There may be snow on the ground and holiday cheer in the air, but planning for the next planting season is already in full swing.
We know you’re eager to stock your shelves and design your landscape projects with exciting, high-performing plants. So, we sat down with Taylor Feuerborn, inside sales representative at Loma Vista Nursery, to get the inside scoop on the newest introductions, returning staples and unexpected gems that will be driving demand in 2026.
Get ready to update your wish lists. These plants are going to be hot!
DreamCloud® Reblooming Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla ‘Bailmaceight’) – Bailey Nurseries Photo
Q. What new or newer plants will Loma Vista Nursery offer in 2026?
We are always excited to bring new and improved varieties to our customers. For 2026, we’re particularly thrilled with additions like Flowerfull® Smooth Hydrangea, Invincibelle Wee White® 2.0 Smooth Hydrangea and Yuki Cherry Blossom® 2.0 Deutzia. Be sure to also look for the resilient Incrediball Storm Proof™ Smooth Hydrangea and Endless Summer® DreamCloud® Reblooming Hydrangea.
Flowerfull® Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea Arborescens ‘Baiful’) – Baily Nurseries Photo
Our perennial and groundcover introductions include Scarlet Drift® Rose, ‘Carnival Lime Zest’ Heuchera, ‘Skywalker Blue’ Veronica, New Vintage™ ‘Violet’ Yarrow, Decadence® ‘Lemon Meringue’ Baptisia, Kodiak Fresh® Diervilla and the bold Summerific® Candy Crush Hibiscus.
‘Carnival Lime Zest’ Heuchera (Heuchera x hybrida) – Ball Seed Photo
Q. What plant varieties do you predict will be major sellers for landscape contractors?
You can never go wrong with landscape staples. Plants like boxwood, Liriope, ‘Sea Green’ Juniper and ‘Karl Foerster’ Feather Reed Grass are consistently in high demand for landscape jobs.
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa L.)
We also see a lot of plans that include perennials such as ‘May Night’ Salvia, ‘Walker’s Low’ Catmint and butterfly milkweed. This trend aligns with a larger industry push for plant material that is either native, a native cultivar or pollinator friendly, which all three of these plants are.
Q. What popular plants do you expect to see even greater demand for next year?
Flowerfull® is a smooth hydrangea that we brought into our line-up last year. We had success with its introduction and expect to see that consistency through the coming growing season.
Along with other spirea in the Double Play® series, we have seen Double Play® Candy Corn® stay pretty consistent in popularity since its introduction in 2018. These spirea have excellent color and perform really well through the growing seasons.
Ornamental grasses like ‘Blonde Ambition’ and ‘Shenandoah’ are great for large installation projects. So, I could see there possibly being an increase in those.
Q. What surprising or less common perennial plant, tree or shrub does Loma Vista Nursery recommend garden centers stock for impulse buys?
First Editions introduced Eclipse® Bigleaf Hydrangea about two years ago. At 3 to 5 feet tall and wide at maturity, this is a very unique plant for home landscapes. Its dark purple, almost black leaves and cranberry-red blooms make for a striking visual contrast when planted with white mophead varieties of similar size, such as Flowerfull® Smooth Hydrangea.
Forest Fire™ Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
Another surprising selection for the home landscape is Forest Fire™ Black Gum. It is distinctive for its pyramidal shape and forest-green foliage. With interesting branching that grows at right angles of the tree, its bark is reddish brown and features deep, irregular ridges and diamond-shaped plates. Foliage turns fire engine red in the fall.
New Vintage™ Violet Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) – Proven Winners Photo
Featuring striking, flat-topped magenta blooms in early summer, we are adding New Vintage™ ‘Violet’ yarrow to our line-up for 2026. Yarrows are typically in shades of yellow and red. This one adds a new rich pink look for the classic perennial.
Q. Same question as above for landscape contractors. What surprising or less common perennial plant, tree or shrub does Loma Vista Nursery recommend for their projects?
