Time to Plot those container gardens

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/02/2026 (228 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Whether you’re planning several container gardens this year or prefer to focus on one show-stopping arrangement, February is a good time for deciding what you would like to grow.

After all, garden centres throughout Manitoba are already a hive of activity with the arrival of pre-rooted seedlings for perennials and annuals combined with seed starting in preparation for spring sales.

There was a time when retailers waited until September to place their orders for plants for spring. But demand by gardeners is so strong for new and unique plants that many retailers now place their orders as early as July so they can be ready for peak spring demand.

It’s difficult not to indulge in impulse shopping at the sight of fresh new plants at garden centres. But if we take the time now to think about the types of plants that really worked for us last year in our garden spaces and the ones that didn’t — especially during hot, dry weather — it will be easier to make the best choices.

Duayne Friesen has firsthand knowledge about the top new annual plants that will be available at garden centres this spring. A sales representative for Ball Seed, North America’s leading wholesale horticultural distributor, Friesen assists commercial growers with plant sourcing. He also trials many new plant introductions in his Winnipeg garden. I talked to him recently about new annuals for 2026.

Here are some exciting new varieties that will inspire you to plan ahead.

New pansy coming

There is a new pansy in town, says Friesen. “The new Top Wave Pansy Series from PanAmerican Seed will gradually be taking the place of the Cool Wave Pansy. Top Wave Pansies have 25 per cent larger flowers than Cool Wave and have been bred to have flowers that go right down to the crown of the plant.”

There are several colours in the series. Pansy Top Wave Pink Shades, for example, ranges from light- to deep-pink with a dark centre blotch. With the largest flower of any spreading pansy series, Top Wave is an ideal choice for containers and baskets.

“They’re not really for landscape use,” says Friesen. “But I’ve grown them in containers outdoors as early as April 1. Once they’re acclimatized, they can stay outside and they keep flowering.”

Coleus Sweet Paprika is an absolute standout, says Friesen. “It is part of the Premium Sun Coleus Collection from PanAmerican Seed. Sweet Paprika is made for the sun. The leaves are a deep red-wine colour with a hint of orange, but if it isn’t grown in the sun, you won’t get that amazing colour on the leaves. Sweet Paprika is very compact in its form — about 46 centimetres tall. It’s also one of the latest flowering varieties in the collection. It’s just a beauty.”

Well, I’m sold and apparently everyone else is, too. Friesen says that Coleus Sweet Paprika excelled in plant trials and has been snapped up by growers.

Dahlias keep growing in popularity but not everyone wants to start their own dahlias from tubers. Dahlia Venti PinkBurst and Dahlia Venti FireBurst are early-flowering dahlias ready for planting in spring containers.

The newest varieties in the Venti series from Selecta, PinkBurst (with pink petals) and FireBurst are both double-flowered anemone-type dahlias with showy centres. PinkBurst was a Retailer’s Choice award winner at Cultivate ’25 in the U.S. and a FleuroStar-winning variety in Europe. FireBurst has bright-red petals with a very dominant yellow crest in the centre.

“They’re both easy-care plants that are powdery mildew-resistant,” says Friesen. Both Friesen and I trialled these varieties in our gardens last year. “PinkBurst is my favourite,” says Friesen.

I like PinkBurst, too, but the exotic colour of FireBurst is stunning. Both these varieties grow to a height of about 46 cm.

Who can forget last summer’s sizzling temperatures? While some annuals wilt in extreme heat and humidity, Angelonia provides non-stop flowering. “Angelonia has been around for 20 years but not everyone is familiar with what it is,” says Friesen. “That is starting to change as customers discover what an amazing plant Angelonia is, especially in hot, dry locations. They need little care and if you forget to water for a day, you don’t have to worry.”

There are several series of Angelonia, but the Guardian Angel range is the newest as well as the tallest. “Guardian Angel Pink is a knockout and a breakthrough in its height,” says Friesen. “Use it as a centrepiece in your planter.”

Guardian Angel Pink boasts huge flowers with glossy dark-green leaves on 46-cm-tall stems.

We’ll also see several new petunia varieties this year. Check out the new Easy Wave Pink Pearl from PanAmerican Seed. “The flowers are a very, very soft pink with violet-rose veining,” says Friesen. “It’s a larger flower and a fast-growing plant. Just gorgeous.”

Demand is high, too, says Friesen, for new Headliner Crystal Pink. “You’ll see a lot of this one. It was by far the No. 1 new introduction in terms of sales. Headliner Crystal Pink has a mounded, trailing habit. It has loads of flowers right to the crown and held up wonderfully all season in trials.”

Eye-catching salvias and zinnias

And now for something different — the new series of Mystical Salvia with intriguingly narrow flower spikes of blue or white petals on stems from 30-46 cm tall. Salvia Mystical Blue is lovely, says Friesen, but it is Salvia Mystical White that has captured attention. “The flowers are a surprisingly crisp white colour. Sometimes white salvias tend to be a dirty white but not Salvia Mystical White. It has a lot more oomph to it.”

Who doesn’t love zinnias?

The darling of cutting gardens, zinnias are a must-have flower. Zinnia Elegant Hot Mixture is a new dwarf zinnia series from PanAmerican Seed. “It grows to a height of 41-56 cm and gives you big, double-crested flowers. It has gone over like gangbusters and surprised everyone,” says Friesen.

Zinnia Elegant Hot Mixture features double flowers in an eye-catching blend of warm colours — pink, orange, scarlet and rose.

“They’re easy to grow and look great in a container or in the ground,” says Friesen.

Friesen is impressed with a new and vigorous calibrachoa from Proven Winners called Superbells Magic Double Grapefruit. “It’s great for a basket or container,” he says. “It has a trailing habit and loads of flowers with beautiful colours that open lemon-yellow then change to pink. It has good vigour and is essentially sold out for the year. If a greenhouse was late in getting their order in, they’re not going to find it in Canada — it’s been that popular.”

But rest assured, gardeners will be able to find this new variety locally.

“There is no Ipomoea sweet potato vine on the market like Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Shadowstorm,” says Friesen. “It’s outstanding. Shadowstorm is going to attract a lot of interest.”

New for 2026 from Proven Winners, Sweet Caroline Sweetheart Shadowstorm has heart-shaped leaves that are nearly black and speckled with green. “It’s very controlled in its growth, so it won’t take over your container,” says Friesen.

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