Each year, as I become more and more accustomed to ordering for the nursery and landscapers, I try to add new plants that I think might excite customers. Adding new plants not only gets people more excited about gardening in spring, but it also helps the diversity of our landscapes. One of my personal pet peeves is when landscapers use the same plant palette year after year. I studied landscape design at Kansas State University, but I have always been a fan of biodiverse landscapes, after spending so much time hiking and gardening myself.
In 2025, we ordered from our longtime nursery wholesalers Greenleaf, Bailey, Loma Vista, Home, and Northern Family Farms. These places are where we get the bulk of our plants. We also grow a few thousand perennials from Walters Gardens and natives from North Creek Nurseries. But we also tried to new companies in 2025, Monrovia (whom we have ordered from before, but probably 6 to 8 years ago), and Iseli (an evergreen specialty nursery). And I was able to get some good new items.
The biggest problem with ordering new plants is not getting too many or too much. With so many growers and plant breeders out there, new plants are emerging every year. Sometimes it is new cultivars, sometimes selections of old favorites natives, and sometimes its a new hybrid you have never heard of. And you have to find these things throughout the hundreds of different plants and cultivars that various growers offer.
New Trees & Shrubs for 2026
The number of trees and shrubs that are new is relatively short in comparison to new perennials and annuals. And they take more room in the nursery too. Even with the slight re-arrangement of the nursery, we would not be able to handle as many new plants as Doug Grimm carried in the early years of Grimm’s Gardens (2006-2010). He had the nursery crammed with things. But with our new paths and layout, we have less room, but you can find things easier.
New Plants – Trees
Even though I am now the “tree guy” here at Grimm’s, I really love all the plants about equally. My real love for trees comes in their longevity, their gracefulness, and their contribution to the landscape. Trees are just special. So anytime I can add some new ones to my customers, I feel good. In 2025 we added ‘Flashfire’ sugar maple, ‘Firehouse’ sweetgum (seedless), ‘Majestic Skies’ northern pin oak (a favorite!), and ‘Wolf River’ Apple.
For 2026, I have 8 new trees coming; 2 fruit trees, 2 evergreens, 1 shade tree, and 3 ornamental trees.
First up are apples. I am continuing to search for apples which not only appeal to customers in their orchards, but those with excellent disease resistance and great taste. ‘Scarlet Sentinel’ columnar apple is one of those. Not only does it have excellent disease resistance, but great flavor, and it can grow in landscapes with smaller spaces. ‘KinderKrisp’ is a small, early ripening apple great for children’s gardens or a home orchard. A chance seedling of ‘Honeycrisp’, it has sweet small fruit, perfect for snacking. Both of these are coming in bareroot, and should be available in June or July.
Evergreen Trees
Last fall we added a new Proven Winners arborvitae, ‘Sting’ to our lineup and it already is a best-seller. The super tight and narrow tree only grows 18 inches wide, but 20 feet tall! I can see it used in clusters of 3 to 30 and in a variety of landscape locations. Adding new evergreens is difficult because there are so many great cultivars already. And they are not typically as fast of a seller as other trees. We do sell a lot of boxwoods and ‘Spring Grove’ arborvitae. And windbreak trees.
New for 2026 is ‘Sparkler’ spruce, which has been on the market for awhile, and I just decided to bring in on a whim. ‘Sparkler’ is a selection of Colorado blue spruce with bright yellow-gold new growth, growing 60 feet tall by 20 feet wide. Also new will be ‘Prairie Pillar’ arborvitae, from Monrovia. This selection has yellow-tipped foliage and grows 15 feet tall by 8 feet wide.
Ornamental & Shade Trees
‘Noreaster’ cottonwood is the newest addition to our lineup of shade trees. We have always carried ‘Siouxland’ but I switched this year to ‘Noreaster’ because it is a hybrid, not a true Eastern Cottonwood, and has better adaptability to our region, coming from Nebraska, instead of North Dakota like ‘Siouxland’ does. It can grow 75 to 100 feet tall by 70 feet wide. Just like ‘Siouxland’, ‘Noreaster’ is a seedless cultivar.
One of the other new plants will be ‘Cloudburst’ dogwood from J Frank Schmidt. This is a hybrid between a native and non-native dogwood tree, and is supposed to have excellent disease resistance and exceptional flowering with large white flowers.
And we will have 2 new magnolia trees. For years now, we have carried yellow magnolias, and they always sell out quickly. ‘Butterflies’ has been a very popular selection. But in 2026, we will have that and a new one, ‘Yellow Bird’ from Monrovia. It will be a large tree, growing 40 feet tall by 25 feet wide with canary yellow blossoms. The other new magnolia is ‘Moonglow’, a white-flowering cultivar that is evergreen to semi-evergreen. It has great cold hardiness and can thrive even in Zone 4B. ‘Moonglow’ grows 35 feet tall by 18 feet wide.
