California Spring Trials 2023 Preview: Breeders Show a Passion for Pink
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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Surfinia 'Patio Party Pink' (Suntory Flowers)
Pucker up for a sweet new petunia. ‘Surfinia Patio Party Pink’ is an upright compact variety with flower power. Bright pink blooms have a star pattern that resembles a kiss. An irresistible addition to your spring assortment.
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Zinnia Belize Series (American Takii)
Zinnia Belize Series is a new interspecific Zinnia series that is floriferous with a naturally compact and branching habit with excellent heat tolerance. Early flowering, Belize is ideal for packs and pots. Thrives in containers and gardens. Available in Cherry, Orange, Rose, and White.
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Zinnia Belize Double Series (American Takii)
Zinna Belize Double Series is a new double-type interspecific Zinnia series with the same outstanding characteristics of Zinnia Belize. Available in Orange, Rose, Scarlet, White, Yellow, and Formula Mix. Three of the varieties have earned Fleuroselect awards. Orange and Rose are Fleuroselect Novelty winners and Scarlet is a Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner.
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Cyclamen ‘Djix Salmon with Eye’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
The jolly Djix with its hanging down flowers is in the next season available in a new color: Salmon with Eye. With this addition, there’s a range of three colors in this stubborn little cyclamen.
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Mandevilla ‘Sun Parasol Giant Peach Sunrise’ (Suntory Flowers)
‘Sun Parasol Giant’ varieties are the true, classic vining mandevilla with large flowers. ‘Giant Peach Sunrise’ produces gorgeous, multi-tonal blooms that start out dark peach and lighten with age. Throats are golden yellow with a red-orange ring. Perfect for premium trellised containers.
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Scaevola 'Surdiva Fashion Pink' (Cohen Propagation Nurseries/Suntory Flowers)
Scaevola ‘Surdiva Fashion Pink’ is one of the more exciting breeding from Suntory Japan. A new generation of scaevola easy to root and grow. Compact habits and rich flowering. Has medium dark pink flowers. Produced by Cohen from clean stock.
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Salvia 'Pink Nebula' (ThinkPlants/Danziger)
Danziger’s Salvia nemorosa provide out-of-this-world performance in the garden, with colorful blooms that cover the plant all summer long. These early and uniform Salvia nemorosa feature colorful blooms atop strong stems and don’t require vernalization or bulking. New for 2024, ‘Pink Nebula’ brings striking, rosy-pink color that will turn heads at the garden center. This new salvia is similar in habit and performance to Danziger’s popular ‘Dark Matter’ variety.
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Salvia 'Pink Mulberry' (Jaldety Nursery)
A natural beauty color addition to Jaldety's Salvia range. Free flowering with masses of two-tone, dark fuchsia pink and white skirt flowers, dark calyx, on dark stems. Long flowering period, from early spring until the first frost. Great uniform bushy habit with flexible stems. Use in big containers for patio and decks, mix borders, water wise garden planting, and cottage and meadow gardens and beds. Low maintenance, beneficial for butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. USDA Zones 7-9.
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Salvia 'Cuello Cream Pink' (Jaldety Nursery)
Excellent Salvia hybrid flower power. Good color impact with two-tone cream and pink neck flowers, on dark stems. Free flowering, beautiful contrast between the dark calyx and its cream and pink flowers. Long flowering period, from early spring until the first frost. Good uniform bushy habit with flexible stems. Super low maintenance, attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. Use in big containers for patio and decks, mix borders, water wise garden planting, cottage and meadow gardens and beds. USDA Zones 7-9.
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Rey (Chamelaucium × verticordia) (Nir Nursery)
Rey is a totally new intergeneric hybrid variety. It is a perennial shrub reaching 1-2 meters. The five-petal flower has a uniquely fuchsia color with crown-like center. The vase life of each flower is up to three months. The Rey flowers from early winter to summer. Rey can tolerate light frost.
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Petunia 'Surfinia XXL Taffy Pink' (Cohen Propagation Nurseries/Suntory Flowers)
Petunia ‘Surfinia XXL Taffy Pink’ is a new, special variety from the most famous petunia in the world – Surfinia, bred by Suntory in Japan. Very large single flower in a Hot Pink color. Half mounding growth habits with green foliage. Produced from clean certified controlled stock in Israel by Cohen.
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Petunia 'Cascadias Vibrant Pink' (Danziger)
‘Cascadias Vibrant Pink’, part of the Petunia Cascadias Series, is the latest Danziger introduction offering the wow factor' ‘Cascadias Vibrant Pink’ provides glowing, hot-pink blooms that cover the plant. Perfect for hanging baskets or cascading in the landscape, this petunia draws gardeners in.