At a mature size of 6 feet tall and 7 feet wide, ‘Autumn Magic’ Chokeberry is a good size for larger residential and commercial properties. It’s especially enticing for clients looking to add fall color interest. In late season, foliage is purple-red.
Autumn Magic Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa ‘Autumn Magic’)
Lindsey’s Skyward™ Bald Cypress is a statement tree. At 25 to 30 feet tall and up to 6 to 10 feet wide at maturity, this cypress commands attention for its upright, symmetrical and columnar shape. Its slim, narrow habit works in tighter spaces, as an anchor in a border garden, specimen plant near a foundation or as natural fencing.
Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire is a compact grower at a mature size of only 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. Thick, dark green leaves show off fragrant white blooms in late spring. The foliage show turns burgundy and red in fall.
Q. Which new or newer shrub or perennial introduction is well-suited for challenging landscapes or environmental conditions?
Disease resistant, Incrediball Storm Proof™ Smooth Hydrangea performs with resilience in windy areas and through heavy summer downpours. It has strong stems, which means less drooping and flopping. Abundant smaller white blooms blanket the plant’s rounder habit through the summer. It’s also petite with a dense, compact size at maturity of 3½ to 4 feet.
Decadence® ‘Lemon Meringue’ False Indigo (Baptisia hybrid) – Proven Winners Photo
Q. Which new or newer shrub or perennial introduction is particularly well-suited for pollinator gardens?
Baptisia attracts bees and butterflies. Decadence® ‘Lemon Meringue’ Baptisia joins our offerings in 2026.
Baptisia, or false indigo, is native to North America and is best known for its purple-blue flowers on upright spikes. ‘Lemon Meringue’ blooms lemon-yellow on tall, charcoal-gray stems. The plant’s habit is compact and upright at 3 feet tall and wide.
Plant ‘Lemon Meringue’ with purple varieties for a contrasty floral display in pollinator and border gardens, and in island beds. Bonus: baptisia is drought and salt tolerant.
Princeton Elm (Ulmus americana ‘Princeton’)
Q. For commercial landscape projects, what is an underappreciated tree or shade-loving plant that offers great value and environmental performance?
Elms are underutilized in the landscape‒an understandable hesitation stemming from historic issues with Dutch Elm Disease. However, they are native trees that thrive when given the chance, functioning as large shade providers with significant aesthetic appeal. And time has marched on.
The devastating impact of Dutch Elm Disease ultimately encouraged plant growers and brands to improve on native elm genetics. Consequently, there has been considerable advancement in disease resistance with the newer varieties that have been released, making modern elms a valuable and reliable choice.
Eclipse® Bigleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea Macrophylla ‘Bailmacseven’)
Q. Looking toward spring shipping, what is the best advice you can give customers regarding plant selection and ordering?
Pre-ordering is great! It allows you to secure the inventory you know you will need from your preferred suppliers. This means you can feel pretty confident in the quality of the material as well as having peace of mind when it comes to your ability to stock the material you traditionally hold.
We suggest looking through our weekly availability, which we feature in our email newsletter each Thursday. We include photos of plants looking good on our nursery starting about mid-April. This gives you an idea of what you might want to add to orders as the season progresses. To get on our distribution list, send an email to sales@lomavistanursery.com.
Kodiak Fresh® (Diervilla x) – Proven Winners Photo
About Loma Vista Nursery ‒ Midwest Wholesale Plant Grower
Review our plant catalog for detailed information and to pre-order. Loma Vista Nursery grows a variety of perennial plants, trees and shrubs for Midwest landscapes.
Our customers are independent garden centers, landscape contractors and wholesale distributors who rely on our team of plant experts to answer their questions and provide information about the healthy, reliable varieties we grow.
Visit our website to read all our blogs and to learn about our values and best practices. For assistance with orders or plant-related questions, please call (785) 229-7200 or send an email to sales@lomavistanursery.com.
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