Mast Young Plants is thrilled to announce the results of its 2024 Trial Garden, where over 150 new plant genetics for 2025 and 500 unique combination planters were showcased. This report showcases top consumer favorites, top garden performers, top combinations, feature trial results, and more,
2024 TRIAL GARDEN RESULTS & DATA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. 2024 MYP Trial Garden Results........................4 2. 2024 Top Consumer Favorites....................6-10 3. 2024 Top Garden Performers...................11-16 4. 2024 Best of the Best.................................17-20 5. Top 2024 Combinations............................21-24 6. Bloem Container Top Pics.............................25 7. MYP Employee Combos................................26 8. You Asked, We Trialed: 2024 Feature Trials Plants Per Pot, Fertilizer Rate, & Foliage in Full Sun .......................................................28-33 9. AAS Trial Area Standouts..........................34-35 10. 2024 MYP Trial Garden Visit & Event Highlights.........................................................36
Mast Young Plants’ trial garden is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The 2024 summer trials featured more than 1500 varieties, 500+ uniquely handcrafted hanging baskets and planters,130 new items displayed in both sun and shade, the All-American Selection trial grounds, and our 2024 trials: plants per pot, fertilizer rate, and foliage in full sun.
Mast Young Plants Trial Garden 3525 Bristol Avenue NW Grand Rapids, Michigan 49544 1-800-541-3910
2
3
2024 MYP TRIAL GARDEN RESULTS
Top 10 Consumer Favorites 1. Coleus Flame Thrower™ Adobo Pink - Ball FloraPlant 2. Gomphrena Ping Pong Purple - Sakata 3. Helianthus Sunfinity® Double Yellow - Syngenta Flowers 4. Angelonia AngelFlare™ Black - Ball FloraPlant 5. Tradescantia Bridal Veil Purple - Danziger 6. Petchoa SuperCal® Premium Rose Star - Sakata 7. Verbena Vanessa™ Bicolor Light Pink - Danziger 8. Ipomoea Sweet Georgia® Black Pulse - Green Fuse Botanicals 9. Vinca Rosea XDR Nirvana® Blackberry - Syngenta Flowers 10. Petunia Painted Love™ Purple - Syngenta Flowers Top Performers Based on Staff Evaluation 1. Kwik Kombo™ Blueberry Twist™ Mix - Syngenta Flowers 2. Agastache mexicana Summerlong™ Lemon - Darwin Perennials 3. Petunia Capella™ Fuchsia Diamond - Danziger 4. Petunia Dekko™ Pinwheel Purple - Syngenta Flowers 5. Calibrachoa Lia™ Abstract Lemon Cherry - Danziger 6. Bidens Timeless™ Blazing Flames™ - Danziger 7. Angelonia AngelFlare™ Cranberry - Ball FloraPlant 8. Celosia Kelos® Fire Red - Beekenkamp 9. Eucalyptus Pulverulenta Baby Blue Bouquet - Benary 10. Calibrachoa Chameleon® Pink Splash - Westflowers 11. Euphorbia Euphoric™ White - Syngenta Flowers Best of the Best Best Drought-Tolerant Annual: Dorotheanthus Mezzo Red - Syngenta Flowers Best Drought-Tolerant Perennial: Agastache mexicana Summerlong™ Lemon - Darwin Perennials Best Heat-Tolerant Annual: Helianthus Sunfinity® Double Yellow - Syngenta Flowers Best Heat-Tolerant Perennial: Guara Belleza® Early White - Selecta Best Pollinator-Friendly Annuals: Salvia Blue Chill - Ball FloraPlant Helianthus Sol Seeker™ Bronze Burst - Danziger Ageratum Monarch Magic - Ball FloraPlant Best Pollinator-Friendly Cut Flower: Scabiosia Focal Scoop™ Lilac - Danziger Best Pollinator-Friendly Perennials: Echinacea Guatemala™ Papaya - Danziger Best Overall Performance Annual: Begonia Interspecific Stonehedge Rose Bronze Leaf - Collection Best Overall Performance Perennial: Echinacea Guatemala™ Papaya - Danziger
4
5
2024 TOP CONSUMER FAVORITES
The people have spoken! Visitors vote for their favorite new varieties and we tally their votes all summer long. Introducing our visitors’ top 10 new varieties!
