September 2006

Not Seen At Pack Trials By Morgan Muir

If you thought you saw all the new varieties for 2007 at Pack Trials last April, think again. While there were a lot of varieties to look at and a lot of companies to visit, some of the big names in the floriculture industry did not participate in the trials. But their absence doesn't mean they are short on new varieties. These companies will be introducing more than 100 new varieties in 2007 — varieties you didn't see at Pack Trials. Below are about a dozen of those varieties to give you a taste. If you want to see more, check out the Web sites on the left.

Achillea

Introduced by Yoder Brothers, Inc., the mound-forming achillea Tutti Frutti series comes in three new colors: 'Apricot Delight,' 'Strawberry Seduction' and 'Wonderful Wampee'. 'Strawberry Seduction' has a mature height of 18-20 inches. Petals are velvety red with bright gold centers, and the foliage is thick and dark green. The Tutti Frutti series is bred to have sturdier stems, better branching and shorter internodes than achilliea 'Paprika'.

• Bred for good branching and uniform flowering.
• Has a sturdy, compact habit.
• June through August bloom period.

Alocasia

Alocasia lauterbaachiana, from Agri-Starts Inc., is an upright plant. It has thin leaves that are dark with a dark-burgundy underside. This 2007 variety works well in mixed containers. It is important to unpack and plant the liners immediately upon receipt.

• Common diseases include ç Xanthomonas, Erwinia, Myrothesium, Fusarium and Phytopthora.
• Performs best in a peat-based mix with good aeration and a 5.5-6.2 pH.
• Allow soil to dry slightly between waterings.

Begonia

The Rhine beg-onia series from DŸmmen USA has three new colors for 2007: Borias (soft pink), Drag-ona (rich pink) and Olympic Red (deep red). Each is a vigorous grower and suitable for pot production and container or landscape use.

• Olympic Red is bred to have a shorter rooting time and crop cycle.
• Maintain temperatures between 70 and 72¡ F day and night.
• Allow 4-5 weeks for propagation.

Chrysanthemum

'Jolly Cheryl', a rich red; 'Cool Cheryl', a white 2-tone; and 'Spark-ling Cheryl', a clear yellow, are new additions to Yoder's chrysanthemum Prophets collection. These new colors are derived from the 2-tone lavender variety 'Cheryl'.

• Each flowers in early October.
• All have late-season response.
• Can be used in summer shaded programs.

Coreopsis

'Limerock Dream'. Coreopsis 'Limerock Dream', from Blooms of Bressingham, features daisy-shaped blooms that are apricot-pink in spring and rich green foliage. The blooms turn copper-orange in the summer heat. 'Limerock Dream' will be available January 2007.

• Can grow 12-18 inches tall and 32 inches wide in full sun.
• Bred for a uniform habit.
• June through October bloom period.'Pinwheel'. Terra Nova Nur-series' coreopsis 'Pinwheel' has light-yellow, flared, pinwheel-shaped flowers and blue-green foliage. This hardy herbaceous perennial has a mounding habit and moderate nutrition needs.
  • Allow soil to dry between waterings.
  • Reaches 24-26 inches tall and 32 inches wide.
  • Grows best in well-drained soil and full sunlight.

  Cyclamen

  Morel Dif-fusion introduced the fancy type 'Dhiva Sal-mon' to its Hal-ios series, which already includes 16 colors and eight other fancy varieties. A com-pact plant, 'Dhi-va Salmon' has large, striated petals that are rounded and arranged in a fan shape.

  • Bred for tolerance of climatic stress.
  • Crop time is 15-20 weeks from potting and 32-36 weeks from sowing.
  • Has a medium-growth, compact habit.

  Dendranthema

  Blooms of Bressingham's perennial den-dranthema Igloo series now includes 'Rosy Igloo' with rich-red, duplex, daisy flowers. Plants are char-acterized by their domed hab-it and mass of flowers. Flow-ering begins in mid-September the first year and mid-August the second year.

