Top New Plant Picks for Midwest Gardens

Echinacea: More sizes, shapes and colors

Echinacea coneflowers have long been a Midwestern favorite thanks to bright, long-lasting colors and low maintenance demands. The traditional drawback: Colors had been limited to basically purple and white. But rapid development of new varieties means gardeners can choose from more sizes, shapes and colors. New cultivars showcase bright hues and include 'Tomato Soup' (left) and 'Mac 'n' Cheese'.

Echinacea is one of five groups of plants that Ed Lyon, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Allen Centennial Gardens, feels will be hot choices for Midwest gardeners in 2009.