Mar 10, 2015

Spring Trials 2015: Sneak Peek (Part 3) By Jasmina Dolce

And so the countdown continues. The annual trek down the California coast begins in just 32 days! The many breeder companies exhibiting this year have so much in store for attendees, and they’ve been kind enough to share some of their newest introductions with me.

If you’re attending the 2015 California Spring Trials, what types of new introductions are you most excited about? Which characteristics stand out most to you? Do you look for specific species, colors, tolerance to pests/diseases, etc?

No matter what types of plants you look to add to your production, be sure to check out these new varieties below. Are you as excited as I am to see them up close next month?

Gerbera Bengal series (Syngenta)

The popular Jaguar gerbera has a new big brother. The Bengal gerbera series features stronger, more vigorous plants with large, showy flowers perfect for bigger pots. The series includes six classic colors, including orange, rose and white.

Salvia ‘Black & Bloom’ (Ball FloraPlant)

‘Black & Bloom’ salvia is very fast to finish with an eye-catching flower form and deep blue color. It is great for mid-border color with continuous flowers from spring to frost. It requires little maintenance for gardeners and attracts hummingbirds.

Marigold Chica series (Hem Genetics)

The new large-flowered French marigold Chica series features larger flowers than other series on the market. It boasts ease of care and retains top quality for long periods on the retail shelf. Three colors are available for 2015: Orange (pictured), Yellow and Gold.

Begonia ‘Bossa Nova Pure White’ (Floranova)

Launched in 2015 in four intial colors, Bossa Nova is a seed-raised alternative to vegetative cuttings with superb branching and a floriferous habit. 2015 brings an addition of four more exciting colors: Ivory, Pure White, Pink Glow and Salmon. Bossa Nova’s full and cascading habit is perfect for smaller pots, hanging baskets, combinations and borders.

Coleus ‘Granville Street’ (Dümmen/Red Fox)

An excellent addition to the Main Street coleus series, ‘Granville Street’ brightens shade gardens with green-flecked leaves sporting a chartreuse margin. It is naturally heavy branching and late to flower. This medium-vigor variety is easy to grow from a single input and makes an ideal centerpiece in a mixed container.

Canna ‘Fire Dragon’ (PlantHaven)

This new canna features rich velvety red blooms and lush green foliage. It blooms from summer through fall and exhibits good self-cleaning characteristics. A bee and butterfly attractant, ‘Fire Dragon’ can be used in containers, borders and mass landscape plantings.

Lampranthus ‘Red Orange’ (Jaldety)

An ideal choice for coastal and rock gardens, low borders and ground coverings, this lampranthus is drought tolerant and easy to grow. It features long-lasting bright color impact from spring to autumn.

Zinnia ‘UpTown Frosted Strawberry’ (Burpee Home Gardens)

The first double flower in the UpTown series, Frosted Strawberry boasts large, fully double flowers and vigor to match the collection. It is a great water-wise or hot weather selection. This new zinnia is easy to produce, and the color stands out at retail.

If you still haven’t put the final touches on your Spring Trials itinerary, feel free to use GPN’s Spring Trials Companion to help map out your route. And if you’re staying behind this year, have no fear. We’ll be blogging from the road and will be posting tons of photos on www.californiaspringtrials.com.

– Jasmina