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Pelargonium 'Big EEZE Pink Batik' (Dümmen Orange)
‘Pink Batik’ joins the Big EEZE series, one of the most impressive geranium series available for retail sales. An interspecific hybrid with outstanding garden performance, Big EEZE has the heat tolerance of an ivy geranium and the look of a zonal. ‘Pink Batik’ is a unique bicolor with a stable mosaic pattern on its large, impressive umbels. White is also new.
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New Guinea Impatiens 'Magnum Rose Star' (Dümmen Orange)
Make a statement in your New Guinea Impatiens offerings with Dümmen Orange’s Magnums, a line of oversized, extra-large blooms. At nearly 3.25 inches across, consumers can’t not notice these plants at retail. ‘Rose Star’ is the first star pattern variety in the Magnum series, giving large containers — either mono or mixed — a perfect premium look. Use in 1-gallon and 2-gallon programs.
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Lisianthus 'Voyage Light Pink' (Sakata Ornamentals)
‘Voyage Light Pink’ is a lovely new color to this doubled flower lisianthus series. With large-fringed flowers and strong petals, ‘Voyage’ withstands the rigors of shipping and holds a great top flowering habit.
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Lavandula stoechas 'Lavlov Deep Pink' (Hishtil Nurseries)
This series has a compact, rounded bushy form, early flowering, and bursting colors and aromas. It also matches as a set and provides outstanding performance with little grower effort — truly hitting the sweet spot between a compact growth habit and the abundance customers desire.
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Lavandula angustifolia 'BeeZee Pink' (Hishtil Nurseries)
Lavandula angustifolia BeeZee Series is a new hardy, compact and exciting angustifolia series with similar characteristic and masses of flowers that will attract and keep the bees busy during the long flowering season.
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Hydrangea 'Tabletensia Pink' (Ball Ingenuity)
A one-of-a-kind hydrangea that is low growing, making it perfect for bowl use. An ideal option as a table centerpiece indoors or outside on a patio in a sheltered area. These should be transplanted into an 8-inch (20 cm) bowl for growing on/finishing. Available in Blue and Pink. Refer to the Ball Ingenuity “Hydrangea Forcing Guide” for detailed culture information. Height is 8 to 10 inches. Spread is 12 to 14 inches. Exposure: Indoor
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Mandevilla (Dipladenia) ‘Madinia Petite’ (Syngenta Flowers)
Dipladenia ‘Madinia Petite’ has all the benefits for grower efficiency — early flowering, less PGRs, no vining, and high-density production in small pots. Beautiful tropical flowers on a compact habit along with less garden maintenance will keep consumers smiling all summer long.
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Petunia ‘Itsy Pink’ (Syngenta Flowers)
‘Itsy Pink’ is the newest addition to the Itsy petunia series. With exceptional color coverage and good vigor, Itsy is a great option for both landscape and containers. Tons of tiny flower blooms form a blanket of color providing undeniable retail appeal.
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Echinacea 'MOOODZ Imagination' (HilverdaFlorist)
Echinacea MOOODZ Series is the fastest echinacea from tissue culture on the market. The MOOODZ Series consist of a wide range of colors that complement each other. Combine these echinacea in a garden or in a large patio planter. New to this series is ‘Imagination’ with stunning pink flowers.
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Echinacea 'Double Scoop Deluxe' (Darwin Perennials)
The Double Scoop Series is improved with four new “deluxe” colors for 2023. All have better flower coverage that make a bold statement. These new deluxe varieties bring the branching, high flower count, and timing of the Sombrero Series to the Double Scoop line. More compact than the typical double-flowered echinacea, with more reliable first-year flowering. Watch for ‘Watermelon Deluxe’ (shown), ‘Strawberry Deluxe’, ‘Raspberry Deluxe’, and ‘Orangeberry Deluxe’. Height is 22 to 24 inches and spread is 18 to 20 inches. Best for sun exposure in USDA Zones 4a-9b.
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Dahlia 'Revelation Pink' (Dümmen Orange)
The new Revelation Series will become the standard-bearer for uniform timing and habit in dahlias. Each of Revelation’s five new colors is exploding with large, semi-double flowers held aloft on strong stems above dark-green foliage. Revelation’s vigor makes these dahlias an excellent choice for both large containers and landscape plantings. Pink is especially pretty with its occasionally occurring bicolored petals.
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Cyclamen 'Super Serie Fusion Large Neon Pink' (Schoneveld)
The latest development in the cyclamen assortment of Schoneveld Breeding, is the large-flowered Super Serie Fusion. The flowers have a two-toned pattern that’s unique in the market. The series starts off with ‘Fusion Large Neon Pink’.
