds . It is a heat-tolerant, low-water-need compact groundcover. Best in full sun. Grows 12.5-17.5 cm (5-7 in.) tall and 40-45 cm (16-18 in.) wide. 'Mesa Yellow' blanket flower Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Mesa Yellow' boasts both a controlled plant habit and prolific flowering. The 7.5 cm (3 in.) daisy-like flowers offer bright yellow colour throughout the summer. Relatively maintenance-free, 'Mesa Yellow' has the added bonus that its flowers attract butterflies. Mature plants reach 50-55 cm (20-22 in.) in a sunny garden. An All America Selections Flower Award Winner. Big Kiss™ Gazania Gazania Big Kiss™ Big Kiss comes in two colours, White Flame and Yellow Flame. These full bushy plants fill containers and beds quickly displaying big, 12 cm (4.5 in.) blooms high above dark green foliage. Big Kiss loves the heat and does well in low water situations. Audray globe amaranth Gomphrena Audray series This tall series of Gomphrena is excellent for both garden and cutflower use. Audray will reach a height of 50-60 cm (20-24 in.) in the garden. Extremely tough, and will flowers all summer long even under hot, humid conditions. The home gardener can cut summer blooms and simply hang them upside-down to dry and enjoy them year round. They are an excellent choice for mixed containers as well, with good texture contrast and floral display. Audray comes in three colours, Pink, Purple Red, and Bicolor Rose. 'Las Vegas' globe amaranth Gomphrena globosa 'Las Vegas' series The new Las Vegas series of globe amaranth grows 40-50 cm, (16-20 in.) tall, and comes in three vibrant colours, Pink, Purple and White. Heat and drought tolerant, the Las Vegas series thrives in hot, dry locations, and offers a bright mix for any sunny garden setting. Illusion™ sweet potato vine Ipomoea batatas Illusion™ series Illusion™ Emerald Lace and Illusion™ Midnight Lace have a deeply dissected lacy and unique leaf from. Instead of a trailing growth habit, Illusion™ sweet potatoes grow in a mounding habit, making them less likely to take over mixed containers. Can reach 15-25 cm (6-10 in.) tall, and prefers full to partial sun. Soleil™ Purple petunia Petunia Soleil Purple Soleil™ Purple is a drought-tolerant petunia that loves the sun and tolerates heat. It grows when watered and flowers when drought stressed. Not only does this petunia require less water than usual, but it recovers well after several days without watering (if neglected after a short vacation, for example). Versa™ coleus series Solenostemon A must for sun and shade! These fast growers show off beautiful multi-colour foliage that stays the centre of attention all season, thanks to very late flowering. New varieties this year are 'Crimson Gold', 'Green Halo', 'Watermelon' and 'Lime'. Does well in sun to shade. Grows about 70 cm (28 in.) tall. Scopia 'Great Violet Magic' bacopa Sutera cordata Scopia 'Great Violet Magic' Scopia 'Great Violet Magic' a large-flowered bacopa, is another breeding breakthrough with its profuse canopy of continuous bold violet colour. 'Great Violet Magic' has dense central-branching, dark foliage and dependable heat tolerance making it a versatile filler in hanging baskets, window boxes and pots of all sizes. Dwarf African marigold series Tagetes Taishan F1 series Marigold lovers will appreciate this new super strong-stemmed series that blooms all summer with high-impact colour, little chance of disease and easy maintenance. Colours include: 'Gold', 'Orange', 'Yellow' and 'Mixture'. Grows 25-30 cm (10-12 in.) in full sun and spreads 20-25 cm (8-10 in.). Superbena® Pink Parfait verbena Verbena Superbena® Pink Parfait A beautiful new addition to the Superbena® line. Pink Parfait has large 10 cm (4 in.) flower clusters in soft bridal pink, that fade to a blushing white, and then finish to white with a pink eye, giving a two-tone effect as the flowers fade and new growth emerges. Reaches 15-30 cm (6-12 in.) tall, and prefers full sun. Great in mixed containers and hanging baskets. Mammoth™ F1 pansy Viola wittrockiana Mammoth™ Mammoth is the new extra-large flowered pansy on the market. These large flat flowers offer maximum visual impact in any garden display. Mammoth pansies are stretch resistant under warm conditions and their strong branching will fill any garden bed quickly. Mammoth is available in eleven big, bold colours. 'Zahara Starlight Rose' zinnia Zinnia marylandica 'Zahara Starlight Rose' Zinnias are old-fashioned flowers, but these rose and white blooms are a new bicolour. 'Zahara Starlight Rose' will grow 30-35 cm (12-14 in.) tall and wide in a sunny garden, bloom all summer and offer proven resistance to leaf spot and mildew. An AAS Flower Award winner.