"The darkest reblooming azalea on the market"

Plant Development Services Inc. (PDSI) will debut a lineup of top-performing varieties in new hues at Cultivate 2025. This year's introductions celebrate a full spectrum of colors - from soft, nostalgic pastels to moody, dramatic foliage - offering new ways to bring personal style to blooming hedges, colorful containers, and small-space landscapes.

"Design trends like color drenching and dopamine decor are no longer confined to the indoors," says Kip McConnell, Business Development Director with PDSI. "Our newest introductions give gardeners and designers a fresh palette to work with and expand our capacity for expression in the garden."

From the moody allure of near-black foliage to ethereal blooms that echo vintage watercolors, PDSI's newest varieties from its celebrated Encore Azalea, Southern Living Plant Collection, and Sunset Plant Collection brands pair bold horticultural performance with high design. Featured alongside recent bestsellers from Butterfly Candy Buddleia and Better Boxwood, this year's debut lineup includes:

Autumn Velvet Encore Azalea

Autumn Velvet Encore Azalea
True to its name, the opulent magenta single blooms on this new Encore Azalea make it the darkest reblooming azalea on the market. Reaching a mature size of just 4 feet tall and wide, this compact, heavy bloomer makes a bold statement in planters and small spaces. Hardy in USDA Zones 6-10, Autumn Velvet blooms abundantly in spring, summer, and fall, set against a backdrop of emerald evergreen foliage. Available to the trade in 2026.

Purple Charm Loropetalum

Purple Charm Loropetalum
Dark and dramatic, Purple Charm delivers year-round impact with dark purple foliage that retains its rich color through every season. In spring, a flush of red fringe-like blooms offers a striking contrast above its fine-textured leaves. Purple Charm reaches 3-4 feet tall by 3-4 feet wide with an attractive upright mounding form, making it a compact and versatile choice for borders, mass plantings, and containers. Purple Charm thrives in full sun to part shade and is hardy in USDA Zones 7-10. Available to the trade in 2026 through Southern Living Plant Collection.

Blast from the Pastel Hydrangea

Blast from the Pastel Hydrangea
With timeless charm and color-dusted blooms, Blast from the Pastel offers oversized panicles of star-shaped florets, each delicately painted in soft shades of white with hints of blue or pink. Thriving in part sun to partial shade, this nostalgic charmer reaches 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide and is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. Available to the trade in 2026 through Southern Living® Plant Collection and Sunset Plant Collection.

Royal Hawaiian 'Tropical Paradise' Colocasia

Royal Hawaiian 'Tropical Paradise' Colocasia
The lush green leaves of 'Tropical Paradise' are speckled with darker spots and splashed with a striking central white marking. Sturdy, dark petioles add rich contrast and provide exceptional resilience against wind and extreme weather. Compact and eye-catching, 'Tropical Paradise' forms a tidy clump at 2 feet tall and wide that's perfect for containers, poolside plantings, or tropical borders in USDA Zones 7b-11. Available to the trade in 2026 through Southern Living Plant Collection and Sunset Plant Collection.

In addition to highlighting new varieties at Cultivate 2025, PDSI will help green industry pros sharpen their digital edge with two educational sessions. The first of these is Translating Social Media Trends: Sunday, July 13th, 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM in Room A113 - Discover how the latest design and social trends fuel garden content that converts; and the second is Social Media Summer Camp: Monday, July 14th, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM in Room A210 - A hands-on boot camp for better reels, captions, and content calendars led by top creators and marketers.

Visit Booth #3059 at Cultivate 2025 to see these varieties in living color.