Agapanthus 'Ever Amethyst' (Sunset Western Garden Collection/Southern Living Plant Collection)
- Semi-dwarf
- Fast growing
- Blooms very early and reblooms with multiple spikes of bright-blue flowers
- Drought tolerant
- Mature size: 18 to 24 inches tall and wide
Begonia 'Dreams Chloe Coral Pink' (Beekenkamp)
- High vitality from grower to consumer
- Long shelf life
- Good color variety in coordinated assortment
Begonia 'Perfume Dreams Fragrant Falls Peach' (Beekenkamp)
- High vitality from grower to consumer
- Long shelf life
- Good color variety in coordinated assortment blooms
- Fragrant blooms
Begonia 'Waterfalls Dreams Encanto Pink' (Beekenkamp)
- Floriferous for patio, baskets, and the balcony
Begonia 'Waterfalls Dreams Encanto White' (Beekenkamp)
- Trailing and semi-trailing types
- High vitality from grower to consumer
- Good shelf life
Bidens 'Spot Light' (Thompson & Morgan)
- Elegant bicolor flowers
- Bred for long season of interest in patio pots and containers
- Height: 8 inches
Callistemon viminalis Light Show Bottlebrush (Sunset Western Garden Collection/Southern Living Plant Collection)
- Dense, tough flowering shrub
- Height: 2 to 3 feet tall
- Drought tolerant
- Salt tolerant
- 'Light Show Red' suitable for a variety of landscape applications
Canna 'South Pacific Ivory' (American Takii)
- Series includes Orange (2018 All-America Selections winner), Ivory (pictured), and Rose
- Compact habit
- Repeat blooming
- More uniform and vigorous
- Better basal branching
- Seed-propagated variety
- Day-length neutral
- Not prone to diseases transmitted in rhizome production
Canna 'South Pacific Rose' (American Takii)
- Series includes Orange (2018 All-America Selections winner), Ivory, and Rose (pictured)
- Compact habit
- Repeat blooming
- More uniform and vigorous
- Better basal branching
- Seed-propagated variety
- Day-length neutral
- Not prone to diseases transmitted in rhizome production
Celosia 'Century Salmon Pink' (Sakata Ornamentals)
- New color
- Large, abundant blooms on strong stems
- Works well for containers and as a cut flower
- Heat tolerant
Cyclamen 'Picasso Wine Red Flamed' (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Slightly open plant structure for good airflow
- Great for gift-giving and holiday decor
- Ideal for outdoors and indoors
Dahlia Labella Maggiore Series (Beekenkamp)
- Well-suited for the gift market
- Striking colors
Felicia amelloides 'Amélie Blue' (Cultivaris)
- Compact
- Bushy habit
- Flowers profusely without cold treatment, but does not benefit from it
Gaura lindheimeri 'Lillipop Supreme' (Cultivaris)
- Compact with excellent basal branching
- No need for vernalization
- Stout, large pink flowers
Geranium 'Bloom Me Away' (Cultivaris)
Gypsophila 'Gypsy White Improved' (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Early flowering
- Tidy, mounded habit
- Higher heat tolerance
- Great as border or component plant
Impatiens 'SunPatiens Compact Pink Candy' (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Better branching with strong vigor
- Works well in cooler regions for fast-growing, massive color
- Blooms in sun or shade
- Works well for high-density production
Impatiens 'Sunpatiens Orchid' (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Better branching with strong vigor
- Works well in cooler regions for fast-growing, massive color
- Blooms in sun or shade
- Works well for high-density production
Isotoma 'Fizz-n-Pop Dark Blue' (Thompson & Morgan)
- Nectar rich blooms attract beneficial pollinators
- Bred for long-season interest in patio pots and containers
- Works well for borders and mass landscape planting
- Height: 11 to 12 inches
Lantana 'Firestorm' (Southern Living Plant Collection)
- Blooming perennial for adding lasting color to hot, dry climates
- Clusters of red blooms
- Mature size: 1½ to 2 feet tall by 1½ to 2 feet wide
Leucothoe 'Burning Love' (Sunset Western Garden Collection/Southern Living Plant Collection)
