Fresh floral picks

Here is a sampling of plants that will be introduced this spring. A few of them are likely to be popular, so you may have to shop around.

Bloomerang Purple Lilac: Reblooming lilac

Lilacs are a more-than-welcome sign of spring, but their sweet flowers fade after only a week or two. Not with Bloomerang. This new, compact lilac is designed to bloom again (hence the cute name). After its first flush in spring, it will bloom on and off (though less profusely) from midsummer until the frost.

Site: Full sun.

Size: 4 to 5 feet tall and wide

Best for: Foundations, back of the bed.

Baptista Australis: Unsung hero

Site: Full sun to partial shade.

Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.

Best for: Back of the bed, wildflower garden.

Pretty Much Picasso Petunia: Two-tone petunia

Like the other Supertunias, this sun-loving annual is a super spreader. But it's got something other petunias don't have: pop. Its hot pink flowers are edged in lime green. That neon-bright color combo makes it a standout in the garden and in containers.

Size: 8-12 inches tall, trails to 36 inches.

Best for: Hanging baskets or tall containers.

(Pink flower, top) When you think of Annabelle hydrangeas, you think of can't-kill-'em plants with big, white flowers. You don't think pink. Until now. The blooms on this, the first-ever pink Annabelle, start out hot pink and mature to a soft pink. It also has sturdier stems to prevent flopping. Another plus: $1 from the sale of each plant is donated to breast cancer research.

Site: Full sun to partial shade.

Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.

Autumn Leaves Heuchera: Chameleon color

Heucheras are hot in part because their showy, shade-tolerant leaves never lose their color. This new introduction doesn't just hang onto its ruby red color, it turns to taupe in summer, then comes back in an even deeper red in the fall.

Site: Partial shade or morning sun

Size: 8 inches tall, 15 inches wide

Best for: Border beds.

Developed by Minnesota-based Bailey Nurseries, this red rose is the latest in their line of Easy Elegance (read: easy care) roses. A hardy shrub rose with a compact form, recurrent double blooms and a great name, it's widely available for the first time this spring.

Site: Full sun.

Size: 30 inches tall.

Best for: Border plant.