BEST OF
No two California Spring Trials are ever the same. We have continuous exposure to new trends, opportunities, and improved genetics each year. Certain plant classes have their moment to shine, and breeders follow consumer trends to change their focus each season. This year, pollinator plants continue to be all the rage, mainly targeting hummingbird and butterfly gardeners. We also see more and more interspecific breeding in multiple plant categories, providing gardeners with better, long-term performance of the plants they purchase. And for growers, there were many new showcases of disease-resistant breeding programs, offering built-in insurance policies for reliability in production.
Our team spent the week together traveling up and down the California coastline in search of what we believe to be the true game-changers. The following pages are the stories from our team and what we look forward to bringing to your organizations.
AMERICAN TAKII / SAHIN
1. Brassica (Flowering Kale) F1 Crystal Deep Red & Pink bring the series to a total of four colors.The Crystal series is well-recognized for its brighter and shinier appearance than older genetics.The new Pink has tightly ruffled green outer foliage and a colorful contrasting bright pink inner foliage. Compared to 'Red' in the series, the Deep Red has darker outer foliage and deep inner coloration. 2. Cut Flower Kale – F1 Crane Ruffle Series is an all-new series introduced with four colors – White, Rose, Bicolor, and Red. High vigor allows for ease in producing large, thick stems for cuts, and the series is perfectly uniform--a first for cut-flower, ruffled kales. Its shelf life in arrangements is exceptionally long-lasting, increasing the value for consumers! 3. Petunia F1 Opera Supreme Rose is a bright, eye-catching new color in this spreading / trailing series that brings the series to 11 colors, including one AAS winner, Pink Morn.This well- matched F1 hybrid series competes with the industry-standard spreading petunias in trailing and spreading with moderate vigor, well-bred for all purposes: packs, containers, baskets, and landscapes.
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BEEKENKAMP | TOP PICKS BY JOHN SUTTON
1. Dahlia Maggiore Fun Flame is a beautiful, multicolor dahlia with large, showy flowers that look like they're on fire.The tall stems are perfect for cut flowers, and they are easy to grow and fuss-free for gardens, with moderate mildew tolerance.They have a high rebloom rate from late spring through fall and look great in borders and containers. 2. Begonia Fragrant Falls Peach is an angel-wing style begonia with giant, showy, peach to salmon-colored blooms.The flowers are fragrant with a strong citrus scent.They have a trailing growth habit, making them perfect for hanging baskets throughout the season to autumn. 3. Begonia Beauvilia Hot Pink boasts giant, showy flowers on early-blooming plants that are prolific rebloomers all season.This plant works well in various container sizes, from 4-inch to hanging baskets and larger combinations.The long, semi-serrated dark green leaves give excellent contrast to the bright blooms. 4. Petunia Tea Purple Vein Green Edge is very weather tolerant with unique- colored blooms.They are well suited from 4-inch containers up to baskets and stay covered in loads of mid-sized flowers.
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BENARY
1. Echinacea PollyNation is a first- year flowering echinacea from seed with four colors available in this new series. A well-branched habit supports large flowers, making this a strong option for patio planters and garden beds with excellent heat and drought tolerance. PollyNation is suitable for 5- to 8-inch container production. 2. Petunia Success HD Salmon and Success HD Pink are genetically compact F1 hybrid varieties in a series well-suited to high-density production. Both colors join a series known to have very uniform flowering with large flowers that quickly fill out packs, containers, and baskets. 3. Dense, crested heads cover Celosia Brainiac in a powerful and vivid color display.The plants begin flowering early and have a compact and uniform habit that makes for bench run success in containers or packs.These heat lovers bring season-long color to landscapes and containers. 4. Pentas Graffiti 20/20 Appleblossom brings the first bicolor in F1 hybrid seed pentas. Appleblossom joins a series known for extreme uniformity in height and flower timing, and the dense, tight flower clusters ensure a strong color display at retail.
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DANZIGER | TOP PICKS BY DAVE HILTON
1. Salvia Sallyfun Blue Lagoon has big, rich blue flowers that look great in landscape beds, as a 'thriller' for combinations, or in solo containers. It's drought-tolerant, pest-free, and holds its color throughout the summer season to the first frost. Sallyfun varieties are excellent additions to pollinator gardens. 2. Cuphea Cubano Cristo has magenta-red flowers with a fun mouse shape to the bloom and neat, green foliage. Habit is excellent for combinations, and it's a sure draw to bring pollinators all summer long with its round, spreading habit. 3. Lobularia Champagne Stream has a distinctive, honey-like fragrance that pollinators love. Blooming continuously, the ball-shaped habit of Champagne Stream makes it an excellent option as a filler in mixed containers or hanging baskets. It's also a top choice for the landscape bed for broad consumer appeal. 4. Petunia Splash Dance Calypso Cherry has bright cherry coloring with a yellow speckled pattern and a warm yellow tone near the throat of the blooms. It's perfect in mono-culture or lends itself to many options in combinations.The series now boasts seven colors.
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DARWIN PERENNIALS | TOP PICKS BY DAVE HILTON
1. The unique coral-red color of Delphinium Red Lark is a perennial standout.The flowers can be used as cut flowers or enjoyed in the garden, and because the variety is sterile, reseeding in the garden isn't a problem. Hardy to Zone 5. 2. Sedum What a Doozie is a spreading sedum that stands out with white and green variegated foliage, offering long color interest in the garden. Plants turn to blush pink with creamy pink flowers in the fall. Great for dry, sunny spaces in beds or mixed succulent containers. Hardy to Zone 5. 3. The new Veronica Skyward series has two colors - a dark blue and deep pink. Both colors have high flower counts and make a dense color display with a compact, upright habit. These naturally compact plants are easily grown without pinching or plant growth regulators.They are hardy to Zone 4. 4. The Sombrero Poco series of echinacea matches in habit and timing, and the compact plants are sturdy and covered in blooms.There are four intense colors in the series, and the flowers are long-lasting and resist fading. Hardy to Zone 4.
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DÜMMEN ORANGE | INTRINSA TM |
TOP PICKS BY DAVE HILTON
Smartunia Petunia Windmill Pink joins seven other colors in the Smartunia series, each featuring resistance to Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) thanks to the new Intrinsa advanced breeding technology that uses the plant's intrinsic capabilities found within its DNA to build a more robust plant.
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1. Smartunia Windmill Pink 2. Smartunia Baby Pink 3. Smartunia Neon 4. Smartunia Purple Vein
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DÜMMEN ORANGE | ANNUALS | TOP PICKS BY ERIC NYBERG
1. Senecio Mandala Plus is an outstanding option for early spring sales. The bright, bold colors available in this series command attention at retail, and the grower-friendly plants require very little PGR and are well-matched for vigor and response time. 2. Dahlia MegaBoom Passion Fruit has enormous flowers held just above the foliage.The bright, distinctive color tones of Passion Fruit blend from dark to light pink with a tropical, golden-yellow center.They are ideal for combination containers or the front of the border. 3.The MegaGuinea series is fast to finish, with only a single liner needed per 1-gallon container.The series has four colors with more coming in the future and is available in Basewell for direct stick into the finished container.
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DÜMMEN ORANGE | ANNUALS
4.The Bachelorette Red I'CONIA begonia is a standalone variety with a round, tidy habit covered in brilliant red blooms.A cross between boliviensis and tuberosa types, Bachelorette mixes well with other plants creating stunning combinations for the shade. 5. Joining the Great Falls coleus series is the new SplishSplash Rose Gold , which complements many colors, making it a great partner in sun or shade mixed combinations.The plant structure provides an excellent chassis for combination containers, holding everything tidy and together throughout the season.
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DÜMMEN ORANGE | PERENNIALS | TOP PICKS BY KIM ANDERS
1. Lavender LaDiva Eternal Elegance blooms from very early spring, nonstop throughout the summer months. It doesn't require vernalization and is a gamechanger for first-year flowering versus typical English angustifolia types. It's highly compact and great for smaller container sizes and hardy to Zone 5. 2. A bright Mango joins the Gaillardia SpinTop series and nicely rounds out the color palette. SpinTops provide early color that continues on a strong, mounded habit throughout the season. Like other varieties in the series, Mango is incredibly hardy to Zone 3 and tolerant to hot, humid conditions. 3. Super-large flowers cover Dianthus Mad Magenta, which blooms all summer long.These plants have excellent branching and will flower the first year without vernalization with a medium-compact habit. Hardy to Zone 5.
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DÜMMEN ORANGE | PERENNIALS
4. Great for the front of the border or in containers, Leucanthemum Sweet Daisy Christine has a tidy, compact habit and abundant flowers.The stems are sturdy, between 6- to 10-inches tall, and are great for cut flowers. Hardy to Zone 5. 5. Penstemon Pristine Night Shade brings a new vibrant color to this series, and the oversized flowers are displayed firmly over compact foliage.With a compact habit, Nightshade features the good branching of the series and doesn't require vernalization.
