Azusa, California – At Monrovia, new plant introductions are a combination of art and science. Our plant hunters travel across the globe, working with world-class breeders, choosing unique and beautiful plant varieties. This search is only the beginning. These new plants are then trialed and tested in varied growing conditions at Monrovia’s nurseries in California, Oregon, Connecticut, and Georgia. The trials are years in the making and allow our Craftsmen to choose only the best of the best – varieties that provide more beauty, longer lasting blooms, and outstanding performance. They look for plants that provide new solutions in the garden, including perfectly sized varieties that fit smaller spaces, plants that offer more disease resistance or selections that can be used in new and exciting ways. Only a select few make the cut.
The 2022 new plant introductions reflect a focus on diversity in the garden, meeting a variety of climate appropriate needs. They also address key consumer trends such as attracting pollinators, dark foliage paired with bright blooms, and creating an inviting outdoor space to relax and recharge. Here are just a few of our 2022 favorites.
Burgundy Queen® Bougainvillea
Bougainvillea ‘Monhar’ PPAF
Observing nature at our own growing locations led us to a bougainvillea with a double dose of beauty. Burgundy Queen® features stunning flowers and gorgeous foliage. The new growth leaves are a showy, deep wine-red, while the flower-like bracts are an even more dramatic burgundy hue. Discovered by Craftsman Tracy Harrison at Monrovia’s Georgia nursery, Burgundy Queen is a vigorous climber, growing up to 30 feet long. It is the perfect selection for weaving through trellises and fences, or large patio pots. Evergreen in warmer climates, Burgundy Queen is also a great container or hanging basket annual in cooler regions. Hardy in Zones 10-11, it will grow 20 to 30 feet.
Sparkler® Pink Petite and Sparkler® Purple Petite Butterfly Bush
Buddleja ‘1331’ PPAF, Buddleja ‘2080’ PPAF
If you’ve always wanted a butterfly bush in your pollinator garden, but thought you didn’t have the space, Monrovia has a solution. Sparkler® Pink Petite and Sparkler® Purple Petite Butterfly Bush bring compact, pollinator-friendly color to the garden. Topping out at about 4 feet tall, Monrovia’s exclusive Sparkler Series features rosy-pink and true purple nectar-filled blooms on a sturdier silhouette. Loads of flowers sit neatly atop of the foliage without the rangy look typically associated with some butterfly bush varieties. Sturdy and less brittle stems keep the plant looking tidy all season long. Perfect for small space gardens, its petite size makes Sparkler Butterfly Bush a great container plant too. Hardy in Zones 5-10, growing 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.
Jurassic™ Ferns
If you’re looking for big impact in a shade garden, Monrovia’s exclusive Jurassic™ Ferns deliver. Each of the six ferns in this collection, discovered by Dan Hinkley throughout Asia, offers something different in the garden, from unique looking foliage to location problem solvers. These interesting and story-filled varieties provide more than just a green backdrop.
Jurassic™ Pterodactyl Eared Lady Fern
Athyrium otophorum
Jurassic™ Pterodactyl Eared Lady Fern creates a densely packed pop of two-toned color in the full or partial shade garden. Its beautiful red stems unleash pale chartreuse, feathery leaves that age to a deep green. It is especially stunning when planted in groups. This fern is a perennial in Zones 6-9, growing 18 inches tall and wide.
Jurassic™ Brontosaurus Tongue Fern
Pyrrosia ‘MONBRTS’
Discovered by plant hunter Dan Hinkley in China, Jurassic™ Brontosaurus Tongue Fern features unique sword-shaped, pale green leaves. This fern is special because it sends out creeping rhizomes allowing it to grow horizontally. It is extremely drought tolerant and prefers filtered sun or partial shade Perfect for embankments in a woodland garden, growing in an old tree stump or as a container plant. Jurassic Brontosaurus is hardy in Zones 8-11, growing 1 foot tall and wide. It will spread over time.
Jurassic™ T-Rex Wood Fern
Dryopteris tokyoensis
Stately and dramatic, Jurassic™ T-Rex Wood Fern stands tall in the garden. The fronds stay vertical, adding lofty, lime-green color and high texture to shady spaces. Jurassic
T-Rex is great for creating borders or framing in structures in the garden. It is hardy in Zones 5-8 and will grow 24 to 36 inches tall and wide.
Jurassic™ Triceratops Finger Fern
Pyrrosia polydactyla ‘MONTRCT’
Jurassic™ Triceratops Finger Fern was discovered in Taiwan. It makes a statement in the garden with thick leaves that radiate from a center stem and a large mounding habit. In the wild this fern is found on rocky surfaces, making it a natural for slopes and rock gardens. It creates an eye-catching patio pot too. Best of all, Jurassic Triceratops grows well just about anywhere – in full sun to partial shade. This variety is recommended for Zones 7-11 and will grow 2 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide.
Jurassic™ Velociraptor Ribbon Fern
Pteris cretic
Like its common name suggests, Jurassic™ Velociraptor brings ribbons of bright yellow-green foliage to the partial shade garden. Discovered in the mountains of the Hubei Province of China, this selection is hardier than most Ribbon Fern, growing well in Zones 7-9. Cool climate gardeners can enjoy it indoors in a bright, but not too sunny, window. Jurassic Velociraptor is beautiful in a Zen or woodland garden space, or anywhere you need to add fine texture and movement. It will grow to about 18 inches tall and wide.
