Plant SelectionA New Favorite from Cultivate: Meet Jamesbrittenia
Owner, Schlegel Greenhouse · July 31, 2026
Every year at Cultivate one plant makes me stop and ask, “Why aren’t more people growing this?” — and this year it was Jamesbrittenia.
It’s not a name most gardeners recognize today. But after seeing Kientzler’s newest introductions, I think that’s about to change.
At first glance, Jamesbrittenia reminds people of bacopa. It produces masses of small flowers that spill beautifully over the edges of hanging baskets and mixed containers. But one thing stood out immediately: it loves summer.
| Trait | Jamesbrittenia | Bacopa |
| Heat | Excellent heat tolerance | Prefers cooler temperatures |
| Summer bloom | Keeps flowering through the heat | Often slows in prolonged heat |
| Habit | Dense branching | More trailing |
| Texture | Fine | Fine |
| Baskets & combos | Excellent | Excellent |
Why It’s Different
Bacopa has earned its reputation as one of the best basket plants available — but anyone who’s grown it through an Indiana summer knows it can struggle during long stretches of high heat. Jamesbrittenia fills that same design role while continuing to perform when temperatures climb.
Its naturally fine texture blends beautifully with larger flowering annuals, adding movement and softness to mixed combinations. It pairs especially well with:
- ✓ Petunias and calibrachoa
- ✓ Angelonia
- ✓ Verbena
- ✓ Euphorbia
- ✓ Ornamental grasses
A Plant With Potential
One thing I enjoy about attending industry trials is discovering plants before they become widely available, and Jamesbrittenia feels like one of those hidden gems. It’s elegant without being fussy, it flowers continuously, and it seems particularly well suited for the hot summers we get here in Indiana.
We’re planning to grow it in 2027, and I have a feeling it’ll quickly become one of those plants gardeners wonder how they ever lived without.
Caleb’s Take
Some plants catch your attention because they’re loud. Others do it because they’re refined. Jamesbrittenia was one of those quiet surprises at Cultivate that became more impressive the longer I looked at it — and those are often the ones that become favorites over time.
Hoosier Tip
When you’re building a summer basket that has to take full afternoon sun, reach for the heat-lover in the trailing slot, not the cool-season one. Swapping a heat-tough spiller like Jamesbrittenia in for bacopa is the kind of quiet substitution that keeps a container looking full in August instead of thinning out.
Reference: Kientzler North America breeder documentation · Schlegel Greenhouse trial notes
