Day Four Recap: 2015 California Spring Trials
So we’ve survived the first half of Spring Trials and are continuing on down the coast. Day 4 began in San Luis Obispo where Dümmen displayed their new Red Fox varieties and introduced new marketing concepts for their Confetti Garden line. Their new mixes are gorgeous and some will be available in newly introduced six-packs.
HGTV Home Plant Collection continues to do a ton of work with branding and marketing to the consumer. They are expanding their collections and displayed wonderful, eye-catching combos.
We then trekked to Lompoc to catch up with Floranova. They’ve added four new colors to their popular begonia Bossa Nova series, rounding out the collection. We also got to see some new interesting retail formats for Vegetalis.
Our tour ended at Windmill Nursery, which is now in its second year at Spring Trials. PAC-Elsner and Terra Nova Nurseries had wonderful variety displays, and it was great to welcome Kienztler to their very first Spring Trials! The fourth generation company has had excellent breeding for many years, but their varieties have traditionally been licensed with other companies. They are now opening up available directly from their production site in Costa Rica.
Our next stop will be Ventura, so stay tuned for more! In the meantime, here are some highlights from Day 4. You can see more on our gallery page at www.californiaspringtrials.com.
Begonia ‘Unbelievable First Kiss’ (Dümmen)
This new begonia displays huge flowers. The plant’s habit is more upright, making it less likely to snap and thus much easier to ship.
New Guinea impatiens SunStanding series (Dümmen)
A totally new series, SunStanding varieties boast large true New Guinea flowers. A complete range of color is offered, and these plants will perform in full sun and heat.
Hot Tropics collection (HGTV Home Plant Collection)
HGTV Introduced an exciting new line of tropical mixes, Hot Tropics. Four mixes are currently available.
Begonia ‘Bossa Nova Pure White’ (Floranova)
One of four new colors, Pure White delivers a much more clear white than last year’s White. Bossa Nova is bred for its amazing branching and floriferous habit and looks great in larger containers and baskets.
Viola ‘Bel Viso Blackberry Swirl’ (Floranova)
Bel Viso is further enhanced for 2015 with six new unique color offerings. Blackberry Swirl is an experimental variety that presents large showy flowers on a compact plant. It will fit right in with the rest of the series.
Geranium ‘Dandy Merlot Mex’ (PAC-Elsner)
Dandy is an ivy geranium series that is not too leggy and doesn’t crack. It does very well in pots and hanging baskets. The bicolor varieties, like Merlot Mex, are very stable in color variation.
Agastache ‘Kudos Gold’ (Terra Nova Nurseries)
The Kudos series is naturally compact and needs no pinching or PGRs. A new intro this year, Gold features a very warm yellow color. It is Zone 5 hardy and drought tolerant.
New Guinea Paradise series (Kientzler)
While the Paradise series is not new to the market, it’s one of Kientzler’s most well-known products. And they continue to expand the collection; they’ve added a few new colors this year including Light Salmon and Cabano White.