Coleus Flame Thrower™ Adobo Pink Ball FloraPlant
Gomphrena Ping Pong Purple Sakata
6
Helianthus Sunfinity® Double Yellow Syngenta Flowers
Angelonia AngelFlare™ Black Ball FloraPlant
7
Tradescantia Bridal Veil Purple Danziger
Petchoa SuperCal® Premium Rose Star Sakata
8
Verbena Vanessa™ Bicolor Light Pink Danziger
Ipomoea Sweet Georgia® Black Pulse Green Fuse Botanicals
9
Vinca Rosea XDR Nirvana® Blackberry Syngenta Flowers
Calibrachoa Calitastic™ Bordeaux Star by Westflowers
Petunia Painted Love™ Purple Syngenta Flowers
10
2024 TOP GARDEN PERFORMERS BASED ON STAFF EVALUATION
Kwik Kombo™ Blueberry Twist™ Mix Syngenta Flowers
Agastache mexicana Summerlong™ Lemon Darwin Perennials
11
Petunia Capella™ Fuchsia Diamond Danziger
Petunia Dekko™ Pinwheel Purple Syngenta Flowers
12
Calibrachoa Lia™ Abstract Lemon Cherry Danziger
Bidens Timeless™ Blazing Flames™ Danziger
13
Angelonia AngelFlare™ Cranberry Ball FloraPlant
Celosia Kelos® Fire Red Beekenkamp
14
Eucalyptus Pulverulenta Baby Blue Bouquet Benary
Calibrachoa Chameleon® Pink Splash Westflowers
15
Euphorbia Euphoric™ White Syngenta Flowers
16
2024 BEST OF THE BEST
Best Drought-Tolerant Annual Dorotheanthus Mezzo Red Syngenta Flowers
Best Drought-Tolerant Perennial Agastache mexicana Summerlong™ Lemon - Darwin Perennials
Best Heat Tolerant Annual Helianthus Sunfinity® Double Yellow Syngenta Flowers
Best Heat Tolerant Perennial Guara Belleza® Early White Selecta
17
Best Pollinator Friendly Annuals Salvia Blue Chill Ball FloraPlant
Best Pollinator Friendly Annuals Helianthus Sol Seeker™ Bronze Burst Danziger
18
Best Pollinator Friendly Cut Flower Scabiosa Focal Scoop™ Lilac Danziger
Best Pollinator Friendly Annuals Ageratum Monarch Magic Ball FloraPlant
Best Pollinator Friendly Perennials Echinacea Guatemala™ Papaya Danziger
19
Best Overall Performance Annual Begonia Interspecific Stonehedge Rose Bronze Leaf Collection
Best Overall Performance Perennial Echinacea Guatemala™ Papaya Danziger
20
TOP 2024 COMBINATIONS
Deco Pot #115 Salvia farinacea Velocity™ Blue - Syngenta Flowers
Deco Pot #116 Angelonia Alonia Big Bicolor Pink - Danziger Hypoestes Splash Select™ Pink - Ball FloraPlant
Grass Isolepis Fiber Optic - Collection Verbena Lascar™ Vampire - Selecta Scaevola Surdiva® White - Suntory
Geranium Interspecific Calliope® Medium Hot Pink - Syngenta Flowers Euphorbia Star Dust® White Sparkle - Dümmen Orange
Window Box #11 Verbena Lanai® Blue - Syngenta Flowers Lantana Bandolista™ Pineapple - Syngenta Flowers Petunia Flower Shower
Mayan Sunset - Westflowers Calibrachoa Chameleon® Blueberry Scone - Westflowers
21
Deco Pot #119 Grass Carex Red Rooster - Collection Coleus Down Town® Miami Magic - Dümmen Orange Salvia splendens Saucy™ Coral - Collection Calibrachoa MiniFamous® Uno Orange + Red Vein - Selecta
Deco Pot #81 Coleus Down Town Miami Magic - Dümmen Orange Verbena Lascar™ Mango Orange - Selecta
Petchoa SuperCal® Premium Sunset Orange - Ball FloraPlant Petunia Tea Flamingo - Beekenkamp
Window Box #20 Argyranthemum Sunny Spring - Danziger Setcreasea Purple Variegated - Collection Calibrachoa Eyeconic™ Purple - Danziger Petunia Capella™ Indigo - Danziger
22
Hanging Basket #42 Kwik Kombo Itsy Trifection Mix Syngenta Flowers Petunia Itsy™ Magenta
Petunia Itsy™ Pink Petunia Itsy™ White
Hanging Basket #49 Kwik Kombo Picnic in the Park Mix
Syngenta Flowers Petunia Itsy™ Pink
Petunia Shortcake™ Blueberry Calibrachoa Callie™ Yellow
Hanging Basket #81 Bidens Popstar Yellow - Kientzler Calibracoa Chameleon® Indian Summer - Westflowers Verbena Lascar™ Vampire - Selecta
23
Hanging Basket #139 Petunia Capella Mulberry - Danziger Petunia Capella Purple Veins - Danziger Lobularia Stream™ Compact Purple - Danziger
Deco Pot #91 Osteospermum Osticade™ Daybreak - Danziger Petunia Surfinia® Mounding Patio Party Pink - Suntory Calibrachoa Lia™ Melon - Danziger Helichrysum Licorice - Collection
Hanging Basket #172 Petunia Ray™ Sunshine - Danziger Bidens Brazen™ Samurai - Syngenta Flowers Calibracho Aloha Kona Pineapple - Dümmen Orange
24
BLOEM CONTAINERS: “MAKE YOUR WORLD BLOEM ”
While the beautiful plant genetics are the stars of the trial garden each summer, pairing them with colorful containers from Bloem Living added some pizazz to our 2024 garden display. Bloem Living supplies retailers with plastic containers and garden goods, and this summer their distinct and attractive colored pots showcased some of our own distinctly designed combos.
