The 2024 Michigan Garden Plant Tour was held from July 29 to Aug. 9, 2024. This annual event from Michigan State University (MSU) and several of Michigan’s top young plant producers provides industry professionals with the opportunity to browse through a wide range of new varieties at open houses, trial sites, and display gardens.
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Seven different trial garden locations were featured for the 2024 Michigan Garden Plant Tour:
From each of these trial and display gardens, MSU Extension educators, Heidi Lindberg and Caitlin Splawski documented some of the standout varieties in a recent e-Gro Alert. Here are a few of the highlights:
Argyranthemum Grandaisy ‘Pink Halo Improved’ (Suntory Flowers)
Argyranthemum ‘Pink Halo Imp.’ from Suntory’s Grandaisy series are pink flowers with yellow centers. Despite a showy nature that’s often more suited toward spring, the flowers fared well during heat waves in August.
Alstroemeria ‘Summer Heat’ (Walters Gardens)
Walters Gardens is releasing three new varieties in the Alstroemeria genus, also known as Peruvian lilies, for its 2024-2025 collection.
Alstroemeria ‘Summer Heat’ stands 3 to 3.5 feet tall, features bright red and yellow-throated flowers, attracts pollinators well, blooms midsummer through frost, and is hardy to Zone 6.
Celosia ‘Burning Embers’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
A 2024 All-America Selections (AAS) Winner, Celosia ‘Burning Embers’ was a standout at the MSU Trial Gardens.
Celosia ‘Burning Embers’ features “fiery red flowers and crimson foliage.” It stands roughly 12 inches tall, has a long bloom time, and is hardy to both heat and humidity.
Eucomis ‘Purple Reign’ (Walters Gardens)
The Eucomis genus of plants, also known as Pineapple lily, is native to South Africa.
Eucomis ‘Purple Reign’ features dark bronze foliage with tall inflorescences resembling a pineapple, hence its common name, and remains hardy to Zone 6 despite its tropical appearance.
Hibiscus Summerific ‘Candy Crush’ (Walters Gardens)
A favorite from the pair from Walters Garden was a Summerific selection, a hardy hibiscus. Hibiscus ‘Candy Crush’ is not the newest in the Summerific series, but it “had showy pink flowers with deep throats,” along with sturdy stems to keep the large flowers standing straight without drooping.
For more information regarding standout varieties from the rest of the 2024 Michigan Garden Plant Tour sites, please read the full e-Gro (Electronic Grower Resources Online) alert “Paint the Rainbow: Standout Varieties from the Michigan Garden Plant Tour.” Additional and current e-Gro alert pieces from Volume 13 (2024) can be found online.
Additionally, MSU has published a “Featured Four” selection of articles highlighting more varieties from each trial garden location:
