The Top Impatiens, Begonias And Petunias Being Introduced To Retail
The top annuals categories among 2016 retail introductions are old favorites with new features. We asked breeders and brokers to pick their best introductions and to tell why they like these plants over many other choices. Check out which impatiens, begonias, and petunias they selected as the best best for garden retailers.
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Begonia Evi Bright Pink (Beekenkamp)
The sibling of the Pink, the Evi Bright Pink has very attractive intensive pink flowers. Only available in trial quantities in 2015. This Evi is very strong outdoor, she is often the last ‘man’ standing in the garden. For the darker days, this plant will ‘brighten’ up the livingroom.
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Begonia ‘Nonstop Joy’ (Ernst Benary Of America)
Nonstop Joy is a new type of tuberous begonia that is naturally self branching so it's easy to sleeve and easy to ship. This opens up an entirely new market for tuberous begonias- retailers that do not grow on-site.
Nonstop Joy has a globe-shaped habit doesn’t break open or split in the rain or wind, making it a perfect choice for hanging baskets, pots, or mixed containers. Its show-stopping bright yellow color is the first in the series, but look for more to come in the future! Nonstop Joy can be used in beds, mixed containers, or hanging baskets. It grows 10 to 12 inches tall and should be planted 8 to 10 inches apart. Nonstop Joy will bloom from early spring until a hard frost.
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Begonia boliviensis 'Bossa Nova Yellow' (Floranova)
F1 Begonia boliviensis ‘Bossa Nova Yellow’ is a versatile seed-raised alternative to vegetative options. With superb branching and short internodes, ‘Bossa Nova Yellow’ easily fills any hanging basket or pot with a multitude of lemon yellow bell-shaped blooms. The superior branching makes for easier transport and better shelf-life. The dark stems and foliage contrast beautifully for a dramatic effect. Like the existing seven colors in the Bossa Nova series, yellow is a full sun product which excels in a variety of conditions including extreme heat.
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Begonia boliviensis ‘San Francisco’ (Ernst Benary Of America)
When Benary introduced Begonia 'Santa Cruz,' growers loved how easy it was to grow. Compared to vegetative varieties, it was very cost effective because it didn’t need pinching or complicated PGR schedules to get a great looking plant. People kept asking “When will you have more colors?” Now we have a new color that we feel is every bit as good as 'Santa Cruz.'
In trials across the country our new Begonia 'San Francisco' has proven itself to have incredible weather tolerance and outstanding performance just its sister Begonia 'Santa Cruz.' The naturally well branched plants are covered with huge, salmon-pink flowers that are sure to turn heads at retail! Enjoy the fun, exotic look of 'San Francisco' in all your full sun hanging baskets! Begonia 'San Francisco' grows like a tuberous begonia, it can be used in beds, mixed containers or hanging baskets. It grows 12 to 14 inches tall and should be planted 10 to 12 inches apart. Begonia 'San Francisco' will bloom from early spring until a hard frost.
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Calibrachoa 'Candy Bouquet' (Westhoff)
The blooms of 'Candy Bouquet' have a truly unique brushwork-pattern bicolor. The petals are bright, fluorescent magenta with accents of brilliant sunny yellow starbursts. 'Candy Bouquet' has an early flowering time and a semi-trailing habit, making it a perfect pick for cheerful spring baskets or as a component to combination containers.
Medium vigor variety with a mounding plant habit, plants grow 6 to 10 inches high and 10 to 14 inches wide in full to part sun. 'Candy Bouquet' makes a great dual-season seller for both spring and autumn sales.
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Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Evening Star’ (Proven Winners)
This variety is one of the three featured in Proven Winners Spring National Combination, Evening Breeze. The ‘Evening Breeze’ combination will be featured very prominently in consumer print advertising campaign which will reach millions of gardeners, in addition to in the Proven Winners 2016 Gardener’s Idea Book that will be sent to 700,000 individuals.
Our research tells us purple is a gardener’s favorite color, so this variety features lavender blooms with a dark purple and yellow star center. Beautiful in hanging baskets, window boxes or mixed containers.
