Variety Notebook

Erysimum ‘Jenny Brook’
Erysimum ‘Jenny Brook’ is distinguished by flowers that change color through the season, starting out as purple-mauve and changing to peach. It has a nice compact habit with a long flowering period from spring into late autumn. It has a vigorous upright, bushy habit with gray-green narrow, lance-shaped leaves.
 
‘Jenny Brook’ grows 20-24 inches tall by 24 inches wide. It prefers well-drained soil, full sun and is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 7-9. It is not reliable in colder climates and should be treated as a tender perennial. 
 
For more: Blooms of Bressingham; www.bloomsofbressingham.com

Helenium ‘Double Trouble’
‘Double Trouble’ features two or three rows of brilliant yellow petals around a honey-orange sphere. This double-flowered helenium produces sunny yellow, double blooms on very strong stems.
 
Plants are reasonably compact with a good, uniform habit. It produces many flowers and continues to bloom from July through October with bold colors in August and September.
 
‘Double Trouble’ reaches 32 inches tall and is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 4-8. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil. 
 
For more: Ball FloraPlant, (800) 879-BALL; www.ballfloraplant.com

Gaillardia ‘Fanfare’
‘Fanfare’ has unique tubular red and yellow flowers that flare at the tips like trumpets, revealing a scarlet lining. It has a compact mounding habit growing 14 inches tall by 18 inches wide.
 
‘Fanfare’ is extremely floriferous and features masses of flowers blooming non-stop spring through fall. It prefers a sunny location with well-draining soil, but once established it is extremely tolerant of varying conditions.
 
‘Fanfare’ is cold-hardy, drought- and heat-tolerant and hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. It is great for borders or containers. Flowers are excellent for cutting with long stems and they have a long vase life.  
 
For more: PlantHaven, (805) 569-9179; www.planthaven.com