25
NEW FOR 2024: MYP EMPLOYEE COMBOS
For the first time ever, MYP’s talented and dedicated employees showcased their design expertise in our employee combo display area, and garden visitors then weighed in on their top pick from our employees’ masterpieces! This year’s “Employee People’s Choice” honor goes to Mike Wilcox, MYP’s Lead Maintenance Tech – Peach Ridge. “When the idea came out about making our own combo, I wanted to participate but had no idea what to mix together. As I walked around the greenhouse each day at work, I found varieties that I really liked and noted them down to put in my combo. I took those preferred varieties and followed the diagram to come up with my combo.” Look for this popular trial category in next year’s trial garden!
Bracteantha Granvia® Gold - Suntory Petunia Double Veranda™ Compact Sugar Plum - Kientzler Petunia Double Frosted Sapphire - Ball FloraPlant
Draceana marginata Kiwi - Collection Verbena Lascar™ Orange Lava - Selecta Lantana Bandolista™ Mango - Syngenta Flowers
26
27
YOU ASKED, WE TRIALED: 2024 FEATURE TRIALS
Each year our staff selects issues of interest to our customers and trial garden visitors for our annual features trials. The 2024 feature trials were designed to address several questions growers have posed to our trial garden staff: How many plants per pot do you use? How much fertilizer do you feed them? How much sun can foliage houseplants take?
FEATURE TRIAL: PLANTS PER POT
Trial garden visitors have often asked how many plants are grown in each of our pots, assuming that we use more than is typical or feasible for many growers to use. For one of this year’s feature trials, we selected some top varieties in a range of genera and grew them out in our standard 16” stone planters with either 3, 4, or our standard 5 plants per pot. We grew out these varieties side by side and tracked their development with photos at designated intervals throughout the summer. Here’s what we found:
1.
Some genera exhibit significant differences between 3 and 5 plants across the growing period, such as Begonia Adora™ Satin Rose and, surprising to us, Ipomoea Marguerite. These plants grew significantly larger as a 16” container with 5 plants in them than they did with 3 plants in them.
3 plants
4 plants
5 plants
3 plants 4 plants
5 plants
28
2.
Many varieties showed very little difference between 3 and 5 plants per pot. Varieties like Coleus Talavera™ Moondust and Geranium Calliope® Large Dark Red grew nearly identically with 3-5 plants per pot throughout the entire growing season.
3 plants
4 plants
5 plants
3 plants 4 plants
5 plants
3.
Planting 4 plants in our 16” pots seemed to provide consistently strong results. When 5 plants are potted, they may compete for resources which may weaken those plants. If there are just 3, then they can share the fertilizer and water and grow into strong and long- lasting planters for homeowners. How many plants a grower puts in a pot can also be a function of how long they want that pot to grow before it is saleable. When timing is key for growers, 5 plants per pot will fill in more quickly and be saleable sooner. In those cases, a grower might choose more plants to get faster turns on their benches.
4.
FEATURE TRIAL: FERTILIZER RATES
Visitors often inquire about our feeding protocols. We designed this second feature trial to educate growers and retailers alike, and with our first-ever open house for homeowners this year thought they would also benefit from learning about the importance of fertilizer. This trial featured top-selling varieties across many genera at 3 different fertilizer levels: 1) Our standard daily liquid fertilizer at 150 ppm N 2) Just clear water but planted with some slow release fertilizer in the pots 3) No fertilizer and no slow release, to mimic homeowners who only ever water without feed Here’s what we found: Across all the varieties, the line that got the garden’s standard and daily feed performed the best and grew into beautiful, large plants. These results confirm what we expected: regularly fertilized plants perform better and look better for longer in the growing season. Homeowners looking to grow large, healthy, and long-lasting plants are advised to install a fertilizer injection system and feed their plants daily this way. 1.
