Nov 7, 2008

Athens Select Partners with Southern LivingSource: Athens Select

The Athens Select Marketing Association has teamed up with the Southern Living Plant Collection to inspire gardeners with innovative varieties sure to reinvigorate their landscapes.

Six Athens Select varieties will be offered as part of the collection starting in spring of 2009. The Southern Living Plant Collection, launched in spring 2008, aims to provide gardeners with innovative new plants designed to solve specific landscape challenges. Each plant in the collection is the result of years of plant evaluations, plant trials and consumer research.

Here is a look at the six varieties.

• Begonia Bonita Shea: A compact, mound-shaped Begonia with dainty white to pink flowers borne over curled reddish-green leaves with red undersides. It grows up to 6-10 inches tall and blooms from spring until fall. Begonia Bonita Shea prefers full sun to part shade. Zone 10 to 11.
• Cuphea Plum Mist: Two-tone flowers in light and dark lavender stand out nicely against medium-green foliage. An exceptionally free-flowering, well-balanced, low-growing plant. It grows 10-12 inches tall and blooms from spring until fall. Prefers full sun. Zone 7b to 11.
• Heliotrope Azure Skies: A low-growing, spreading American native with light lavender flower clusters. Incredibly heat tolerant and prefers full sun. Grows 12-14 inches and blooms from spring until fall. Zone 7 to 11.
• Ruellia Ragin’ Cajun: Vivid red flowers and a low growth habit with wispy flower stems. A tough little plant that’s easy to grow and holds up well through heat and humidity. Grows 12-14 inches all and blooms from spring until fall. Prefers full sun. Zone 7b to 11.
• Setcreacea Blue Sue: Displays distinctive blue-tinged foliage with a handsome purple margin. Pink flowers provide a wonderful contrast to the foliage. It grows 6-8 inches tall and blooms from summer to fall. Full sun to part shade. Zone 7b to 11.
• Scaevola ‘Cajun Blue’: An all-around great-performing scaevola that’s more compact and earlier-blooming than other varieties. Exceptional heat tolerance. Grows 8-10 inches tall and blooms from spring until fall. Prefers full sun. Zone 9 to 11.

Founded in 1999, Athens Select is a collection of unique heat- and humidity-tolerant plant varieties selected by Dr. Allan Armitage at the University of Georgia Trial Gardens and propagated from virus-indexed stock by members of the Athens Select Marketing Association.

Southern Living is a popular lifestyle and entertainment magazine, with a circulation of about 2.8 million and a readership of 16 million. Plants in the Southern Living Plant Collection are supported by a cohesive promotion campaign, including consumer advertising and public relations, with additional editorial support provided by Southern Living magazine. Strong packaging and POP elements are implemented to help draw gardeners to the shelf. Retailers can get listed free of charge at www.southernlivingplants.com. Liners for these varieties are available from licensed Athens Select propagators.

For more information about the Southern Living Plant Collection varieties and the program, visit www.southernlivingplants.com or www.athensselect.com, or contact your wholesale grower or broker.