We were fortunate enough to get a glimpse into Monrovia’s exclusive and new selection of plants and we are excited to report that there are going to be some great selections to choose from! These new cultivars that range from shrubs, grasses, vines, and edibles are sturdier and better adapted to California’s climate. They have longer blooming periods with more vibrant colors that will enhance your gardens throughout the year! Here are our top five from our day trip:

Vaccinium corymbosum: Bountiful Blue® BlueberryThis semi-evergreen shrub has blue foliage with pink-white flowers that produce an abundant amount of sweet juicy blueberries. This is a great shrub for mass plantings or container pots. This is a self-fertilizer, but will yield a more fruitful harvest when planted with other pollinizers. Unlike other blueberries that grow up to 6’ tall and wide this one stays full and compact reaching 3-4’ tall and wide.
Bougainvillea ‘MonSam’: Golden Jackpot® BougainvilleaThis compact evergreen vine grows 8-10’ tall, as opposed to 25-30’ like other cultivars, and is great for small spaces, containers, and it can even be used as a groundcover. It has vibrant purple flowers with variegated foliage which can grow in part shade, whereas other bougainvillea’s need full sun!
Buxus sempervirens ‘Monrue’: Green Tower® BoxwoodThis is the perfect hedge plant for tight spaces along driveways and side yards. A fast grower that reaches up to 9’ tall by only 1-2’ wide is adaptable to well drained soils and can be pruned as a topiary. It is extremely hard to come by tall, narrow, evergreen plants as attractive as this.
Buddleja Lo & Behold® ‘Blue Chip’: Blue Chip Dwarf Summer Lilac. This striking plant is fragrant, attracts butterflies, and is compact staying under three feet without any pruning which is amazing because most buddleja’s grow to be 6-8’ tall and wide and can look ‘leggy’ when unpruned . It is sterile and will not set seedlings. The best feature about this plant is that it is evergreen and has a 10 month bloom period with colors that range blue, white, to lavender/dark purple!
Holboellia coriacea ‘Cathedral Gem’: Cathedral Gem Sausage Vine. Due out late 2013
This peculiar vine is actually quite outstanding! It has clusters of creamy white buds that are extremely aromatic once in bloom and large lavender sausage-like fruit. It grows great on arbors and trellises and what makes it so outstanding is that it is evergreen and grows in full shade!