Walking through the living room last night I glimpsed, from the corner of my eye, an ad for a favorite plant nursery flashing cross the television screen.

My kids immediately started chanting “avert your eyes, avert your eyes!” as my legs braced for a quick U-turn.

My 12-year-old daughter muted the sound as she simultaneously changed channels.

“What?!” I said defensively, watching as my 16-year-old gave his sister a wicked grin and a snappy high-five.

My daughter just looked at me.

“It’s all a matter of will power,” explained my son, kindly. “We’re just trying to help you stay fiscally responsible.”

Well, gee. Thanks so very much, Mr. Finance!

My kids do, as much as it pains me to admit, have a point. What plant-lover worth his salt hasn’t found himself facing a horticultural shopaholic meltdown? Especially in early spring, when everything from new plants to exquisite statuary becomes so very, very tempting.

I’ve learned from experience to scout nurseries without my checkbook and carrying only limited amounts of cash. Instead, I bring a notebook and pen. Writing down desired plants, pots, fountains and other treasures prevents me from actually trying to purchase everything in sight, and helps me narrow the field so that I can make smart choices.

It helps to be realistic. Have a budget, and prioritize purchases from most important to least important.

For example, dressing up our front porch and back decks with hanging baskets and flowering or foliage containers is always near the top of my to-do list.

Letting this part of our garden slide would give me more discretionary income for other, bigger-ticket items. But I really love the lush, full, colorful effect that I get from all of these container plantings, so they’ll continue to stay near the top of my must-have list.

Still, change is both inevitable and important. Plants die, fences blow down, the climate changes and suddenly we’re faced with new landscape challenges.

Fortunately, the nursery industry does a terrific job of bolstering our enthusiasm — primarily through the introduction each year of fun and fascinating new plant cultivars.

Today we’re looking at a sampling of new plant introductions, something we’re doing here every few weeks as the season gets into gear. There are perennials, shrubs and even a lovely tree — something to tempt just about everybody!

New plants for 2007

Crimson Ruby barberry (Berberis thunbergii Criruzam): This dwarf deciduous Barberry has vivid burgundy-red foliage, with vigorous growth that won’t break out of its neat rounded form. It has a naturally dense shape which adapts to informal plantings, but is easily sheared for more formal gardens. Takes full sun and is fairly drought-tolerant once established. Fast growth to 24 inches tall and wide.

Tropicanna Black canna (Canna indica): A unique canna named for its large, almost black, chocolate colored foliage. Flower spikes emerge bright red and mellow to orange. While most Canna require full sun, this variety needs some dappled shade. Five to six feet in height. Excellent for specimen plantings or container use.

Kilian Donahue’ clematis: The early blossoms open ruby red at the center, changing to brilliant fuchsia with a edging of light purple. White anthers appear to be tipped in deep burgundy. Coloring slowly lightens to lavender with a pink bar. The changes make it seem as if two clematis species are intertwined. This is an early bloomer, with continual flushes through the summer. Deciduous. Sun to part shade. Expect vigorous growth to 10 feet.

Merlot coneflower (Echinacea purpea): Named for its wine-colored stems, this charming cultivar has extra large rose-pink flowers, easily five inches across, with huge cones. A lavish branching habit produces masses of fragrant, long-lasting blooms. Almost three feet tall, 30 inches across, Merlot thrives in full sun and requires no staking.

Raspberry Tart coneflower (Echinacea purpea): This compact coneflower produces an abundance of vibrant raspberry-magenta flowers with large cones and pendulous petals. At about 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide, this sturdy cultivar requires no staking, does extremely well in containers, has a lovely fragrance and a long bloom season.

Silver Star pittosporum (Pittosporum tenuifolium): Discovered in New Zealand, this evergreen shrub has small, wavy-edged leaves that are sage-green, almost silvery, on red-black stems. Its naturally dense form makes it an ideal hedge or eye-catching specimen. Simply shear annually to shape. It is drought tolerant, preferring full to partial sun. Grows 10- to 12-feet tall, four- to five-feet wide.

Heatwave sage (Salvia) series: A stunning group of four salvias from Australia. There’s Heatwave Blaze in crimson, Heatwave Sizzle in candy pink, Heatwave Scorcher in soft pink and Heatwave Flare in hot pink. All have longer bloom cycles and will repeat bloom faster than most salvias. Each has been bred to produce a compact, rounded habit, reaching a little over 24 inches high and wide. Very disease resistant, tolerant of drought and attractive to hummingbirds.

Sunny Daze solanum (S. rantonnetii MonRita): A tender perennial, this cultivar sports variegated foliage in shades of green-yellow and gold, which turn white as the leaf matures. During the warmer months, the plant is adorned with deep amethyst colored flowers, providing nice contrast against a backdrop of variegated leaves. Unlike the species, this cultivar prefers dappled sun or full shade. With a dwarf habit, it will reach just three feet high and wide, and does extremely well in a container.

Snow Charm Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonicus JFS-E): This delightful small garden tree has the most consistent, rounded form of any styrax currently on the market. The leaves are also larger, and a darker green. A great specimen tree, reaching about 20 feet tall and wide when mature. The pendulous, pure white flowers look like miniature bells and appear in mid-spring. Give this tree full sun to partial shade in a well-drained site. Resistant to twig dieback, which plagues some other snowbell cultivars.

Eternal Fragrance daphne (Daphne x transatlantica): Extend the daphne season with this cultivar, which produces fragrant white-flushed-with-pink blossoms irregularly through the summer and into autumn. Flowers appear along the entire stem, instead of clustering at the stem tips as with traditional daphne. Expect Eternal Fragrance to reach about three feet tall and wide if grown in a sunny, well-drained site.

Glacier Blue euphorbia (E. characias): The great thing about this spurge, other than its icy blue, edged-with-cream leaves, is its modest size: about 18 inches tall and wide. Very sturdy, doesn’t flop and doesn’t outgrow its site like so many spurges do. Happy in full sun to partial shade, average soil, fairly drought-tolerant once established. Excellent in the landscape or in containers.

Shorty euphorbia: Gorgeous blue-green foliage, mellowing to a soft green that takes on hints of rose-red as winter approaches. Bright yellow heads appear in late winter, making this a plant that looks great all year long. Reaches 15-18 inches tall and wide, maintaining its compact form all season.

Going Bananas hemerocallis: Creamy yellow, four-inch flowers with ruffled edges are very showy. Mature plants can produce up to 15 well-spaced blossoms per branch over the narrow, semi-evergreen foliage. This is a very rugged daylily, able to withstand poor sites, salt spray and the soil beneath black walnut trees. Prefers full sun, but can take a bit of shade. Flowering is continuous, from early summer into fall. Great in containers or in the landscape. Reaches 19 to 22 inches in height, with similar spread.

Volcano Ruby phlox (Phlox paniculata): A robust, mildew-resistant and extremely floriferous phlox with eye-poppingly-vibrant fragrant rosy-red flowers. Individual blossoms number up to 125 or more per cluster! The huge flower heads appear atop strong, upright stems (24-40 inches tall) that don’t require staking. Tolerant of a wide range of soils and best in partial shade where summers are hot. A bright pop of color from early summer until fall.