New flowers to recommend

New flower varieties are introduced every year, and we feature many exciting ones in Gardeners' World Magazine. I've been trialling some new ones ahead of their launch for 2013, including a striking free-branching dwarf sunflower called 'Solar Flash'. It's easy to grow, and great in a patio pot. But what about those you've grown this year?

Have you grown any new varieties from seed this year? How did they perform? Would you grow them again?

Whether your favourites were sweet peas, hardy annuals in pots or something to attract bees, let me know which flower seeds you'd recommend to other gardeners.

Tree lilies are not exactly new, although T&M market them as novelties. I've been growing them for a few years and I think they are wonderful. This is their Manisa, which is well over 6 feet...

I bought the one below from T&M too, just 3 bulbs. I bought this one as Nymph, but the colours look a lot richer than the Nymph in the catalogue. I think it's a lot more like one they are currently advertising as Starburst...

Those lily varieties, and other tall varieties, are also available from specialist lily nurseries.

I've grown T&Ms Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy, 'the first red rudbeckia', for a couple of years. This year it did not flower as well as last. I suspect that was largely due to the poor weather...

I also like T&M's Rudbeckia Cappuccino. The blooms are massive. This year, for the fist time, Cappuccino has also been available as plants from some garden centre chains. I think that those in GCs are all identical, and rather yellow. I don't them as much as seed-grown plants. By growing from seed you get a wider variety of bronzy colours...

Thanks Gary, and great to see your pictures too. I'd love to hear from everyone about the varieties they've grown, especially new flowers from seed. 

I'm a great fan of Cosmos, and have always enjoyed 'Seashells'. I've had the pleasure of growing a new colour in this series this year called Cosmos 'Seashells Red'. Each petal develops as a complete trumpet, forming a ring of these round teh central golden eye. It's new into the seed catalogues to sow and grow in 2013, and I'd thoroughly recommend it.

What's everyone else been growing?

I grew from seed Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' last year, I think it’s a fairly newish introduction. It puts on a beautiful show and it’s still in flower as I write. It germinates very quickly and an easy plant to grow from seed.  There is one new introduction that I just have to mention. I can’t praise highly enough the new Buddleja ‘Buzz’.  It’s perfect for those of us with a small garden and especially important for Bees, Butterflies and other insects. I am growing three varieties, it never seems to stop creating new buds and is still in flower. My perfect plant/shrub for the wildlife gardener.      

I must try 'Prairie Sun', Gracie. How great having something you've grown from seed still flowering well into October.

The compact Buzz varieties of buddleia are bought as plants (not seed), and these compact plants are perfect for small gardens, or even patio pots. You'll find 'Buzz' varieties in Red, Sky Blue, Magenta and Ivory, and I think I recall hearing that new colours are coming along in future, too. 

Wow, I want some tree lillies!  They are amazing!  Do, they bend \ get broken easily Gary?  I suppose they'd need to be sheltered \ supported?

Supernoodle wrote (see)

I want some tree lillies!  ...  Do, they bend \ get broken easily ..

The stems are surprisingly strong. I've never had a breakage. I grow them in pots and the biggest danger is toppling over in strong winds, like this...

I was growing that one in a pot that was far too small. It's now in a bigger, heavier, pot. If there is a lot of rain, then the blooms can get very heavy, and weighed down. It's a bit frightening. So if they are heavily loaded with blooms, then I may put some stakes in, beside the pots. This season I haven't had any trouble, partly because we haven't had any violent weather all Summer.

Adam Pasco wrote (see)

The compact Buzz varieties of buddleia are bought as plants (not seed), and these compact plants are perfect for small gardens,

I know but can't help promoting this brilliant shrub at every opportunity.   I didn't know about the new colours coming in, I look forward to seeing them in the future.

Hello Adam  I thought you might like to see some of the plants I have been really pleased with this year - they are not new varieties but they are new to me

Pam LL x

Aloha Tiki Soft Pink Calibroacha- it flowered all Summer!

 Asarina- I now love this plant and grew it outside and in my greenhouse !

 Last year I sowed a pkt of Valentine Sunflowers and when they flowered one of the plants had yellow flowers so I saved some seeds - they have been gorgeous

Wow! Thanks Liliylouise. Lovely pictures!

Other ideas from everyone welcome, and although pictures are nice please don't think you have to send them. Just the names of the flowers and reasons why you like them would be fine.

I am very disappointed with my buddleia buzz 'Lavender'. it has looked scrappy and messy all season and although has put on plenty of growth to be honest looks like wild ones you see by railway tracks. Am considering disposing of it.

Great success was some annual rudbeckia - still in flower now and somany lovely shades of rust and yellow

Gary Hobson wrote (see)

...I've grown T&Ms Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy...

I also like T&M's Rudbeckia Cappuccino...

Gracie5 wrote (see)

I grew from seed Rudbeckia hirta 'Prairie Sun' . It puts on a beautiful show and it’s still in flower as I write. It germinates very quickly and an easy plant to grow from seed.   

bjay wrote (see)

Great success was some rudbeckia - still in flower now and somany lovely shades of rust and yellow

Rudbeckia seems to have a lot of fans. I think part of the reason is that this plant flowers late in the season, so it will flower from seed, in the first year. Ideal for impatient gardeners.

Only recently have I started to buy seeds from T & M, and the only novelty I got was Amberboa muricata. My garden is dark, though, and the plants I had, all of them vigorous, did not produce many flowers (as the out of focus picture shows). 

I´ll give the plant a new try next season.

I've been impressed by the performance of Garvinea hardy gerbera (grown from plugs), with plants carrying a continuous supply of daisy-like flowers all summer, and still continuing.

A star performer this summer has been one grown from seed – Begonia 'Apricot Shades' from Thompson & Morgan. It has to be sown early (in warmth), and takes a while to get large and established, but the flower display has been stunning.

There are still plenty of flowers on it now, but with an Arctic blast forecast for this weekend I'm wondering for how much longer. Well, providing colour until the end of November is surely good value from a packet of seeds costing £3.79.