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Aster 'Azumi XL Rose' (Sakata Ornamentals)
Aster Azumi XL brings big bold blooms to this brand-new aster series. These extra-large flowers achieve desired plant height with ease and have a high usable plug count with tolerance to fusarium.
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Antirrhinum (Snapdragon) 'DoubleShot Orange Bicolor' (Hem Genetics)
2023 AAS National Winner for both garden performance and for container use. Heavily branched plants with strong stems hold the deep orange flowers with white throats perfectly, ideal for height is flower beds and in mixed containers. Flowers also hold up well when cut for indoors.
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Antirrhinum (Snapdragon) 'DoubleShot Appleblossom' (Hem Genetics)
Antirrhinum (Snapdragon) DoubleShot Series of Tall Snaps (18 to 20 inches) with double, open-faced flowers on heavily branched plants. DoubleShot was bred to produce strong stems even under short day production, ideal for late season gallon pots in the deep south. Frost and freeze tolerance make them excellent season extenders. Five colors: Appleblossom, Crimson Red, Orange Bicolor, Peach, and Yellow.
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Angelonia 'Alonia Big Cherry' (Danziger)
Beautiful and early blooming, these new Angelonia angustifolia put on a show from spring through summer. 2024 will see several new colors, including ‘Alonia Big Cherry’. This variety’s bright, fuchsia blooms captured attention at Danziger’s InnovationFest, quickly becoming a customer favorite. All the Alonia series offer great heat tolerance and an upright habit. They can be grown in small pots but continue to gain size in the garden.
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Agastache ‘Pink Pearl’ (ThinkPlants/Terra Nova Nurseries)
Mid-sized, full, and compact mound of large flower spikes. Unique, glowing light pink color. Different from other agastache with large, dense blooms that cover the entire plant. Two-toned flowers with deeper-colored flower buds for contrast. Long blooming from spring to frost. Exposure: Full Sun. Flowering Time: Summer-Fall. First-year flowering.
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Agastache 'Beelicious Pink' (Kientzler)
Combines decorative pink flower spikes with an uncommonly controlled agastache landscape habit. Blooms in the summer heat, pollinator friendly, and hardy to zone 4. Available in 2024.
View all
Surfinia 'Patio Party Pink' (Suntory Flowers)
Zinnia Belize Series (American Takii)
Zinnia Belize Double Series (American Takii)
Cyclamen ‘Djix Salmon with Eye’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
Mandevilla ‘Sun Parasol Giant Peach Sunrise’ (Suntory Flowers)
Scaevola 'Surdiva Fashion Pink' (Cohen Propagation Nurseries/Suntory Flowers)
Salvia 'Pink Nebula' (ThinkPlants/Danziger)
Salvia 'Pink Mulberry' (Jaldety Nursery)
Salvia 'Cuello Cream Pink' (Jaldety Nursery)
Rey (Chamelaucium × verticordia) (Nir Nursery)
Petunia 'Surfinia XXL Taffy Pink' (Cohen Propagation Nurseries/Suntory Flowers)
Petunia 'Cascadias Vibrant Pink' (Danziger)
Pelargonium 'Big EEZE Pink Batik' (Dümmen Orange)
New Guinea Impatiens 'Magnum Rose Star' (Dümmen Orange)
Lisianthus 'Voyage Light Pink' (Sakata Ornamentals)
Lavandula stoechas 'Lavlov Deep Pink' (Hishtil Nurseries)
Lavandula angustifolia 'BeeZee Pink' (Hishtil Nurseries)
Hydrangea 'Tabletensia Pink' (Ball Ingenuity)
Mandevilla (Dipladenia) ‘Madinia Petite’ (Syngenta Flowers)
Petunia ‘Itsy Pink’ (Syngenta Flowers)
Echinacea 'MOOODZ Imagination' (HilverdaFlorist)
Echinacea 'Double Scoop Deluxe' (Darwin Perennials)
Dahlia 'Revelation Pink' (Dümmen Orange)
Cyclamen 'Super Serie Fusion Large Neon Pink' (Schoneveld)
Aster 'Azumi XL Rose' (Sakata Ornamentals)
Antirrhinum (Snapdragon) 'DoubleShot Orange Bicolor' (Hem Genetics)
Antirrhinum (Snapdragon) 'DoubleShot Appleblossom' (Hem Genetics)
Angelonia 'Alonia Big Cherry' (Danziger)
Agastache ‘Pink Pearl’ (ThinkPlants/Terra Nova Nurseries)
Agastache 'Beelicious Pink' (Kientzler)
In the slideshow above, learn how new pink 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.