Plant Variety Trends to Note at Cultivate’26
July 8, 2026 
Cultivate’26 is a great opportunity to stay in the know on new varieties, and how to grow them the right way. A great place to start is the New Varieties Zone, which features the newest plant materials and genetics ready to hit the market. You can learn more about the New Varieties Zone here.
There’s also the Ohio State University Cultivar Trials. The trial gardens of annual and perennial varieties offer the opportunity to evaluate landscape and container performance in typical Central-Ohio conditions. Visitors will have the opportunity to take guided tours of the Ornamental Plant Germplasm Center, which provides a behind-the-scenes look at plant conservation efforts. Free shuttle rides from the Convention Center are available at the Transportation Desk beginning at 4:30 PM.
In the meantime, keep reading to learn more about just a few of the varieties-focused educational sessions taking place at Cultivate’26 (the complete education program can be found here).
Boosting Perennial Profits (Saturday)
Give your perennial sales a boost by enhancing the quality and value of your crop. Attendees will learn how to improve perennial quality, timing, and market value by managing three key levers: temperature, nutrition, and plant growth regulators (PGRs). By manipulating factors under your control you can enhance the value of your crop and give your profits a boost. Ideal for perennial growers, production managers, and greenhouse teams focused on finishing crops on time and on spec. Speaker: Christopher Fifo, Darwin Perennials
Lavender Production: From Propagation to Flowering (Sunday)
Lavender is popular at retail but can be a challenging crop in production. This session provides comprehensive cultivation strategies for both Spanish (Lavandula stoechas) and English (Lavandula angustifolia) varieties, covering seed and vegetative propagation methods. Learn essential timing, environmental requirements, and cultural practices that drive crop success for both spring and fall production cycles. Special attention will be given to common production challenges, ensuring attendees leave with practical knowledge for immediate implementation in their growing operations. Speakers: Lauren Kilpatrick and Brian Krug, Syngenta Flowers
Color in a Hurry: Success with Quick-Turning Flowering Shrubs
Greenhouse growers looking for new revenue streams don’t always need a new facility. Sometimes they just need a faster crop. This session explores “quick-turn” nursery crops and starter material that can be finished in a greenhouse on short timelines to diversify offerings, smooth out seasonal gaps, and respond quickly to demand. Attendees will learn which nursery-to-greenhouse crop types tend to perform best under protected culture, what to ask suppliers when sourcing liners or young plants, and the basic production considerations that impact timing, quality, and shrink. Ideal for greenhouse growers, head growers, and production managers who want practical, low-barrier ways to broaden their product mix and capture faster returns without pulling focus from core programs. Speaker: Tim Wood, Spring Meadow Nursery
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