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DÜMMEN ORANGE | COMBINATIONS | TOP PICKS BY AARON LEECH
1. Confetti Garden Stars & Stripes Glory features the star- studded Surprise Sparkle Blue plus Peppy Red Petunia and Empress Flair White Verbena.This combination is perfect for Memorial Day and Fourth of July promotions, and the robust vigor makes them ideal for containers and larger hanging baskets. Single Ladies Queen Bey, has low maintenance requirements, so it's easy for consumer success.The components create a beautiful study in contrasts that deliver reliably in either shade or sun conditions, making it an easy choice for many garden types. 2. The Bachelorette Red I'CONIA Begonia combo,
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DÜMMEN ORANGE | COMBINATIONS
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3. The Pollinator's Paradise Hummingbird 4 combination concept is an excellent choice for easy care, pollinator-friendly planting that stays lovely all summer long. The textures and colors grow more attractive as the combination matures through the season. 4. The Confetti Garden Fall Fandango combination creates a complex color-play of contrasting colors and patterns for full sun areas—a low-maintenance solution with high visual "action" that keeps things interesting.
GREEN FUSE BOTANICALS
1. Begonia Citizen Cane Pink is a new addition to the Lifestyle Collection from Green Fuse. It has dark foliage with a striking leaf pattern and beautiful pink flowers that are fragrant all season long. It is suited to indoor and outdoor uses. 2. You get a range of color tones with Dianthus Constant Cadence Potpourri , which is loaded with multiple pink, rose, and orange shades. Perfect as an early spring option, and the natural heat tolerance of Constant Cadence allows plants to perform much longer as temperatures rise later in the season. 3. Petunia Good & Plenty Blue Ice has a mounded, trailing habit that displays blue and white flowers throughout the season. It performs well in containers as well as garden beds. 4. Calibrachoa Cruze Control Pink Flair has enormous, brilliantly colored flowers that start early for growers. Ideal for 4- to 8-inch containers, the series has a mounded habit that performs well in hanging baskets and combinations.
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HILVERDA FLORIST
1. Gerbera Garvinea Sweet Vibe Yellow with Black Eye is super- powered with bold 3-inch flowers across the plant. It has strong resistance to disease and pests and performs well in the heat and cold. Garvinea Sweets are perfect for the 1- to 1.5-gallon finished container requiring only one TC liner per container, finishing in 12-weeks for beautiful retail-ready plants. 2. Garvinea Sweet Sparkle Magenta with Black Eye has hot, vibrantly colored blooms which span 3-inches across.These super-powered Garvinias are disease and pest resistant with great heat and cold tolerance. 3. Patio Gerbera Daintree's Ombre Magenta delivers a stunning display with 4- to 6-inch blooms—an excellent option for patio containers or garden plantings. One TC unit is recommended per 12-inch container with a 10-week TC lead time, 9-week liner grow time, and 14-week finishing time from liners. 4. Salvia Salgoon Lake Titicaca's light blue blooms contrast beautifully with green calyxes making a striking display.The entire series is a hummingbird favorite that is heat- tolerant and pest-resistant. Ideal for 1- to 1.5-gallon programs with no growth regulators necessary.
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KIEFT SEED | TOP PICKS BY GALEEN DOKTER
1. Echinacea Artisan Yellow Ombre joins the F1 hybrid seed Echinacea collection and is known for its dependable uniformity in flowering and branching for easier production scheduling.Throughout the season, the plants stay full of bright colors.Artisan Echinacea is hardy to Zone 4. 2. Perovskia Bluesette is compact and early, working well for the front of the border or in patio containers or combinations.The controlled habit flowers early and finishes early, so it is well-suited for consumers and landscapers looking for a more compact solution in perovskia. Hardy to Zone 4. 3. Rudbeckia Goldblitz is a first- year flowering solution for growers, whose natural growing conditions prevent them from finishing Goldsturm. Plugs don't require special treatment to perform the same quality as Goldsturm and offer a more economical input option for growers. Hardy to Zone 3.
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KIENTZLER | TOP PICKS BY JOHN SUTTON
1. Petunia Kuyamba Red is bred for the landscape and has dense branching and vigorous habit that begins blooming by March.There are six colors in the series, including Red which holds strong in the garden. 2. The Fuchsia Stand-Up collection has a vertical rather than trailing habit for versatility as a basket or patio container plant, and the two newest colors, Helena, a red/white, and Red-Lavender, have upward- facing flowers for a fun and unique flower display.