New Plants – Shrubs for 2026
I have 10 new shrubs on order for 2026. Some of these I tried to acquire in 2025 and they were not available at all our suppliers. And some are just new this year to garden centers. In 2025, we added chaste tree ‘Galactic Pink’ which I thought shined in the nursery. After putting it into my own garden, I was soon impressed by the amount of pollinators visiting it. Another addition from 2025 was cotoneaster ‘Autumn Inferno’, a First Editions selection which has bright red berries and fall color, and could be used to replace burning bush in the landscape.
Proven Winners Shrubs
‘El Nino’ desert orchid, or chitalpa is new to us, but was available to some garden centers in 2025. Recommended by Laura from Garden Answer, this shrub boasts heat and drought tolerance, panicles of bright pink flowers on new growth, and a size of 15 feet tall by 10 feet wide. I think it will go fast as the flowers are orchid-like.
‘Beyond Pink’d’ bluebeard or blue spirea is one of the newer pink varieties of this shrub available. I had a different pink variety, ‘Pink Pavilion’ which impressed my as it bloomed from early September through November. ‘Beyond Pink’d’ grows 2 1/2 feet tall and wide, with bright pink flowers that should bloom all through late summer and into late fall.
‘Mop Top’ butterfly bush is one of the newest cultivars of Buddleia. It is a fountaining or festooning butterfly bush, with a weeping habit, growing 5 feet tall and wide. The flowers are lavender colored and expect there to be lots of butterflies on it. If you have read much of my blogs, then you know I am not a huge fan of butterfly bush, because it only provides nectar, not food for caterpillars. But they do have a place in the landscape, as long as there is other butterfly food too.
I saw ‘Sgt. Pepper’ dogwood at the Proven Winners station in Oregon at the Far West show in 2024. I was impressed by its coloration and I hope it does not suffer the same fate as ‘Ivory Halo’ dogwood which burns in our full sun and gets leaf spots. Similar to Tricolor Beech, the colors of the leaves are green and pink with white lines between. It grows 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide so give it some room in the landscape. Besides the great summer colors, it turns red/pink in autumn and has red stems all winter long. Definitely a 4 season plant!
In 2025 I tried to get ‘Fairytale Bride’ cascading hydrangea, but could not for love or money. Now it is on order for 2026 and I hope to offer this selection for years to come. ‘Fairytrail Bride’ has a slightly weeping habit, making it great for containers or rock ledges to replace trailing junipers. It grows 4 feet tall and wide, and has bright white flowers. Similar to oakleaf hydrangea, it blooms on old wood, so prune only as needed, not to cut back in spring or fall.
Other New Shrubs
‘Charles Joly’ lilac is a new to us old-fashioned lilac. I am bringing it in because of the lack of abundance of purple flowering lilacs for 2026. This is a large lilac, growing 12 feet tall by 10 feet wide with purple-mauve blossoms. it is very cold hardy, down to Zone 1.
‘Raspberry Lemonade’ ninebark comes from Monrovia, and has chartreuse-yellow leaves with white-pink flowers. The flower buds are bright red, making a striking color-contrast between foliage and flowers. It grows 4 feet tall and wide.
I first encountered pearlbush in college, but did not think about it again until I found one at a farmer’s market in Kansas City. After planting it in my shrub border, I forgot about it for several years. In the last 2 years it has bloomed profusely, covered in small white flowers. Pearlbush ‘Lotus Moon’ is a First Editions introduction, growing 5 feet tall by 4 feet wide, and is hardy in Zones 3 to 7.
We have not carried St. Johnswort for several years, but I am bringing it back in 2026 after several requests for it in the garden center. ‘Pumpkin’ is a First Editions selection, growing 3 feet tall and wide, with bright yellow flowers. After flowering, the seedpods turn pumpkin orange-red and can be used for cut flower arrangements. ‘Champagne’ will come from Monrovia, and has creamy white seedpods following bright yellow flowers. It will grow 3 feet tall and wide and is also great for cut flower arrangements.
‘Queen Bee’ chaste tree is another First Editions selection, along with ‘Galactic Pink’. ‘Queen Bee’ has purple flowers and grows 6 feet tall by 9 feet wide. I can almost hears the bees buzzing around it already. It is hardy in zones 6-9.
New Plants – Perennials & Vines for 2026
There are always new perennials coming out. Between Proven Winners, First Editions, and Garden Debut, it is hard to keep up with the new selections and cultivars. But we try. We have become one of the largest online shippers of Proven Winners perennials outside of Proven Winners themselves. And we ship in larger sizes, such as gallons. So we have to keep up with what is coming out.
New Proven Winners Perennials for 2026
‘Rays for Days’ false sunflower is an exciting double-flowered perennial which should bloom for months if it is like its parent. It will grow around 2 feet tall and wide and the flowers are bright yellow-orange.
Last summer we introduced you to ‘Cotton Candy’ meadow rue and it soon sold out. For 2026 we are adding ‘Cotton Ball’ which is a white flowering version of these great spring-summer perennials. ‘Cotton Ball’ will grow around 3 feet tall by 2 feet wide.
Lastly, Rose ‘Rise Up Lilac Days’ is a climbing rose with deep lilac-pink blossoms. It is actually a mini-climber, which can be trained as either a climber or a shrub rose, depending on the gardener.
