Alstroemeria 'Colorita Lisa' (Royal Van Zanten)
- Colorita’s available in eight different vivid colors
- Plants flower continuously until late autumn with many long-lasting flowers per plant
- Low maintenance, low temperature input, and very easy to cultivate
- Lisa is new addition to series
Alstroemeria 'Colorita Tamara' (Royal Van Zanten)
- Colorita’s available in eight different vivid colors
- Plants flower continuously until late autumn with many long-lasting flowers per plant
- Low maintenance, low temperature input, and very easy to cultivate
- Tamara is new addition to series
Aster Showmaker Series (Royal Van Zanten)
- Two new additions: Blossom Pink (pictured) and Magenta
- Decorative flowers in pink and purple
- Suitable for mixed color arrangements
- Suited for indoor and outdoor cultivation in different pot sizes
- Natural finishing period in week 39 to 40
Rex Begonia Dibs Series (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- Strong vigor eliminates weeks of crop time
- Brightly colored leaf patterns glow in even the heaviest shade
- Breeding breakthrough
- Pictured: Moonlight
Buddleja 'Leah Violet' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- Compact, tidy habit
- Daylength neutral
- Works well for shipping higher density racks
- Zone 5
Calibrachoa Chameleon Series (Vivero Internacional)
- Plants continually change color throughout the season, reacting to light levels, daylength, and other seasonal factors
- Blooms don't fade
- Unique blend of colors on a single plant
- Season-long durability
- Pictured: Berry Daring
Celosia 'Bright Sparks Burgundy' (Floranova)
- Bears massive plumes on well-branched plants
- Works well for mass plantings and fills containers of any size with ease
- Blooms retain their vibrancy to provide lasting color throughout the season
Delosperma 'Delmara Pink' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- Daylength neutral requiring no vernalization
- Brightly colored series
- Compact plant with superior basal branching
- Zone 4
Delosperma 'Delmara Red' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- Daylength neutral requiring no vernalization
- Brightly colored series
- Compact plant with superior basal branching
- Zone 4
Dianthus ‘Constant Cadence Milk Cherry’ (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- Combination in every plant
- Double, fragrant blossoms open pure white, then harden to deep rose and finally dark red
- Day length neutral and zero cooling requirement
- Great spring performer
- Brings hassle-free element to holiday season production
Gerbera 'Garvinea Sweet Fiesta' (Florist)
- Pink-white, two-toned flowers
- Same Garvinea robustness and disease resistance growers and retailers expect
- Great weather tolerance
- Blooms spring to frost
Pelargonium peltatum 'Reach Out Hot Pink' (Floranova)
- New ivy geranium series
- Superb branching
- Short internodes
- Full, tidy habit
- Available in six colors
Patio Gerbera 'Painted Desert' (Florist)
- Extra-large plants with large decorative flowers
- Works well for patio, deck, terrace, or veranda
- Orange-yellow flowers from late spring to early autumn
Hibiscus 'Honeymoon' (Floranova)
- Flowers the size of dinner plates
- Well-branched plants
- Good choices for the hardy tropical look
- Fantastic germ assured with seed scarified to order
- Uniformity easily programmable for the crop
Lavandula 'Lavish Pink' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- First ever multibract lavender
- Produces an abundance of fully double flowers
- Early to bloom
- Zone 7
Lupine 'Staircase Blue' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- No vernalization
- Completely daylength neutral
- First lupine series that can meet any desired ship date Massive deep blue flower spikes
- Zone 4
Pelargonium 'Pinkerbell' (Vivero Internacional)
- New regal hybrid with a more compact habit than the other lines
- Loads of flowers that come nonstop throughout the summer months
- No cooling required cooling, but can be grown under traditional zonal geranium conditions as long as they are kept dry
Pelargonium peltatum 'Reach Out Lilac Bicolor' (Floranova)
- New ivy geranium series
- Superb branching
- Short internodes
- Full, tidy habit
- Available in six colors
Phlox 'Popstars' Deep Blue (Floranova)
- Deep, vibrant addition
- Whimsical, intriguing flowers on sturdy, resilient plants
- Heat and disease tolerance
- Works well in combos or in patriotic mixes
Salvia 'Cathedral Blue Bicolor' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- New addition to the Cathedral series
- Crisp delineation between white and blue segmented flowers
- Daylength neutral
- Easy to schedule
Tomato ‘StayClean Summerlast’ (Vegetalis)
- Compact patio tomato
- Disease resistance package gives it the ability to stay clean and green all season long
- Well-structured plant habit
- Medium-sized slicing fruits with improved taste and texture
- Cage for tomato production
Vinca 'Blockbuster Apricot' (Floranova)
- New series
- Bold and daring color palette
- Excellent branching
- Big, overlapping petals
- Good uniformity in the pack
Vinca 'Blockbuster Crimson' (Floranova)
- New series
- Bold and daring color palette
- Excellent branching
- Big, overlapping petals
- Good uniformity in the pack
Vinca 'Blockbuster Icy Watermelon' (Floranova)
- New series
- Bold and daring color palette
- Excellent branching
- Big, overlapping petals
- Good uniformity in the pack
California Spring Trials 2018 is the horticulture version of fashion week, with the newest ornamental and vegetable varieties on display. The Greenhouse Grower team of Editors Laura Drotleff and Janeen Wright, along with Contributing Editor Allan Armitage and Andrew Scheldorf, winner of the Dr. Allan Armitage Scholarship for the Ornamental Spring Trials, will be on the road soon, sharing the latest varieties with you and keeping you current you on the latest news and marketing ideas.
Watch for daily news during the week in special Benchrunner editions with insider views on promising plants, slideshows of new introductions, and Allan Armitage’s top plant picks.
Until then, we’ll give you a peek at some of the 2018 introductions breeders shared with us that will hit the retail market in 2019. During the weeks leading up to CAST, watch for preview slideshows covering all the stops along the CAST route.
This slideshow covers some of the stops in the Central Region:
Green Fuse Botanicals (Santa Paula, CA)
Floranova and Vegetalis (Santa Paula, CA)
Florist (GroLink Plant Company, Oxnard, CA)
Royal Van Zanten (GroLink Plant Company, Oxnard, CA)
Vivero Internacional (GroLink Plant Company, Oxnard, CA)
Watch for more slideshows on the Central Region stops.
In Case You Missed It:
California Spring Trials 2018 Northern Region Preview: Spring Meadow Nursery, Syngenta, Danziger, Cohen, Hishtil, Jaldety, Nir
California Spring Trials 2018 Northern Region Preview: Benary, American Takii, Sakata Ornamentals, Beekenkamp, and More
California Spring Trials 2018 Central Region Preview: Ball Horticultural, Dümmen Orange, PlantHaven, Suntory Flowers
Janeen Wright is former Editor for Greenhouse Grower. . See all author stories here.