The National Garden Bureau has released its flowers and vegetable of the year just in time for avid gardeners to pick out the newest plants for their gardens.

1. The Year of the Tulip: The first flower chosen was the tulip which is a member of the lily family and dates back to the 10th century. There are 150 species, 3,000 varieties, and 16 divisions of tulips. Varieties of tulips can range from 10 to 24 inches in stem size and can contain anywhere from two to five flowers per stem. Different colors of tulips can symbolize different meanings. For instance red means love, white means “I’m sorry,” and purple means loyalty. Different types of tulips can last for several years like Darwin Hybrids while other varieties such as the Single Late, Double Late, and Viridiflora can be long-lasting in the garden.
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2. Hanging with Calibrachoa: The calibrachoa, which originated in Brazil, was the second flower to be chosen by the Bureau. This flower is still fairly new to America since its arrival in the 1980s, which is not that long ago compared to how long other plants have been around. Often known as the “mini petunias,” there are 28 different wild calibrachoas. Rather than being placed in soil, varieties of calibrachoas do best when they are in pots or hanging baskets around the outside of your house or garden. They have a broad and complex range of colors compared to their “big brother,” the petunia. Calibrachoas can vary in design with their colors from having a dark or bright eye to a star pattern, striped, single, or double flowers. Being one of the most popular flowers sold annually, calibrachoas come in many different varieties that are Aloha Kona, Cabret, Callie, Calipetite, Can-Can, Cruze, Million Bells, MiniFamous, and Superbells.

3. Always Cheerful Coreopsis: The third flower must-have of 2018 is the coreopsis, which means “always cheerful.” The most common colors are yellow and gold but can range from burgundy, bronze and red to cream-white and caramel. In America there are 80 different species of the coreopsis. Known for being a pollinator, many bees and butterflies are attracted to this flower. The best variety for garden use is Early Sunrise and remains to be the best-seller. New varieties that are most significant to introduce are Sunkiss, Big Bang, and UpTick.

4. Feel the Beets: The vegetable of year is the beet and for good reason. Beets contain more iron than most vegetables and are also high in fiber. Not only are beets high in antioxidants too, they can serve many different purposes in the way they are eaten. The Mediterranean vegetable can be consumed in salads, juices, soups, pickled slices, or dried as chips. Depending on the color, which can range from red to white to golden, beets can change their taste and shape. White beets are known as sugar beets and have a cone-shape while mostly all other kinds of beets are globe shaped. Hybrid beets such as Merlin, are milder and sweeter in flavor than other beets which are considered to taste earthier. Most hybrid beets contain a lot of sugar and are growing in popularity.
Look for all of these award-winning varieties at your favorite local nurseries and garden centers this spring.