California Spring Trials 2023 Preview: Why You’ll Be Seeing Red
California Spring Trials (CAST) 2023 is right around the corner, taking place March 29-April 2 along the California coast. What can you expect to discover at CAST this year? Over the next three weeks, GreenhouseGrower.com offers a series of slideshows, video previews, and more.
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Catharanthus 'Soiree Flamenco Salsa Red' (Suntory Flowers)
A breakthrough color joins the dance in Suntory’s Soiree Flamenco series. These novel vinca flowers have ruffled petals. While the other four colors are shades of pink and salmon, ‘Salsa Red’ is a deep maroon with a lighter terracotta edge. Perfect for summer programs.
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Saxifraga 'Alpino Early Deep Red' (ThinkPlants)
There are three new improvements to the Saxifraga Alpino Early Series, all improved with better flower form and plant habit. Needs bulking and vernalization to bloom. Alpino Early is two to four weeks earlier than the Touran Series. Alpino Early are free flowering with large blooms and the series has seven great early season colors. Exposure: Full sun to part shade. Suitable for USDA Zones 4-9. Input: unrooted cutting. Flowering time is early spring.
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Salvia splendens ‘Red Hill' (Hem Genetics)
Salvia splendens ‘Red Hill’ is a tall, red flowered Salvia splendens that has a heavily branched habit and produces its red flosser spices heavily all season long, reaching a height of 20 to 24 inches. Ideal for tall accents in the garden, Salvia are one of the best hummingbird and pollinator attractants you can plant in your garden. ‘Red Hill’ also performs beautifully in large mixed patio containers.
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Salvia 'Lipstick' (Jaldety Nursery)
‘Lipstick’ is more than just a Salvia hybrid. This variety has rich lipstick red with white marked throat, big flowers with dark calyx, on dark stems. Free flowering, long flowering period, from early spring till the first frost. Flexible stems with a great uniform bushy habit. Easy to care for, creates great interest in pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Use in big containers for the outdoor spaces, borders with other salvias, water wise garden planting, cottage and meadow gardens and beds. U.S. Zone: 7-9.
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Petunia 'SuperCal Premium Red Maple' (Sakata)
‘SuperCal Premium Red Maple’ is an exciting new color in this popular series. With large, iridescent flowers of scarlet to an orange glow and a well-branched, mounding plant habit. ‘SuperCal Premium Red Maple’ has exceptional weather tolerance making it an excellent choice for a season extender (early spring through autumn).
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Pericallis 'Senetti Red Halo' (Suntory Flowers)
We’re seeing more red in Senetti with breakthrough colors. Red options to date include ‘Ruby Red’ and ‘White Red Heart’ (white daisies with red centers). The new ‘Senetti Red Halo’ has larger red daisy flowers with red centers surrounded by a bright white ring. Excellent for early spring impulse sales.
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Pelargonium 'Grace Patio Scarlett Kiss' (Beekenkamp)
Introducing the interspecific Pelargonium Grace Series. This Grace series offers the best of both zonal and ivy geraniums. Excellent for landscapes and containers. Excellent branching and mounding habit. Great drought and heat tolerance.
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Pelargonium 'Darko Red' (PAC-Elsner)
The Darko Series from PAC-Elsner is known for its deep, dark green foliage and enhanced heat tolerance. Now comes a big step forward in the most popular color in geraniums: True Red. ‘True Red’ lives up to its name on compact plants with superior branching, making it perfect for small pots or hanging baskets.
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Pelargonium 'Aristo Bright Red' (PAC-Elsner)
The largest and longest running regal geranium breeding program in the world brings a new punch of color to your spring programs. ‘Aristo Bright Red’ is an intense new color that is sure to turn heads in the greenhouse and the garden center.
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New Guinea Impatiens 'Paradise Yonita' (Cohen Propagation Nurseries)
New variety with deep-red flowers from the famous New Guinea line in the market, bred by Kientzler in Germany. Compact controlled growth habits with dark green leaves. Suitable for small to medium pot production. Produced by Cohen from clean stock.
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Hypericum 'Magic Marbles' (Kientzler)
Popular fall item comes to North America after European success. Compact habit great for containers. Bright yellow flowers transition to elegant red berries.