29
2.
Slow-release fertilizer in the pot does help. In the photos of petunias, verbena, and lantana the pot which received the slow release grew for about the first month and stayed in flower looking relatively good. As the summer wore on and they were watered every day with just hose well water, that slow release gave out and did not carry that pot through the entire summer.
Petunia Bee’s Knees
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
Verbena Beats™ Purple + White
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
Lantana Bandana® Cherry Sunrise
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
3.
The clear water/no fertilizer pots really struggled, with varieties like petunias and verbena turning almost completely yellow and not flowering within a month of planting.
Petunia Crazytunia® Cosmic Purple
Verbena Lanai® Red No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
30
Three varieties receiving no fertilizer performed surprisingly well, displaying some attractive foliage color and flowering for longer than we had expected them to: Begonia Adora™ Velvet Red, Coleus Main Street Ruby Red and Coleus Talavera™ Sienna. 4. Begonia Adora™ Velvet Red
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
Coleus Main Street Ruby Red
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
Coleus Talavera™ Sienna
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
No Fertilizer
Slow-Release
Daily Feed
We will be running another iteration of this fertilizer trial using additional variables in 2025, based on trial garden visitor interest and feedback.
31
In recent years, consumer interest in tropical, foliage, and houseplants has steadily grown. Houseplants and tropical plants are very different types of plants, but homeowners following the houseplant trend don’t always know the difference between shade-tolerating or filtered-light tolerant houseplants such as African Violets or Peperomia and tropical variety houseplants which tend to prefer high light. We conducted this trial to evaluate which tropical, foliage, and houseplant varieties can tolerate growing in full sun. What we learned: There are many tradescantia varieties, and these are often considered indoor foliage plants. After growing out multiple varieties of these, we learned that some performed very well in our full sun trial and would work well mixed in with annuals in combination planters, such as Nanouk, Purple Bridal Veil, and Sillamontana. These varieties all feature different leaf shapes, sizes, color, and even texture that we are looking forward to mixing in some 2025 combos. 1. FEATURE TRIAL: FOLIAGE IN FULL SUN
Tradescantia Sillamontana
Tradescantia Nanouk
Tradescantia Purple Bridal Veil
Week 32
Week 32
Week 32
Pothos, typically used indoors but also considered a tropical plant, also performed well. When plant moves from the indoors or even from in a greenhouse to outside in full sun, it will need to acclimate and may experience some foliar burning, but once that acclimatization occurs, then the plant will grow new leaves that are fully sun tolerant. We liked both the variety Golden and Jade in our trials. 2.
Pothos Golden
Pothos Jade
Week 32
Week 32
32
Monstera, featuring a leaf with holes in it, is a very popular houseplant which also exhibited tolerance for sunlight. The variety Minima performed well in sunlight as well. 3. Not all trialed plants tolerated full sun, but we were pleased identify several multifarious varieties. At MYP, one of the ways we use the trial garden results is to identify plants to include in our program the following year. This foliage trial will impact what varieties we are offering in our ’25-’26 catalog.
Monstera Minima
Week 33
33
Our annual AAS Trial proved again that these are outstanding performers. Our AAS judge, Melissa Winchester, scored the entries and will be submitting her results to the committee. These trials are held around the country and the next round of AAS Winners will come from the combined ratings of these countrywide judges’ scores. AAS TRIAL AREA STANDOUTS
Begonia Viking™ Explorer Rose Sakata
Petchoa EnViva™ Pink Selecta
34
Petunia Bee’s Knees Ball FloraPlant
Geranium Big EEZE Pink Batik Dümmen Orange
35
2024 MYP TRIAL GARDEN VISIT & EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Trial garden season gives us the opportunity to welcome industry friends and experts as well as the general public to our garden. The 2024 trial garden offered visitors the opportunity to learn about exciting new plant genetics being introduced to the marketplace next year, gain inspiration for retail greenhouse or backyard combination planter designs, and to connect with people within and beyond the greenhouse industry. Over 950 visitors 473 unique greenhouse businesses 14 broker offices 11 internationally known plant breeders
Retailer Night in the Garden Customer Appreciation Night
36
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
MAST YOUNG PLANTS
Learn more at www.MastYoungPlants.com
37
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker