Costa Farms 2023 Season Premiere Offers a Promising Glimpse of Future Favorites

By Brian D. Sparks|March 12, 2023

Earlier this month, I made my first-ever trip to Costa Farms’ annual Season Premiere Event. It was a great chance to take an early look at the new varieties that consumers in the Southeast will hopefully be able to enjoy and beautify their homes and gardens a couple years from now.

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Costa Farms welcomed attendees to its 2023 Season Premiere in early March. All photos: Brian Sparks
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Storm Clouds Combo (Danziger)
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Portulaca 'Cupcake Carrot' (Dümmen Orange)
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Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Talavera Pink Tricolor' (Syngenta Flowers)
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Plectranthus 'ColorBlaze Cherry Drop' (Proven Winners)
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Petunia 'SureShot Raspberry Cheesecake' (Ball FloraPlant)
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Mandevilla 'Sun Parasol Giant Peach Sunrise' (Suntory Flowers)
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Mandevilla 'Qdeville Ainia' (Graff Breeding)
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Lantana 'PassionFruit' (Ball FloraPlant)
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Inspiration Combo (Selecta One)
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Fuchsia 'Ballerina' (Dümmen Orange)
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Flamma Mamma Combo (Sakata Ornamentals)
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Centaurea 'Silver Swirl' (Darwin Perennials)
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Calibrachoa 'Dracula' (Westhoff)
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Bidens 'Blazing Star' (Danziger)
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Alstroemeria 'Summer Paradise Summer Heat' (HilverdaFlorist)

First impressions? The color! And the heat! It was an unseasonably warm day when I arrived at Costa’s display gardens, and after an overview from Costa Farms Brand Marketing Manager Justin Hancock and a quick drive over to check out Costa’s evolving Trending Tropicals production area, I found myself back in a sea of planting beds stocked with new and improved plant materials hand-picked by breeders who were more than excited to talk about them.

Over the next couple weeks, watch for more information on what was on display. But for now, check out the slideshow above for some of my personal favorites.