Jurassic™ Stegosaurus Holly Fern
Cyrtomium fortunei ‘MONSTGO’
Gorgeous holly-like fronds and large leaflets provide bold texture in the garden. Discovered in Hubei Province at 6,000 feet, Jurassic™ Stegosaurus Holly Fern thrives in full shade or filtered sun. It grows to about 2 feet tall and wide, making it the perfect addition to a woodland garden or shaded container. Zones 6-9.
Ruby Colonnade® Holly
Ilex x crenata ‘RutHol5’ PPAF
Ruby Colonnade® Holly offers a little something extra for evergreen fans. New foliage emerges a deep red before transitioning to a bright, glossy green. This University of Georgia specimen stays nice and narrow in the garden, creating a pyramid of dense texture. Ruby Colonnade is a stunning front-entry container evergreen and because it takes well to shearing, can be shaped for spirals and other topiary. It’s wonderful in a landscape that calls for architectural simplicity. Available only from Monrovia, this holly is hardy in Zones 7-9 and reaches 10 to 12 feet tall and up to 8 feet wide.
Purple Potion® Agapanthus
Agapanthus inapertus ‘HinGrkop’ PPAF
Purple Potion® was chosen for its stunning, true-violet blooms. The unique color makes this Agapanthus a standout in the landscape with eye-catching, nearly black buds that open to a deep, regal purple. Purple Potion is a Monrovia exclusive from Dan Hinkley that grows to about 26 inches tall and 20 inches wide and thrives in partial to full sun. Zones: 7-10.
Darkstar® Ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Minbla3’ PPAF
The search for the perfect dark foliage ninebark might just be over. After trialing dozens of varieties, our Craftsman are excited to introduce Darkstar Ninebark. Available exclusively from Monrovia, Darkstar adds beautiful drama to the garden, with gorgeous burgundy new growth that ages to the deepest, dark purple. Darkstar’s leaves are larger than typical Ninebark foliage giving the plant a fuller more open look in the garden. This compact variety grows to about 5 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide. Perfect for the back of the border or as dramatic statement plant. Full to partial sun, Zones 4-8.
Orangena™ Vaccinium
Vaccinium brevipedicellatum ‘HINOGV’
This truly unique and colorful evergreen shrub is topping everyone’s must-have list. Orangena™ is a Dan Hinkley discovery that brings bright shades of fresh orange new growth early spring, holding through summer. In the fall, cooler temperatures bring tinges of brilliant red to the foliage. Orangena is a Vaccinium, but it is not grown for its berries. This is a different species, prized for the beautiful color it can bring to the garden. It would make an excellent alternative to boxwood. Orangena grows to 4 feet tall and wide and is recommended for Zones 7-10.
Butterscotch Baby™ Spirea
Spiraea japonica ‘MINSPIZ02’ PPAF
When visitors to the trial garden keep coming back to a spirea, you know you have something special. Butterscotch Baby™ Spirea goes through color transformations that make it truly captivating. New growth emerges a warm, caramel-butterscotch that transitions to a bright chartreuse green in summer. Bright pink flowers sit atop the green backdrop. In the fall the caramel red color returns. Butterscotch Baby keeps a very compact, mushroom-cap like habit growing only 1.5 feet high and 2 feet wide. Full sun, Zones 4-9.
Sunvilla™ Mandevilla
Monrovia’s Sunvilla™ Mandevilla collection provides free-flowing, tropical color in the garden, while remaining well-behaved. Its mounding habit gives it a lusher appeal than other mandevillas. These bold climbers were chosen because their blooms are slower to fade, adding long-lasting enjoyment and interest to an arbor, trellis or hanging basket. Clear, bright colors with yellow throats are backed by glossy green foliage. Choose from Red, White, Pink and Giant Red with extra-large blooms. Sunvilla are considered perennials in Zones 9-11 and annual in every other area of the country. Their twining stems reach 15 to 20 feet.
 |  |  |  |
Sunvilla™ Red Mandevilla Sunvilla™ Giant Red Mandevilla Sunvilla™ Pink Mandevilla Sunvilla™ White Mandevilla
Mandevilla ‘MANZ0018’ PPAF Mandevilla ‘MANZ0019’ Mandevilla ‘MANZ0014’ PPAF Mandevilla ‘MANZ0020’ PPAF
Visit Monrovia.com for more information on the new 2022 Monrovia exclusive varieties.
###
Images of Monrovia’s new introductions can be found here.
Access Monrovia’s 2022 Distinctive Plants Guide here.
About Monrovia
Inspired by the beauty of plants, gardens, and landscapes everywhere, Harry E. Rosedale, Sr. founded Monrovia in 1926 to be a premier grower of shrubs and trees. Monrovia collaborates with plant breeders around the world to introduce improved plant varieties to North America. Monrovia plants flourish once planted to beautify gardens and landscapes. Please visit www.monrovia.com to learn more.
