California Spring Trials 2023 Preview: A Blend of Colors and Combos
California Spring Trials (CAST) 2023 takes place this week along the California coast. What can you expect to discover at CAST this year? Over the past few weeks, GreenhouseGrower.com has offered a series of slideshows, video previews, and more.
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Calibrachoa 'Calitastic Cappuccino' (Westhoff)
Adding a bit more novelty to the traditional colors of the Calitastic series, ‘Cappuccino’ has the same large early flowers and mounding habit as its series companions, but with a warm, rich color that is perfect for any container or in combinations.
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Bidens 'Royal Brocade' (Kientzler)
Perfect early season variety with blooms into June. Excellent choice for mid-sized baskets. Bicolored blooms have a strong inner red color with a vibrant contrasting yellow edge. Available in 2024.
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Bidens 'Fire Dance' (Kientzler)
Fantastic early season variety with blooms into June. Flower color captures the essence of burning fire with a bright reddish-orange coloration. Compact habit and day length neutral. Available in 2024.
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Arctotis Majec 'Yellow/Red' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
The all new ‘Majec Yellow/Red’ produces the brightest colored flowers you have ever seen. With silver foliage, the mounding plant looks brilliant in containers as well as the landscape. Daylength neutrality makes programming a breeze. This series is well known for its low water requirements for consumer success.
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Abelia 'Suntastic Peach' (PlantHaven)
Abelia ‘Suntastic Peach’ is a fantastic new colorful abelia. Leaves emerge bright chartreuse and green in spring and change throughout the season to peach, cream, and even a bright coral-orange color in fall. All accented by the vivid red stems. Bred for its compact, well branched habit. Excellent for growers who want minimal touches. Zone 6
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SunPatiens Compact Impatiens 'Red Candy' (Sakata Ornamentals)
‘SunPatiens Compact Red Candy’ has large, vibrant bicolor flowers with high retail appeal. The dark-bronze foliage provides excellent contrast. Its strong vigor and excellent heat tolerance allow continuous flowers, full sun to part-shade, for three seasons.
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Streptocarpus 'Lady Slippers Cherry Ice' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
The explosion of popularity in house plants helps us all have strong off-season sales. The all-new ‘Lady Slippers Cherry Ice’ will keep this trend going strong. Deep cherry-colored blossoms will bloom everyday indoors or a shady spot on the porch. Ease of care for the consumer ensures years of flowers.
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Petunia 'Tumbelina Scarlet Ripple' (Cohen Propagation Nurseries, Kerley)
Petunia ‘Tumbelina Scarlet Ripple’ is a new variety from the leading Double flowered series, bred by Kerley in the UK. Exciting bicolor Red and Yellow medium to large double flower. Trailing habits. Produced from clean certified stock by Cohen.
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Petunia Confetti Garden Endurable Rose Mix (Dümmen Orange)
Confetti Garden Endurable Rose will set the bar for large and luscious mixed petunia containers that can handle the extremes of summer. Endurable Rose is great choice for municipal plantings and residential situations alike. The first all-DuraBloom mix, Endurable Rose’s mix of DuraBloom Electric Lilac, DuraBloom Royal Pink, and DuraBloom Silver will bring sparkle to anyone’s summer.
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Petunia 'Amore Pink Princess' (Danziger)
Home gardeners will swoon over the new addition to the Petunia Amore Series. ‘Amore Pink Princess’ features five lovely, soft-pink hearts on every bloom. This heart pattern creates eye-catching pots, beautiful hanging baskets and unique combinations.
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Petunia 'Amazonas Plum Cockatoo' (Danziger)
Danziger’s brand new petunia series had heads turning at InnovationFest. ‘Amazonas’ brings a bit of the rainforest to gardens everywhere. Lush, green hues pair with vivid, tropical colors to create a truly unique petunia. ‘Amazonas Plum Cockatoo’ features dramatic purple and green hues. ‘Amazonas’ is a strong and unique series with the relaxed and calming backdrop of natural color that pairs well with foliage plants in the garden.
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Pericallis 'Senetti Blue Bicolor Imp.' (Suntory Flowers)
One of the first and top-selling senetti varieties has been upgraded with modern breeding. Plant habit is more compact with a tighter bloom canopy. This variety is selected to be an overall better performer in terms of disease resistance.
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Osteospermum 'Osticade Twilight Moon' (Danziger)
The new colors of the Osteospermum Osticade Series have people wondering if it’s one plant or a combination. These new Osteospermum ecklonis bring a variety of colors to one plant. ‘Osticade Twilight Moon’ creates a multicolor look all in one variety, featuring sunny yellows, deep pinks, and sunset oranges. The Osticade Series’ semi-trailing habit creates stunning hanging baskets and patio pots and can be grown in a warm greenhouse with no cooling needed.