  • Hardy in Zones 5-9.
  • Bred for cold-weather tolerance and uniform flowering.
  • Pinching should not be necessary.

  Geranium

  A new Darwin Plants introduction, 'Sweet Heidy' has been bred by the same Dutch breeder, Marco van Noort, who created Darwin's 'Jolly Bee'. Bred for versatility, 'Sweet Heidy' has a part-sprawling habit and can be used for borders, containers, hanging baskets and mass plantings. This new hybrid has a distinct white center surrounded by pink, which blends into blue, with a layer of dark veins.

  • Prefers sun and moist, well-drained soil.
  • May through September bloom period.
  • Reaches approximately 14 inches high and 18 inches wide.

  Heuchera

  Terra Nova's heuchera 'Mid-night Rose' is a new compact plant with burnished black leaves that become thickly spotted with hot pink in the spring. During the summer months, the leaves lighten and cream and pink dots decorate the foliage.

  • Bred for Zones 4-9.
  • Use moist, well-drained, low-peat soil.
  • A 12-week vernalization period is recommended for optimum flowering.

  Hibiscus

  Blooms of Bressingham will introduce the hibiscus Cordial series in January 2007. 'Peppermint Schnapps', 'Cinnamon Grappa', 'Brady Punch' and 'Cherry Brandy' each have a full habit. 'Peppermint Schnapps' is the tallest of the group; 'Cinnamon Grappa' is the shortest. 'Cherry Brandy' is typically the latest to flower (7-10 days after the others).

  • July and August bloom period.
  • Hardy in Zones 5-9.
  • Grow 31Ú2 ft. tall and 3 ft. wide with 8- to 10-inch blooms.

  Laurentia

  Thompson & Morgan's new laurentia F1 hybrids 'Avant-garde Blue' and 'Avant-garde Pink' are winners of the 2007 Fleuroselect Gold Medal. The blue variety should flower three weeks earlier than last year's laurentia axillaries 'Blue Stars', while the pink should flower five weeks earlier than 'Pink Stars'. 'Avant-garde Blue' and 'Avant-garde Pink' work well in pots and containers as well as in bedding schemes.

  • Plants can be sown as late as April for same-year flowering.
  • Bred for uniformity and a bush-like habit.
  • Have a long flowering season.

  Musa

  Musa 'Little Prince' and musa 'Bordelon' are new from Agri-Starts. 'Little Prince' is a short dwarf variety that should reach a maximum height of 24 inches; it is bred for small, tropical containers. The thick pseudostem and dense foliage give smaller pot sizes a uniform balance. Musa 'Bordelon' is a cold-hardy variety. Its leaves have a burgundy underside that contrasts with the green topside.

  • Do not allow media to dry out between waterings.
  • Excessive fertilizer can cause leaf tips and margins to burn.
  • Grow in full sun to 30-percent shade.

  Osteospermum

  The osteospermum Summertime series, presented by DŸmmen, includes osteospermum Sunset, a large-flowered, multi-colored variety bred for heat tolerance and sturdy branching. 'Sunset' blooms in a variety of colors: Some flowers are yellow at the tips and fade into a light pink with purple eye while others are mostly yellow with purple eye.

  • Develops more rapidly under long-day conditions.
  • Plants can be pinched during transplant; leave 11Ú2 inches of growth below the pinch.
  • Do not water excessively to avoid slow plant development and stretch.

  Phlox

  Bred by Dutch plantsman Jan Verschoor, phlox 'Sherbet Cocktail' is available from Darwin Plants. This phlox variety forms yellow buds with chocolate-maroon bracts that open and reveal flowers with a yellow-green edge and either white or pink centers. The flowers have a slightly waxy appearance. It features large, tight flower clusters on upright stems.

  • Plants grow roughly 28 inches tall and 20 inches wide.
  • July through September bloom period.
  • Bred to have good resistance to mildew.

  Morgan Muir

  Morgan Muir is editorial assistant for GPN. If you have questions regarding this article, please E-mail mboyer@sgcmail.com.