May 2011 California Spring Trials, Management, Variety Info

Another Successful Spring Trials Journey By Tim Hodson

Once again, Team GPN survived California Spring Trials.

Jasmina Radjevic, Bob Bellew, Kim Sammartino, Amanda McAdam and I spent seven days traveling to all of the breeder locations during the last week of March to see what new varieties and marketing concepts growers and retailers can expect to see on the market in the coming year.

There were no earthquakes this year and, for the most part, the weather was great as we made our way from Encinitas to Gilroy. The week did get off to a fast start though. On our first night in California, before Spring Trials even officially opened, I got word that Fides North America’s parent company, the Agribio Group, purchased Oro Farms (see story on page 8). That spurred a lot of conversations during the week.

Overall, the breeders and other exhibiting companies did a great job during Floriculture’s Fashion Week. It’s a crazy week but it’s well worth it because there are some exciting new products in the pipeline. Stay tuned!

All in a Name

When we got to Imagination Canyon, we learned that Northern Innovators had named one of its new hibiscus hybrids ‘Klahanie Jasmina’ and the name actually has something to do with Jasmina Radjevic. I don’t have enough room to tell you the story here, but contact Jasmina at jradjevic@sgcmail.com and she can fill you in on all of the details.

Check It Out

You can read more about the highlights of our California Spring Trials adventures in the June and July issues of GPN.

In the mean time, don’t forget to check out our website ­— www.CaliforniaSpringTrials.com. Click on our Flickr link where you can view nearly 200 photos of the new introductions and merchandising concepts that were on display this year.

Also, be sure to check out Hort TV @ California Spring Trials on www.gpnmag.com to learn about a few of the trends we saw and see videos from the breeders.