Beefsteak Tomato 'Atlas' (Burpee)
- First-ever beefsteak for porches, decks, and balconies
- Bushy, compact habit easily shoulders loads of 1-pound tomatoes
- Vigorous grower, but behaves itself in patio containers
- Fruit delivers good balance of sweetness with acidity
Blueberry 'Bushel and Berry Southern Bluebelle' (Star Roses and Plants)
- Petite plant with medium-sized berries that have mild, sweet flavor
- Low-water and low-chill blueberry plant
- Bright-red foliage turns emerald green as it matures
- Great for small-space gardens or patios in warmer climates
- Mounded habit
Calibrachoa 'MiniFamous Uno Double Pinktastic' (Selecta)
- Pinktastic features heavily contrasted double flowers and a ball-shaped habit that is half trailing
- Early-to-finish, medium-compact calibrachoa
- Grows well in quart and gallon containers
- Thrives in hanging baskets as part of Trixi combos
- Fleuroselect winner for 2017
Catharanthus 'Soiree Light Purple' (Suntory Flowers)
- New addition to series
- Plants have a profusion of micro-blooms
- Maintains its tidy habit all season long
Catharanthus 'Soiree Ka-wa-i-i Red' (Suntory Flowers)
- New addition to series
- Plants have a profusion of micro-blooms
- Maintains its tidy habit all season long
Coreopsis 'Double the Sun' (Kieft Seed)
- Two to three weeks earlier than Early Sunrise and other comparable varieties in the early cool season; one to two weeks earlier in summer
- Compact habit
- Semi-double, clear golden-yellow flowers
- Works well for quart and one-gallon production in spring and summer with 13-hour critical daylength
Cyclamen 'Halios White Silverleaf' (Ch. Morel)
- Easy to grow variety with ivory white flowers and distinctive silvery foliage
- Round, regular growth
- Abundant blooms with long lifespan in winter
- Recommended for Christmas sales
Dahlia 'Temptation Grapefruit' (Dümmen Orange)
- Fully double blooms and shiny dark foliage and buds
- Programmable production regimen
- Works well as a landscape item for mass plantings, for cutting gardens, or as a long-lasting container garden focal point
Dianthus 'Corona' (PanAmerican Seed)
- Big blooms with excellent flower form
- Works well for cool-season landscapes, gardens, and patio planters
- Uniform flowering time and habit
Hydrangea 'Kanmara Deep Pink' (Ball Ingenuity)
- Supplied from Aldershot Greenhouses
- Large, majestic blooms in unique shades and elegant foliage
- Works great for the terrace, doorstep, or balcony
- Puts on great display well into late summer or fall
Cyclamen Metis Deco Mix Evolution (Ch. Morel)
- Replaces and improves previous mix
- Rounder plants with sturdier growth and shorter, solid and centered stems
- More pronounced Victoria in character, even when the days are short
- Contains mix of three shades: Salmon, White, and Pale Pink
New Guinea Impatiens 'Wild Romance Red' (Dümmen Orange)
- Semi-double, true-shade New Guineas with excellent uniformity across the series
- Work well for combination production in large premium containers
- Unique, semi-double flowers resemble a rose as the bud is opening and a gardenia when fully open
Petunia 'Easy Wave Red Improved' (Wave)
- Improved seed quality
- Denser plant with more branching and shorter peduncles for a more controlled, holdable plant structure
- Dark-green foliage and flowers that are a deeper, richer red color that does not wash out
Rosa 'Brindabella Purple Prince' (Suntory Flowers)
- New series bring fragrance and fully formed flowers to modern shrub roses
- Seven colors ranging from purple and dark pink to red, white, salmon, and more
Salvia 'Vibe Ignition Purple' (PlantHaven International)
- Super compact, most dwarf to date
- Masses of medium-sized, deep-purple flowers
- Works well for low water usage landscapes
- Reflowers freely thoughout the season
- Compact, tight-rounded habit
Salvia 'Vibe Ignition White' (PlantHaven International)
- Super compact, most dwarf to date
- Masses of medium-sized, pure-white flowers
- Works well for low water usage landscapes
- Reflowers freely thoughout the season
- Compact, tight-rounded habit
Salvia nemarosa 'Sky Blue Marvel' (Darwin Perennials)
- Light-blue addition to the Marvel family, with the same great habit as Blue and Rose Marvel
- Excellent color display spring and summer
- Low maintenance
- Hardy in Zones 4 to 9
Verbena 'Firehouse Pink' (Ball FloraPlant)
- New series of medium-mounded basket verbena
- Great garden performance in the heat – less cycling means more color in the garden for summer
- Firehouse launches with nine colors in the series
- Excellent powdery mildew resistance
- Great combo component
Interspecific Geranium ‘Big Eeze Flamingo’ (Dümmen Orange)
- Series features large umbrels, saturated colors, and good landscape performance
- Heat tolerance of an ivy geranium with the rounded habit of a medium-vigor zonal
- Flamingo has pink flowers with bicolor white veining throughout the petals
New Guinea Impatiens Sweetie Pie Series (Dümmen Orange)
- New series with candy-like novelty blooms
- Works well for 306-pack production
- Series bred to improve the existing Sweetie series of New Guinea impatiens with its quick finish times, tolerance of high-density production, and suitability for rack displays
Begonia hyb. 'I’Conia Portofino Yellow' (Dümmen Orange)
- Oversized, truly double flowers
- Grower-friendly production regime
- Duel indoor/outdoor appeal
- Vibrant flowers that persist all season long
- Clean foliage with strong branching
- Shade/part-sun tolerance
Pericallis 'Senetti Magic Salmon' (Suntory Flowers)
- Blends shades of blue and salmon for tie-dyed effect
- Great product for Easter promotions, like colored eggs
- Plants thrive in cool conditions and are great for early spring sales
Argyranthemums 'Grandaisy Red' (Suntory Flowers)
- Large flowers
- Early blooming
- Great for patios, balconies, and as a bedding plant
- Suitable for every climate
Mandevilla 'Sun Parasol Giant Marbled Crimson' (Suntory Flowers)
- Excellent disease resistance
- Upright, vigorous habit
- Natural climber for patios, balconies, and landscaping in sunny areas
California Spring Trials 2018 is only four weeks away. 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.
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:
Ball Horticultural Co. (Santa Paula, CA)
Dümmen Orange (San Luis Obispo, CA)
PlantHaven International (GroLink Plant Company, Oxnard, CA)
Suntory Flowers (GroLink Plant Company, Oxnard, CA)
Watch for two 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
Janeen Wright is former Editor for Greenhouse Grower. . See all author stories here.