- Compact, upright, shrubby habit with short internodes
- Fine, narrow leaves and immature shoots that are red in color mature to a green color in summer and turn purple in fall through winter
- Mature size: 2½ feet tall by 2½ feet wide
Linaria Fantasy Series (American Takii)
- Dwarf Linaria series quick to flower
- Withstands frosts and short duration freezes to 26°F
- Great for early season color
- Well-suited for mass plantings
Marigold 'Super Hero Spry' (Ernst Benary of America)
- All-America Selections winner
- More uniform, stable color pattern
- Earlier to bloom
- No deadheading required
Petunia 'Success! 360° Red Star' (Ernst Benary of America)
- Versatile grandiflora petunia series
- Uniform and programmable series
- Available in 13 colors for well-branched packs
Pittosporum 'Beach Ball' (Sunset Western Garden Collection)
- Naturally compact, thick growth habit equals less pruning
- Low-growing evergreen shrub can easily be pruned to shape
- Deer resistant
- Salt tolerant
- Water-wise
- Mature size: 3 to 4 feet tall by 3 to 4 feet wide
Pixie Grapes (Plug Connection)
- Dwarf grape variety
- Expect miniature clusters of grapes and fruiting throughout the season
- Available as 102-cell liner from weeks 17 to 22 for spring finish next season
Podocarpus 'Roman Candle' (Sunset Western Garden Collection/Southern Living Plant Collection)
- Low maintenance shrub
- Deer and pest resistant
- Heat tolerant
- Upright habit
- Year-round interest
- Mature size: 10 to 12 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide
Rehmannia hyb. 'Crouching Tiger' (Cultivaris)
- Pure-white flowers with tiger-spotted throats
- After cold treatment it flowers from May to October
- 10-inch flower spikes on tidy plant
Rehmannia hyb. 'Hidden Dragon' (Cultivaris)
Snapdragon 'Floral Showers Scarlet Improved' (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Brighter, true scarlet color
- Flowers within tight window both spring and fall
- Improved, compact habit more true to series
- Fast, day-length neutral series works great for packs
Stock 'Mime Blue' (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Fragrant blooms
- Uniform flowers
- Strong stems hold up for shipping and retail
- Early to bloom with aproximately 55% double flowers — without seedling selection
Sunflower 'Sunrich Provence Summer' (American Takii)
- Pollenless
- Long-lasting, densely petaled flowers
- Upright facing on strong stems
Viola ColorMax Citrus Mix (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Includes Clear Orange, Clear Yellow, and Popcorn
- Great weather tolerance
- Larger flowers than standard violas
- Free flowering
Viola ColorMax LemonBerry Pie Mix (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Includes Berry Pie, Icy Blue, and Lemon Splash
- Great weather tolerance
- Larger flowers than standard violas
- Free flowering
Viola ColorMax Royal Mix (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Includes Clear Purple, Clear Yellow, and Yellow Jump Up
- Includes Berry Pie, Icy Blue, and Lemon Splash
- Great weather tolerance
- Larger flowers than standard violas
- Free flowering
California Spring Trials 2018 is coming up quickly. Editors Laura Drotleff and Janeen Wright, along with Allan Armitage and Andrew Scheldorf, winner of the Dr. Allan Armitage Scholarship for the Ornamental Spring Trials, will be on the scene sharing the latest varieties with you and updating 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 Northern Region:
Ernest Benary of America (Watsonville, CA)
Thompson & Morgan (Speedling, Salinas, CA)
American Takii (Salinas, CA)
Sakata Ornamentals (Salinas, CA)
Beekenkamp (Floricultura, Salinas, CA)
Plug Connection (Floricultura, Salinas, CA)
Sunset Western/Southern Living Garden Collections (Pacific Plug & Liner, Watsonville, 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
Janeen Wright is former Editor for Greenhouse Grower. . See all author stories here.