Jul 11, 2017

2018: Year of the Calibrachoa By Jasmina Dolce

The National Garden Bureau recently announced its “Year of the” crops for 2018. As always, NGB selects crops that are easy to grow and genetically diverse with a lot of new varieties to choose from. In the annuals category, “new varieties” couldn’t be more true as 2018 is going to be Year of the Calibrachoa.

After going through hundreds of photos from the 2017 California Spring Trials and skimming through dozens of new variety catalogs, I think the organization definitely went with a great choice. Breeders are offering a lot of impressive options in the calibrachoa category and continue to diversify their lineups.

Personally, every year is calibrachoa year in my garden. I absolutely love their versatility. From in-ground plantings to hanging baskets to mixed planters, I utilize calibrachoa in so many applications. Plus, the color availability continues to expand each year.

By mid-November, NGB will have photos and numerous varieties posted on its website. The organization will also provide PDFs of fact sheets, flyers, handouts and signage, which will be available on the NGB website.

If you need some inspiration for your upcoming season, here are some recent calibrachoa introductions to consider:

‘Callie Pink Morn’
Syngenta Flowers

‘MiniFamous Double Silver Blue’
Selecta

‘Cruze Control Red Delicious’
Green Fuse Botanicals

‘Bloomtastic Serenity’
Dümmen Orange

‘Can-Can Bumble Bee Pink’
Ball FloraPlant

‘Superbells Double Ruby’
Proven Winners

Will you be taking advantage of the Year of the Calibrachoa program for 2018? Have you seen recent success with calibrachoa crops? Which varieties are your favorites? Shoot me an email at jdolce@greatamericanpublish.com, and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

— Jasmina