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Nemesia 'Fairy Kisses Cassis' (Kientzler)
Floriferous purple and white bicolor with distinct color separation. Sterile blooms substantially increase flower period. Compact mounded growth with the pleasant fragrance of all ‘Fairy Kisses’ varieties. Available in 2024.
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Lisianthus 'Rosita Pink Flash' (Sakata Ornamentals)
‘Rosita 2 Pink Flash II’ adds the perfect shade to this rose-shaped lisianthus series. With strong petals and top flowering with strong stems, these flowers make shipping easy and hold a long vase life.
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Lilium 'Phantom Joy' (ThinkPlants/GAV/Unex)
New Bicolor Asiatic lily. Vibrant orange with yellow centers. New pollen-free introduction. Outstanding retail appearance. Good flower count per stem. Exposure: Part Sun to Part Shade. USDA Zones 4-8. Input: Lily Bulb. Flowering Time: Programmable.
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Lantana 'PassionFruit' (Ball FloraPlant)
This new trailing, spreading lantana has abundant flowers and dark green foliage. It’s the perfect habit for hanging baskets and attracts butterflies and other pollinators. ‘PassionFruit’ produces multicolor flowers that are ideal for mono-color containers. Best of all: it never cycles out of flower. Height: 12 to 16 inches. Spread is 12 to 14 inches. Exposure: Sun.
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Lantana 'Gem Pearl' (Danziger)
When you think of summer color, lantana tops the list. Because it was developed in Israel, Danziger’s Lantana Gem Series offers superior heat tolerance. Both Gem and Gem Compact have been tested and trialed extensively for bloom cycling and are proven to provide loads of flowers even in hot weather. The bright white and yellow blooms of Lantana ‘Gem Pearl’ are a must-have for late spring and summer programs.
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Gerbera 'Patio Monte Viso' (HilverdaFlorist)
Patio Gerberas are unique voluminous plants with stunning large flowers up to 6 inches. New to the Patio Gerbera assortment is the beautiful two-tone ‘Monte Viso’ with a semi-double flower. In large pots, Patio Gerberas are really impressive and will bloom for months on a patio or terrace.
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Gerbera 'Majorette Orange & Yellow Bicolor' Dark Eye (Sakata Ornamentals)
Majorette Orange & Yellow Bicolor Dark Eye is a bright new bicolor with high contrast. Majorette is a highly uniform gerbera series — producing multiple large flowers, perfect for 5-inch pots and color bowls. The abundant stems and long-lasting, large flowers make it an eye-catcher at retail.
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Geranium 'Calliope Medium White Splash' (Syngenta Flowers)
Calliope Medium is the best-selling interspecific geranium series for medium sized pots and premium retail programs. This year a stunning White Splash variety joins the series. With a wide range of colors, including unique novelties, Calliope Medium is a one-stop option for building the ideal geranium program.
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Erysimum ‘Erysistible Bronze Rose’ (ThinkPlants/Syngenta Flowers)
1st Zone 5 hardy erysimum available in novelty colors. Striking novelty colors are a welcome addition to early spring programs. Medium-vigor controlled habits work well across all key container sizes. Plants are first year flowering. For best results, bulk plants in fall followed by a mild cooling period. Exposure: Full Sun.
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Echinacea ‘Prairie Blaze Vintage Lime’ (ThinkPlants/Syngenta Flowers)
Striking novelty colors upgrade perennial programs. A direct match to the Prairie Splendor Compact in habit and timing. Efficient to produce in a wide range of containers. The first ever OP Seed Echinacea available in novelty colors and optimized for mass production. Flowering Time: Spring-Summer. First-year flowering.
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Dianthus 'American Pie Berry à la Mode' (PlantHaven)
Dianthus ‘American Pie Berry à la Mode’ has large single blooms with timeless elegance on blue-green foliage. Beautifully fragrant flowers. Pure white blooms with unique magenta centers, carried on sturdy stems that do not flop. Hundreds of blooms in spring, repeating in summer and fall. Ideal for homeowners who want easy to grow cut flowers. Zone 5.
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Dahlia 'LaBella Medio Fun Flame' (Beekenkamp)
‘LaBella Medio Fun Pink Flame’ is a great new introduction with a beautiful blend of flamed red and orange bicolor blooms. It has a very stable pattern and the bright contrast of the blooms to foliage definitely makes this one of our new favorites in the line. Ideal for the quarts to 5-inch pot.
