My Favorite Plants from Ball Spring Trials

Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Ellen Christian

Today I’m sharing a few of my favorite plants from Ball Spring Trials. You may remember that I was asked to attend the Ball Spring Trials in Santa Paula, California in April. I had an amazing time and was able to check out lots of favorite flowers, vegetables, and herbs as well as get a preview of plants that would be available in 2016 and beyond. If you haven’t checked out my post about the event, please read more about the Ball Spring Trials

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My Favorite Plants from Ball Spring Trials

My Favorite Plants from Ball Spring Trials

There were so many amazing plants at the Ball Spring Trials that it’s hard for me to choose my favorites. Here are a few of the plants that I’ll be growing this season from the event. I’m hoping to pick up a few other favorites soon at a garden center near me.

My Favorite Flowers from Ball Spring Trials

Wave Petunia – Wave is the Authentic Trailing Petunia and stands apart from others for its ability to spread and the gorgeous colors. The Easy Wave Yellow is a new color this year that features better branching with a strong rooting compared to vegetative varieties. It will spread and trail like the Waves you’re familiar with.

I also received two Shock Wave Petunia in Denim and Rose. I love the color combination and cannot wait to see them fill out the pots I planted them in. These are in an open area in the front corner of our property that gets lots of sun throughout the day. Since they love the sun, that’s the best place for them to be in my yard.

My Favorite Flowers from Ball Spring Trials

Begonia Megawatt Pink Bronze Leaf – Since I live in the woods, quite a bit of my yard is shaded at least partially. Begonias are the perfect choice for spots that get partial sun. The flowers on the Begonia Megawatt Pink Bronze Leaf cover the plants all summer.

It performs well in heat and drought with no deadheading needed (which is good because I hate deadheading). I set these along the front of my house on the half that is partially shaded. I’ve needed something that doesn’t need a lot of sun so this is perfect.

My Favorite Flowers from Ball Spring Trials

Coleus Pineapple Surprise – I’ve always loved the variegated colors of the coleus plant but have never planted one before. In zone 4 (where I am), coleus is an annual. The Pineapple Surprise has iridescent chartreuse and deep burgundy hearts splashed with green.

It’s a late flowering variety that works great in containers or the landscape. I added ours to a pot that I set in a difficult corner near our bilco doors. The chipmunks kill anything I plant in the ground so this container needed something special. Coleus does well in sun and shade. In the front, you can see a Wave Petunia in yellow that hasn’t bloomed yet.

My Favorite Flowers from Ball Spring Trials

Double Zinnia Double Zahara Yellow – This is the only fully double, disease resistant zinnia series. It does especially well in sunny, hot and dry conditions. We don’t have a lot of sunny, hot and dry here in my yard but I added it to a planter in the center of a ring of Vermont marble we have near the duck and chicken coop.

The flower isn’t open fully yet but it’s a gorgeous yellow color when it blooms. You can see it in the center of the Wave Petunias. It’s the taller flower.

My Favorite Plants from Ball Spring Trials

Alternanthera Purple Prince – This one is totally new to me. I had never heard of Alternanthera before, but it’s a burgundy-purple foliage plant with ruby rose undersides. It’s a low water plant so I put it near our foundation in full sun which tends to be a bit dry.

It’s great for places that are hot and humid so I’ll be curious to see how it does for me. It’s a compact spiller for mixed containers or garden groundcover.

My Favorite Plants from Ball Spring Trials

Currant Tomato Candyland Red – This one has me the most excited. I love veggies and herbs. This tomato’s tidy habit will not grow out of control in the garden.The very small, sweet fruit detach from the plant with minimal splitting or skin tearing. Produces high yields that develop on exposed trusses for fast, easy harvest. I added this one to a pot of basil. I just need to add a trellis as it gets a bit bigger.

If you want to find some of these varieties in your area, go to PickACarrot and type in the variety and it will show you where you can find the plants from Ball Spring Trials I featured here today. I’ll post an update as the season gets later.

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4 thoughts on “My Favorite Plants from Ball Spring Trials”

  1. I love your choice in all of your flower plants. They are going to be so beautiful when they are fully grown. I would love to start some tomatoes and herbs in a pot on my deck. My grandson would love being able to go out and pick some tomatoes right out on the deck. He loves tomatoes.
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  2. Thanks for the link from the Ball Spring Trials last month. I missed that post and it was so pretty to see all the plants. My garden I had in Colorado was a lot of work and maybe I'll have one again when I have more time. Great resources for plant and seed info with PickACarrot.
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