2017 Spring Trials Preview — Vol. 3
Can you believe California Spring Trials is only 37 days away? I feel like exhibitors as well as attendees have been prepping for the week-long trek for what seems like forever.
Breeders have been hard at work over the past year perfecting their latest creations, while many growers have taken on the responsibility of producing these new introductions for the big event. Everything needs to be just right. Color, habit, uniformity, disease resistance, etc. Presentation means everything!
Many of the breeders that will be exhibiting at the trials were kind enough to share a glimpse into their most recent breeding efforts. In my last couple of e-newsletters, I’ve shared some of the new varieties that will be on display in California in April. So here’s another preview into the latest introductions for next season.
Keep in mind, this is just a handful of what you’ll be seeing along the coast. Be on the lookout for my next e-newsletter where I’ll share even more with you. And if you haven’t finalized your Spring Trials itinerary yet, be sure to check out GPN’s California Spring Trials Companion to help you map your route and schedule appointments.
Pentas Lucky Star series
PanAmerican Seed
Lucky Star is bred for the fastest follow-up blooming of any pentas on the market. Follow-up blooms don’t eclipse the prior flush, so plants stay compact, tight and ready for sale at retail with minimal effort.
Petunia Constellation series
Westhoff
Eye-catching starry-eyed patterns cover these unique petunia blooms. A very novel lineup for gardeners, these plants have a vigorous mounded-trailing habit and excellent garden performance.
Begonia ‘Unbelievable Miss Malibu’
Dümmen Orange
After winning the FleuroStar award in 2016, ‘Unbelievable Miss Malibu’ will cross the pond and join the Unbelievable begonia series. It features excellent garden performance in both sun and shade locations, and boasts rich bronze foliage and enchanting bloom color.
Hibiscus ‘Summerific Cherry Choco Latte’
Walters Gardens
An improvement on the popular Cherry Cheesecake, Cherry Choco Latte has darker foliage, more attractive flowers and a compact habit. Its huge 8- to 9-inch white flowers have intense pink veining and cover dark, olive green foliage.
Lavender ‘Paris’
Green Fuse Botanicals
Lavandula dentata ‘Paris’ is an early-flowering selection. It presents a compact form and lavender-blue flower color.
Chrysanthemum ‘Vega Red’
Gediflora
This decorative variety will flower in early September and has large burgundy flowers with excellent color retention and shelf life. ‘Vega Red’ has medium vigor and is suitable for any pot size.
Phlox Popstars series
Floranova
Popstars is a new series of F1 naturally dwarf phlox with eye-catching, unique, star-shaped flowers. Popstars has strong overall garden performance and very good heat tolerance. The series is available in six bright colors, including striking bicolors.
Petunia ‘Happy Giant Pink Mix’
Cohen Propagation Nurseries
This new petunia boasts bright large flowers with a white star center. It has a vigorous plant habit with long flowering period and will be suitable for large containers and baskets.
Hydrangea ‘First Editions Diamond Rouge’
Bailey Nursery
Diamond Rouge is bred to be the reddest Hydrangea paniculata on the market. This new variety has abundant, long-lasting flowers on strong stems that start white and progress to pink, raspberry red and finally wine red.
Calibrachoa MiniFamous Neo series
Selecta One
The MiniFamous Neo series offers consistency across the entire series. It is bred to have the tightest bloom window and provide uniform habit and flowers. Plants feature large single blooms, semi-trailing habit and medium vigor.
Will you be attending the California Spring Trials? What are you looking to add to your production? Shoot me an email at jdolce@greatamericanpublish.com, and let me know.
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