Variety Notebook

Sweetunia White Merlot
Ideal for hanging baskets and premium container mixes, Sweetunia White Merlot is a mounding, semi-trailing petunia with compact-to-medium vigor. It’s part of HGTV HOME Plant Collection’s new line of Pop-N-Polish petunias, which will be included in the Expressions Annuals Collection for 2013. Sweetunia White Merlot will be sold individually in quarts, gallons, hanging baskets and as part of the Big & Bold Plush Pink mix in a premium container.

For more: HGTV HOME Plant Collection, www.hgtvhomeplants.com

Styrax Fragrant Fountain
A weeping Styrax japonica, Fragrant Fountain grows upright and has strong, weeping stems that make it a good fit for smaller gardens. Growing to 6 feet in height and 5 feet in spread, its fragrant white flowers cover its compact form from early spring through summer. In the fall, its dark green leaves turn to gold before dropping off. Fragrant Fountain can also be used as a patio accent in a large container, in partly shaded borders, threaded through fences or draped over walls and terraces.

For more: PlantHaven, www.planthaven.com

Helleborus Midnight Ruffles
A double-flowered hellebore that blooms 3-inch, velvety black flowers with light yellow stamens, Midnight Marvel retains its color for up to 12 weeks, even after the flowers are spent. From the WINTER THRILLERS series bred by Chris Hansen, it has a spread of 24 inches and a height range of 18 to 22 inches.

For more: Walters Gardens Inc., www.waltersgardens.com

Midnight Ruffles photo courtesy of Chris Hansen