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PACIFIC PLUG AND LINER | TOP PICKS BY BRENT BOARDMAN
1. Hellebore Winter Angels series delivers early-season color on compact plants with huge deep-toned flowers—the most enormous flowers of the PP&L hellebore offering.The series has two varieties, Charmer, with rose and burgundy flecking, and Vibey Velvet, a darker red with burgundy flecks, making Winter Angels a beautiful Christmas season choice. Hardy to Zone 5. 2. No other delphinium can beat the basal branching, spike production, cold hardiness, and habit of the Delgenius series.The new Blue Fabulosa is an excellent addition in vivid, saturated true-blue color.The complete Delgenius series requires little PGR, is first-year flowering, and hardy to Zone 3. 3. The Echibeckia Summerina series unites long-lasting beauty with ease of production for unrivaled results. Summerina is first-year-flowering and has a controlled, free-branching habit that can finish in as little as 7-weeks in a 1-gallon container. Hardy to Zone 7.
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PANAMERICAN SEED | TOP PICKS BY BRENT BOARDMAN
1. Interspecific Impatiens Solarscape is a seed-propagated solution for lasting color in full-sun garden beds and containers. Its durable performance will give landscape growers an option for non-branded impatiens color in-ground that grows strong in the sun.
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2. The Hula series of spreading begonias performs well in hanging
baskets and mixed containers. It's also fast to fill in landscape beds and is well- branched with many miniature flowers that show atop the plants.The series has four colors, including Bicolor Red White, Blush, Pink, and Red. 3. The Dragon Wing Begonia series now has a white! Dragon Wing is known for its angel-wing leaves cascading from an arching, pendulous habit, perfect for hanging baskets. It also looks great in large containers, and the new White gives a clean, crisp contrast against mid- green leaves.
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PLANTHAVEN | TOP PICKS BY CATHY ELLIS
1. The powerful fragrance is the top highlight of Viola MagnifiScent Delft Blue. Hardy to Zone 5, the bright blue color of these blooms covers a compact, rounded habit that will display well in mass plantings along borders or in containers. 2. Salvia Hummingbird Falls is a true hummingbird delight! The first hanging basket salvia introduced to the market, this natural feeder displays a cascading habit adorned with a prolific display of dark-blue blooms that contrast against the luscious dark-green backdrop of foliage. Utilize Hummingbird Falls for garden borders, landscapes, hanging baskets and container plantings. 3. Cuphea Hummingbird's Lunch is aptly named for the profusion of hummingbirds that feed off this plant throughout the summer.The brightest scarlet red flower of any cuphea ignea, this is a summer hit for retailers and pollinator gardens.
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PLANTHAVEN
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4. Nemesia Escential varieties captivate the senses with intense fragrance. Because they are sterile, the plants cannot set seeds, so they will continue blooming throughout summer to give months of color and enjoyment.Works well in containers. 5. SuperSemps boasts a fantastic collection of Sempervivum hens and chicks that are supersized with 8-inch single rosettes.The collection stands at five intense colors that deepen as temperatures cool.They are ready in 20-weeks from a plug. From a 4-inch starter plant, they are retail-ready in 6-weeks.
SAKATA
1. Primula Dania is an exciting new series of compact primula that can be grown without PGRs when grown as directed.The series comes in eight new colors plus two bicolors and is an ideal option for early flowering sales opportunities. 2. Celosia Flamma has five bright colors that will last with exceptional heat tolerance through the summer. They flower early, and their uniform flower timing makes them a great addition to programs. Flamma is terrific for Autumn combinations. 3. SunPatiens is introducing some exciting colors to their assortment— four new compact colors plus two new vigorous colors this year. Highlights include Compact Lavender Splash , which has large orchid flowers highlighted with splashes of lavender against striking dark bronze foliage. In the vigorous types, the new Vigorous Peach Candy has large, eye-catching blooms with splashes of vibrant orange against dark bronze foliage.
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SCHONEVELD | TOP PICKS BY LAUREN HILL
1. The Primula Paradiso series can be counted on to deliver uniform primula in growth and plant shape.The breeding focus is to minimize the need for growth regulators, giving growers greater control of the crop's profitability. Paradiso has early, mid, and late types, so there's a program suited for every season. 2. Cyclamen Super Serie Djix series gives a gorgeous display of saturated colors that hold well for the consumer.The upside-down flowers resemble fuchsias and are borne continuously for an eye-catching statement for Christmas and Valentine's Day sales. 3. Primula Touch Me 'Mini' is the smaller version of the famous Touch Me series.The compact size and smaller container make it ideal for earlier sales opportunities and efficient supply and transport.The series has five colors, including White, Magenta, Dark Blue, Dark Orange, and Red White, for a great attraction at retail.