Rudbeckia ‘Treasure Trove’ is new to garden centers in 2026 and comes with similar flower power as ‘American Gold Rush. It is resistant to Septoria leaf blotch, and blooms steadily from June to October. It will grow 3 feet tall and almost 4 feet wide.
Grasses & Vines New for 2026
‘Purple Tears’ switchgrass is new to us for 2026. This selection of one of our native tallgrasses boasts purple seedheads on bright green stalks. It grows around 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide. One of the best things about switchgrass is that it can grow in a wide range of soil types, including flooded areas like rain gardens.
I added 3 new to us clematis for 2026, all from Monrovia. Since ordering our first clematis from them in 2025, I have been super impressed by their selection and quality. ‘Blue Light’ is a pale almost sky blue color with a frilly double center. ‘Pink Champagne’ replaces ‘Nelly Moser’ with its bright pink petals with mauve center striping. And ‘Viennetta’ is a striking purple and white flowering clematis – white petals and a purple center.
New Plants – Natives
Eventually our markets will catch on that natives and nativars are the way to go for new landscapes. But we are not there yet. Adding new plants and especially nativars to our sales palette helps.
A 2025 Plant Select selection, ‘Rambler’ mountain fleabane is a compact, groundcover-like perennial for the garden. Use it in borders or as an accent among boulders in a rock garden. It grows 6 to 14 inches tall and spreads quietly. the flowers are like mini daisies and a bright, robin’s egg blue. It is hardy in Zones 5 to 9.
Harebells are a type of bellflower native to the northern Great Plains, Upper Midwest, and Rocky Mountains. Despite where they are native, they are hardy in Zones 3 to 7, and are perfect for a meadow garden, prairie garden, or native bed. The flowers are bell-shaped, blue in color. It grows 12 inches tall.
I had brought in hoary skullcap in 2024, and we sold out at the beginning of 2025, but I failed at bringing it back then. So, it is coming back in 2026. After planting in my garden, I became absolutely in love with this perennial! It was amazing blooming in my garden all summer long with no irrigation, and the bumblebees loved it. The flowers are blue-purple in color. And with it, we are also bringing in hoary skullcap ‘Prairie Snow’, a white flowering cultivar. Both grow 1 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide.
New Perennial Plants for Shade
It seems that hosta generally takes the cake when it comes to new plants. In 2025 we introduced ‘Gigantosaurus’ which has variegated green and yellow leaves, and grows 3 feet tall by almost 7 feet wide! But the new plants for 2026 are not hostas.
Beesia deltophylla is only known as Beesia and is a groundcover from China. This lowly spreader has heart-shaped dark green leaves and 18 inch flower spikes of starry white flowers in late spring. Hardy in Zones 6 to 8, Beesia will spread at least 24 inches in the garden.
‘Gold Zebra’ foamy bells are a part of a complex hybrid between Coral Bells (Heuchera) and Foamflower (Tiarella). It has the groundcover genetics of foamflower. ‘Gold Zebra’ is noted for its heat and humidity tolerance, perfect for the Central Great Plains region. The leaves are striking red with yellow margins. The leaves only grow 8 inches tall and spread to at least 18 inches wide, but the white flower spikes reach 18 inches tall.
Foamflower ‘Spring Symphony’ has the star-shaped dark green leaves of its native relation, with an impact of mounds of white and pink flowers in the spring. It is hardy in Zones 4 to 9, and grows 10 inches tall with the flowers, and spreads about a foot per year. It is a great native groundcover.
Lungwort ‘Dark Vader’ has the typical blue and pink flowers of lungwort, with its bright green and white variegated foliage. It grows 12 inches tall and 24 inches wide, growing in Zones 3 to 8.
Sun Loving New Plants
I am adding 3 new Siberian iris cultivars in 2026. ‘Jewelled Crown’ is a showy selection with purple, white, and yellow flowers. The leaves will grow 28 inches tall and the flowers stalks will add another 8 to 10 inches on top. ‘Peacock Tipped in Blue’ is one of the most outrageous cultivars if Siberian iris I have seen yet. It has yellow petals with blue veination. It will grow 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. And ‘Paprikash’ has red and pink-purple petals with yellow veination. It only grows 20 inches tall and wide.
One coneflower which really caught my attention was ‘Fringe Festival’. This coneflower features bright red, double blossoms which would catch anybody’s eye at a trial garden. It grows 16 inches tall and wide and will grow in Zones 4 to 9.
After reading about some disease troubles with our normal pink peony, I decided to order ‘Monsieur Jules Elie’ instead. This peony has bright pink flowers, and will grow 3 feet tall and wide in Zones 3 to 8.
Finally, the last perennial is Sedum ‘La Vie En Rose’ which has green leaves with white margins, and soft pink flowers in late summer. It grows 12 inches tall and wide and is hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
Conclusion
I would tell you about new annuals coming as well, but since I do not order those, I do not have any information on them. But there are a lot of new plants coming in 2026 and I am sure you are about overwhelmed already. Hopefully, you will have some room in your gardens for some of these treasures.
Happy planting!