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Dianthus 'Flow Red Beach' (HilverdaFlorist)
Every day is like a hot summer day with Dianthus ‘Flow Red Beach’. The Flow varieties are versatile and perfect for balcony, terrace, or indoors. Despite the classic appearance, Flow is modern and trendy because of the spectacular colors and large flowers. The large elegant double flowers make this a premium product.
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Celosia plumosa 'Arrabona Bronze-Leaf Red' (Hem Genetics)
Celosia plumosa Arrabona Series has added three new colors to the former stand-alone ‘Arrabona Red’: Bronze-Leaf Red, plus Orange and Yellow, both with green foliage. Uniform among the colors, in cooler, drier climates they get to 14 to 16 inches tall, and in warm, humid climates they achieve a height of 18 to 20 inches. Ideal dramatic landscape item that holds up to heat and humidity very well.
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Catharanthus 'Soiree Kawaii Paprika Red' (Suntory Flowers)
‘Soiree Kawaii’ vinca varieties are tiny, but terrific. Cute, mini flowers create mounds of color. New ‘Soiree Kawaii Paprika Red’ is a warm red/orange shade with a white eye, compared to ‘Red Shades’, which is cooler with a red eye. Choose from eight colors for outstanding summer performance.
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Canna Sunny Series (Saad-Assaf)
Saad-Assaf Canna Seeds program has unique Canna Indica varieties, grown especially for seeds. Its main strengths are its vigorous growth, strong structure and large flowers compared to other seed raised Canna. These are the largest Canna blooms grown from seeds.
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Bracteantha 'Granvia Crimson Sun' (Suntory Flowers)
Suntory’s super strawflower series now has a glorious red, ‘Granvia Crimson Sun’. Vigorous plants are twice the size of typical bedding plant bracteantha. Large red blooms open and close with the sun, revealing sunny yellow centers. Suitable for spring, summer and fall programs.
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Begonia 'Adora Red Velvet' (Syngenta Flowers)
New for 2023, the Adora begonia series boasts striking dark foliage and masses of petite double flowers. Its well branched, mounded habits work across a range of container sizes and thrives in both sun and shade applications. Adora works well in pots and landscapes, making it the perfect indoor and outdoor solution.
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Aster 'Azumi XL Red' (Sakata)
Aster ‘Azumi XL Red’ 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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Alstroemeria 'Summer Paradise Summer Heat' (HilverdaFlorist)
The Summer Paradise Summer Series is the tallest and most vigorous garden perennial in the HilverdaFlorist Alstroemeria assortment. These plants produce an unbroken display of flowers from May until November. Every year the plant gets more vigorous, like a true superstar perennial. New to this series is the gorgeous red ‘Summer Heat’.
View all
Catharanthus 'Soiree Flamenco Salsa Red' (Suntory Flowers)
Saxifraga 'Alpino Early Deep Red' (ThinkPlants)
Salvia splendens ‘Red Hill' (Hem Genetics)
Salvia 'Lipstick' (Jaldety Nursery)
Petunia 'SuperCal Premium Red Maple' (Sakata)
Pericallis 'Senetti Red Halo' (Suntory Flowers)
Pelargonium 'Grace Patio Scarlett Kiss' (Beekenkamp)
Pelargonium 'Darko Red' (PAC-Elsner)
Pelargonium 'Aristo Bright Red' (PAC-Elsner)
New Guinea Impatiens 'Paradise Yonita' (Cohen Propagation Nurseries)
Hypericum 'Magic Marbles' (Kientzler)
Dianthus 'Flow Red Beach' (HilverdaFlorist)
Celosia plumosa 'Arrabona Bronze-Leaf Red' (Hem Genetics)
Catharanthus 'Soiree Kawaii Paprika Red' (Suntory Flowers)
Canna Sunny Series (Saad-Assaf)
Bracteantha 'Granvia Crimson Sun' (Suntory Flowers)
Begonia 'Adora Red Velvet' (Syngenta Flowers)
Aster 'Azumi XL Red' (Sakata)
Alstroemeria 'Summer Paradise Summer Heat' (HilverdaFlorist)
In the slideshow above, learn how new red 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.