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SELECTA ONE | TOP PICKS BY LAUREN HILL
1. Lobelia Magadi Compact Blue Bay cools gardens and combos with a splash pattern of blue and white that holds its color into the summer heat. Blue Bay is compact and densely branched and works well in baskets or containers. 2. Deep Strawberry is the newest color in the Sky series of petunias from Selecta One.With the studded night-sky pattern on large blooms, this variety matches the series with medium vigor and a trailing habit that's great for hanging baskets. 3. Enchanted Evening is a new Trixi combination that grabs the eye with white and burgundy tones. Featuring MiniFamous Uno White calibrachoa, Headliner Enchanted Sky petunia, and Blues Purple+Eye verbena, the habits play well together, creating a solid mounded basket covered in color. 4. Verbena Lascar Orange Lava brims with rich orange-red color, novel in verbenas.The habit is slightly less vigorous than others in the Lascar series, but it is excellent in combinations and is early to flower.
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SOUTHERN LIVING | SUNSET | TOP PICKS BY GALEN DOKTER
1. RealFlor Gaillardia Fanfare Amber Glow has rows of flat petals of vibrant color that stay colorfast and age well over a long period. Plants have a compact mounded habit, are drought tolerant once they're established, and are well-suited for containers and landscapes. 2. RealFlor Leucanthemum Real Cream brings a rich cream color to the series. Blooms hold their shape for season-long color.This color works well in combinations to set off other brighter tones. 3. RealFlor Leucanthemum Real Goldcup has bright sunshine yellow flowers that hold their color throughout the season. Bold golden yellow centers add a more profound tone against the petals atop robust stems. 4. RealFlor Gaillardia Fanfare Showtime has unique pinwheel flowers in bold fire tones.They keep their color over an exceptionally long period and maintain a compact, mounded habit.
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SUNTORY | TOP PICKS BY DAVE HILTON
1. Sun Parasol Sunbeam Mandevilla illuminates patios and gardens with bright yellow blooms with a darker throat on top of a bushy habit, perfect for patio containers, hanging baskets, and garden beds. 2. Brindabella Roses Crimson Knight stands bold with deep, rich crimson color on large double blooms and a shrub rose habit.And the fragrance? A delicious aroma of a bygone era comes back again.This one is sure to get people talking. 3. Brindabella Roses Pink Princess complements her handsome counterpart with deep, rich, fragrant pink blooms.With a bushy growth habit, these tough shrub roses are low maintenance and vigorous yet will stay controlled at 4-feet tall and wide after two years—resilient AND beautiful! 4. Granvia Pink Bracteantha delivers supersized plants with supersized flowers 2- to 3-times larger than most bracteantha blooms.The series has four colors, and they perform exceptionally well in containers or landscapes.The new pink is a delicate multi-toned color.
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SYNGENTA FLOWERS
1. Suited to both landscapes and containers, Bionic is a new series of well-branched interspecific begonias featuring Bronze Leaf Rose, Bronze Leaf Red, and Green Leaf Red.They love the heat, providing long-season color for shade and sun gardens. 2. Zydeco is a new series of fully double-flowered zinnias with huge blooms, which are 25% larger than most others.There are four new varieties, including Cherry, Fire,Yellow, and White, and they're quick in production, from 9- to 10-weeks from start to finish. 3. The new Bandolista Lantana series comes in four colors and is an excellent heat-loving option for baskets with a well-branched, semi-trailing habit. The series fills baskets and containers quickly with a mounded and trailing habit covered in color. 4.Vinca XDR Cora Cascade is great for hanging baskets and has extreme disease resistance against aerial phytophthora.There are 11 colors in this series with an excellent mounding trailing habit.
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WESTHOFF | TOP PICKS BY BRENT BOARDMAN
1. Calibrachoa Calitastic Caramel gives a warm, buttery mid- tone color option to combinations that will offset other bright-toned neighbors in containers and hanging baskets. The series is very early to flower and uniform in both habit and timing. 2. Petunia Flower Showers Golden Harvest is a showstopping color in a new series built for nonstop color and resilience and outstanding hanging basket and garden performance. Golden Harvest is a bright saturated orange guaranteed to captivate shoppers.
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