Look for 'Superbells Evening Star' to reach a height of 7 to 10 inches, with a spread of 10 to 12 inches. It does best in full sun and will benefit from water soluble plant food every third or fourth watering. Note that Calibrachoa do not like to sit in wet soil, let these plants really dry down before watering and be sure the containers you use have excellent drainage.
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Impatiens Lollipop Series (Ernst Benary Of America)
Impatiens are such an important crop in North America that we knew we had to have the best if we were going to compete with the excellent genetics already on the market. We hired one of the premier breeders in the industry and he got to work crafting the most uniform, best performing, vibrantly colored series on the market.
The most advanced breeding in Impatiens walleriana, the Lollipop Series offers incredible germination (95%+) as well as super vibrant colors. Lollipop Impatiens were also bred for uniformity in the pack as well as the landscape. Well-branched plants that are covered with flowers make Lollipop Impatiens a sweet choice for high-impact color in shade beds baskets, or containers. They grow 8 to 10 inches tall and should be planted 10 to 12 inches apart. Lollipop Impatiens will bloom from early spring until a hard frost.
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Impatiens 'SunPatiens Compact Fire Red' (Sakata)
SunPatiens offer unrivaled three-season flower power and increasing consumer brand preference creates pull through demand at retail. These remarkable plants represent a breeding breakthrough: robust, sun-loving, heat-loving impatiens that thrive in full sun or part shade and deliver continuous color from spring through hard frost. New colors for 2016 include SunPatiens Compact Fire Red, Orchid and Tropical Rose with variegated leaf, as well as SunPatiens Spreading Pink Kiss.
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Supertunia Violet Star Charm (Four Star)
Smaller flowers mean more beautiful flowers when it comes to the Supertunia Charm series. All Supertunias are self cleaning, well branched, and full of color, but Supertunia Violet Star Charm has bi-color, star patterned blooms. This looks great as a monoculture planting or mixed into combinations.
Sun; 5-15” Height; 12-18” Spread; Mounding/Trailing Habit; Annual except in Zones 10-11 -
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Petunia ‘Limbo GP’ (Hem Genetics)
The F1 Petunia Limbo GP series is the next generation of our extremely popular genetically dwarf large-flowered Petunia series Limbo. Most Petunias start stretching and plants start splitting during the hot summers, and Limbo was bred to say more compact without using chemical growth retardants which are bad for the environment. In cooler climates, the original Limbos sometimes stayed too compact in the garden, so we at Hem created the “GP” series, for Garden Performance. In these cooler areas, the new varieties will get about 50% wider in spread without getting taller to have the problems older Petunia series have.
Limbo GP Blue Veined is one of six new colors being added this year, bringing the GP series to 14 colors now. This featured one is lavender blue with dark blue veins, and is very attractive in the landscape as well as in containers and hanging baskets. They will flower from spring through fall, and are even tolerant of light frosts. Best in full sun, they will also take light shade. Ultimate height about 10 inches and spread to about 15 to 18 inches. -
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Petunia 'Hells Fruit Punch' (Westhoff)
The unique neon color and superb habit of 'Hells Fruit Punch' has created a tremendous amount of interest from growers and gardeners. With a vigorous, horizontal branching habit, these plants fill up baskets fast. And as for color, we can’t say enough! The blooms are the brightest we’ve ever seen and completely cover every bit of the plants from side to side.
View all
Begonia Evi Bright Pink (Beekenkamp)
Begonia ‘Nonstop Joy’ (Ernst Benary Of America)
Begonia boliviensis 'Bossa Nova Yellow' (Floranova)
Begonia boliviensis ‘San Francisco’ (Ernst Benary Of America)
Calibrachoa 'Candy Bouquet' (Westhoff)
Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Evening Star’ (Proven Winners)
Impatiens Lollipop Series (Ernst Benary Of America)
Impatiens 'SunPatiens Compact Fire Red' (Sakata)
Supertunia Violet Star Charm (Four Star)
Petunia ‘Limbo GP’ (Hem Genetics)
Petunia 'Hells Fruit Punch' (Westhoff)
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Carol Miller is editor of Today's Garden Center. You can eMail her at [email protected]. See all author stories here.