More Expert Favorites at 2025 Michigan Garden Plant Tour Trial Sites
(Clockwise from top left) Alternanthera ‘Choco Chili’, Osteospermum ‘Besties Trusty Amethyst’, Portulaca ‘RíoGrande Raspberry Lemonade Purslane’, Petunia ‘Surfina Heavenly Cashmere Pink’, Ipomea ‘Sweet Georgia Pulse Black’, Begonia x hybrida ‘iCandy Sunset’. | Ball Floraplant, Danziger, Green Fuse Botanicals, Suntory Flowers, Syngenta Flowers, and Suntory Flowers
Every year, during the Michigan Garden Plant Tour, Michigan State University and Michigan’s leading young plant producers host a free open house at their plant trial sites and display gardens for growers, landscapers, and retail operators to learn about a wide range of ornamental crops. Industry professionals can see for themselves which new varieties perform the best under various conditions, including in the ground and in containers. The tour lasts for two weeks and was held this year from July 28–Aug. 8, 2025.
This year, there were seven trial gardens at different locations throughout central lower Michigan:
- DGI Propagators
- Four Star Greenhouse
- Mast Young Plants
- Michigan State University (MSU) Trial Gardens
- Pell Greenhouses
- Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants
- Walters Gardens
For those who couldn’t make it to every trial site, Michigan State University Extension educators Heidi Lindberg and Caitlin Splawski were there. Here are some of their favorites from Mast Young Plants and Pell Greenhouses.
Featured Varieties at Mast Young Plants
The 2025 Mast Young Plants trial garden featured more than 1,500 varieties in raised landscape beds, hanging baskets, deco pots, saddle planters, window planters, and 500 unique, custom-designed combination planters. Among the trialed varieties, there were expanded fertilizer trials, an irrigation trial, and plantings of former All-American Selections winners. Among the varieties that caught the eye of Heidi and Caitlin were:
Begonia x hybrida ‘iCandy Sunset’ – Syngenta Flowers
Begonia x hybrida ‘iCandy Sunset’. | Syngenta Flowers
In the shade containers, Begonia ‘iCandy Sunset’ stood out with very large orange to yellow flowers with dark foliage. The distinctive color variation between the flowers and the foliage was notable and made the flowers stand out even more.
Petunia ‘Surfina Heavenly Cashmere Pink’ – Suntory Flowers
Petunia ‘Surfina Heavenly Cashmere Pink’. | Suntory Flowers
This deep sugar pink petunia is a new addition to the Heavenly series from Suntory Flowers. It is known to be a continuous bloomer in addition to being rain, wind, and heat-tolerant. Its pink flowers and mounding habit are impressive.
Portulaca ‘RíoGrande Raspberry Lemonade Purslane’ – Ball FloraPlant
Portulaca ‘RíoGrande Raspberry Lemonade Purslane’. | Ball FloraPlant
Portulaca ‘RíoGrande Raspberry Lemonade Purslane’ has large, bright pink and yellow flowers. It is a new variety and has a nice trailing habit. Portulaca are known to be a very heat-tolerant choice for homeowners.
Featured Varieties at Pell Greenhouses
The Pell Greenhouse trial garden includes a large hanging basket structure, fence plantings, and containers placed in both sun and shade. This year also included an employee competition of combination planters. Among the varieties that caught the eye of Heidi and Caitlin were:
Alternanthera ‘Choco Chili’ – Westhoff
Alternanthera ‘Choco Chili’. | Westhoff
A part of the FanciFillers series from Westhoff, Alternanthera ‘Choco Chili’ is not a new variety to the industry, but has interesting multidimensional color. It created a thick mat, and the dark foliage would bring out other plants in a combination container.
Ipomoea ‘Sweet Georgia Pulse Black’ – Green Fuse Botanicals
Ipomoea ‘Sweet Georgia Pulse Black’. | Green Fuse Botanicals
Another ‘spiller’ that stood out was Ipomoea ‘Sweet Georgia Pulse Black’ because of its heavy leaf venation and unusual leaf shape. This variety’s dark foliage also creates a pop of color for other varieties planted in combination with it.
Osteospermum ‘Besties Trusty Amethyst’ – Danziger
Osteospermum ‘Besties Trusty Amethyst’. | Danziger
Trusty Amethyst catches the eye with its large, white to purple flowers and compact habit. It is a new release for Danziger for 2026 and joins six other colors in the Besties series of Osteospermum. This series provides color all season long as African daisies are tolerant of both heat and cold.
For information on more varieties and additional images from each 2025 Michigan Garden Plant Tour trial site, please read the original articles on Mast Young Plants and Pell Greenhouses hosted on the MSU Extension website.
Subscribe to eNewsletter
