If there is anything that we can all agree on in the south, it is our love of plants and sports, and what says Louisiana more than a Blue Chip prospect? This year we are rolling out our new best of the best winners for the bedding plant trials. We have decided to call these our Blue Chip prospects, or plants that you just cant miss. Each year we will add new trial winners to our Blue Chip list. For the inaugural Blue Chip season we have five absolute winners that completely dominated the competition and would be a welcome addition to any Louisiana landscape or garden.

1. Heart of the Jungle Colocasia - A cooling tropical sensation. This vigorous Colocasia quickly surpassed its competition in the trial garden. Providing unique color and texture in hot and wet environments, Heart of the Jungle is a champion in every way. The large leaves catch the breeze, bringing unique movement and a cooling sense to the landscape. It catches your eye as you scan the Sun Garden and deserves its place as the 2020 Hammond Trials Champion.

2. Beacon Impatiens - A beacon of light in the Shade Garden. Impatiens have been a staple crop for shady Louisiana landscapes; however, with our high heat and humidity that extends throughout the night, sometimes impatiens can have downy mildew issues. But, not the Beacons. We see mounds of color that pop in the shade without any disease issues. Beacon impatiens, with their deep green foliage, offer a wide variety of bloom colors that will fit any garden design.

3. Scaevola Whirlwind Starlight - Groundcover or ground-color? Typically used in containers and hanging baskets, we are thrilled with the results of the in-ground trials of scaevola in the landscape - especially as a ground cover. The two-toned flower colors of Whirlwind Starlight are sure to impress. Throughout the summer these continued to top our charts and ratings and we look forward to seeing how long they will last.

4. Soiree Kawaii Catharanthus hybrid - The party animals of the summer landscape! One of our absolute favorites for mounding swaths of color in landscape beds this year is our Soiree Kawaii Catharanthus. Unlike your typical vinca, these have tiny blooms which provide powerful color density for your flower beds. We trialed five individual entries, each providing a bright pop of color in the landscape. All the cultivars in this series were outstanding performers in our extremely hot and wet summer. There are some slight differences in growth habit, with some cultivars a bit taller than others (as can be seen in the photo below), so make sure you pick the right one for your landscape.

5. 'White Flame' Salvia farinacea - The only thing hotter than our summer temperatures. Everyone loves pollinator plants, and salvias are some of the absolute best. Typically, we look for blues, purples, and reds when discussing salvia, but this white flowering salvia really caught our attention this year. Vigorous, compact and bushy, this wonderful plant is topped by long white spikes of flowers that are extremely attractive to pollinators. The wet summer has not taken its toll on this cultivar yet, and we are waiting to see if these will perennialize over the winter.