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Dahlia 'LaBella Grande Fun Caramel' (Beekenkamp)
This new ‘LaBella Grande Fun Caramel’ bicolor cannot be missed. This variety is a stunning introduction with bold bicolor blooms, and the perfect pattern to add as a thriller for patriotic summer planters. ‘LaBella Grande Fun Caramel’ creates the WOW factor all season long.
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Cyclamen Midi+ Indiaka Mix (Morel Cyclamen)
Distinguished by its unique two-tone color combination, the new Midi+ Indiaka Mix is the blend of four exceptional shades of the series. Plants are early and synchronized for flowering. Ideal for 4- to 6-inch pots with excellent plant shelf life. Indiaka are an excellent outdoor cyclamen variety for balconies and patios, or as indoor for flowering color. Height is 11 to 12 inches and spread is 9 to 10 inches.
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Coreopsis 'Solanna Sunset Bright' (ThinkPlants, Danziger)
old semi-double yellow blooms with a nice red eye. Very quick to bulk and come into bloom. First year flowering, can also be produced with traditional perennial timing. Very long flower time and is self-cleaning, for a long retail life. Good tolerance to powdery mildew. Exposure: Shade to Part Shade. Flowering Time: Early Spring-Summer.
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Calibrachoa 'Lia Spark Pink' (Danziger)
Danziger’s medium vigor calibrachoa series will get an electric new pattern in 2024. Calibrachoa ‘Lia Spark Pink’ brings beautiful pink blooms highlighted by a sunburst eye pattern to the series. These well-branched calibrachoas create stunning baskets and combinations.
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Calibrachoa 'Colibri Spark Purple' (Danziger)
Danziger is adding a little spark to the Calibrachoa Colibri Series with a new special pattern. ‘Colibri Spark Purple’ features a sunburst-style eye that adds depth and intrigue. This early flowering, controlled growth series requires very little PGRs, making it the perfect choice for small pot production and tidy hanging baskets.
View all
Calibrachoa 'Calitastic Cappuccino' (Westhoff)
Bidens 'Royal Brocade' (Kientzler)
Bidens 'Fire Dance' (Kientzler)
Arctotis Majec 'Yellow/Red' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
Abelia 'Suntastic Peach' (PlantHaven)
SunPatiens Compact Impatiens 'Red Candy' (Sakata Ornamentals)
Streptocarpus 'Lady Slippers Cherry Ice' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
Petunia 'Tumbelina Scarlet Ripple' (Cohen Propagation Nurseries, Kerley)
Petunia Confetti Garden Endurable Rose Mix (Dümmen Orange)
Petunia 'Amore Pink Princess' (Danziger)
Petunia 'Amazonas Plum Cockatoo' (Danziger)
Pericallis 'Senetti Blue Bicolor Imp.' (Suntory Flowers)
Osteospermum 'Osticade Twilight Moon' (Danziger)
Nemesia 'Fairy Kisses Cassis' (Kientzler)
Lisianthus 'Rosita Pink Flash' (Sakata Ornamentals)
Lilium 'Phantom Joy' (ThinkPlants/GAV/Unex)
Lantana 'PassionFruit' (Ball FloraPlant)
Lantana 'Gem Pearl' (Danziger)
Gerbera 'Patio Monte Viso' (HilverdaFlorist)
Gerbera 'Majorette Orange & Yellow Bicolor' Dark Eye (Sakata Ornamentals)
Geranium 'Calliope Medium White Splash' (Syngenta Flowers)
Erysimum ‘Erysistible Bronze Rose’ (ThinkPlants/Syngenta Flowers)
Echinacea ‘Prairie Blaze Vintage Lime’ (ThinkPlants/Syngenta Flowers)
Dianthus 'American Pie Berry à la Mode' (PlantHaven)
Dahlia 'LaBella Medio Fun Flame' (Beekenkamp)
Dahlia 'LaBella Grande Fun Caramel' (Beekenkamp)
Cyclamen Midi+ Indiaka Mix (Morel Cyclamen)
Coreopsis 'Solanna Sunset Bright' (ThinkPlants, Danziger)
Calibrachoa 'Lia Spark Pink' (Danziger)
Calibrachoa 'Colibri Spark Purple' (Danziger)
In the slideshow above, learn how new bicolor varieties can help complement baskets and combos, or stand out on their own.
You can find the complete CAST lineup and schedule here.
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Brian Sparks is senior editor of Greenhouse Grower and editor of Greenhouse Grower Technology. See all author stories here.