Ramblings by Another Plant-Crazy Editor From The Second Day Of CAST Trials

One of the best trips a horticulturist could ever take is travelling to California to see the new (and current) varieties on show by breeders. So, as a former Greenhouse Grower editor who has moved to custom publishing of late, I jumped at the chance to once again attend CAST, the California Spring-Turned-Summer Trials. Janeen Wright, the current Greenhouse Grower editor, now has a second plant-crazy editor with whom to discuss both the new 2021 and the 2020 introductions. The latter are getting a second reboot this year since growers couldn’t see them in person last year.

Fiona Begonia Series (American Takii)

Thursday was a great day, with stops at American Takii and Sahin (brand of American Takii), which shared their site with HilverdaFlorist. There were some solid winners at this location, plus a fun surprise.

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One solid winner that impressed all of us — Janeen, Dr. Allan Armitage, and me — was the Begonia Fiona Series. Introduced two years ago, the series has two new colors this year — Pink and White added to the already existing Red and Rose colors. What impressed us was the compact growth and fully double flowers that come early — in eight to 10 weeks, equal to standard single varieties. ‘Fiona Red’ was the 2018 Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner, so we weren’t the only ones impressed by Fiona begonias.

Capsicum ‘Onyx Orange’ (American Takii)

Capsicum ‘Onyx Orange’ is a new color in 2021, joining ‘Onyx Red’. The orange fruit contrasts with the nearly black foliage. Even without the fruit, the black foliage is eye-catching in combos. The increased flowering of this variety means more fruit, which starts purple and turns orange.

Belize Zinnias (American Takii, slated for 2022 introduction)

At the entrance to American Takii, we were greeted with a circular landscape bed of Belize zinnias. A low-growing, smaller-flowered zinnia, Belize enters the market against the already-established Zahara series from PanAmerican Seed and the Profusion series from Sakata Ornamentals, but it takes just eight weeks on the bench. Takii’s Head Grower Rosa Rocha says they are still finalizing the colors, but to look for it in 2022.

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What Was New From Sakata, Takii, and Others at California Spring Trials

Echinacea ‘Mooodz Courage’ (HilverdaFlorist)

Echinacea varieties are so plentiful that it’s getting harder to create one that stands out, but Echinacea ‘Mooodz Courage’ got everyone talking at HilverdaFlorist. While the Mooodz series has been available for a few years, this new addition has petite, slightly ruffled, purplish-lavender flowers. This mini echinacea is 14 inches to 18 inches tall and like all the others in the Mooodz series, it requires no vernalization, just one input, and no plant growth regulators.

Inticancha Alstroemeria (HilverdaFlorist)

HilverdaFlorist had benches full of alstroemeria in some truly gorgeous colors. Two new additions to the Inticancha Series are the deep rose-purple ‘Paraiso’ and the solid rose-red ‘Valetta’. Both are compatible with retail combos, and like the other Inticancha members, they make terrific plants for larger finished containers or pot plants.

‘Malaga’ (salmon pink) and ‘Havana’ (yellow with touches of blue/green on the petals) are new colors for the Inticancha Sun Series, meaning they are more sun and heat tolerant than other alstroemerias.

This One Took Us All By Surprise

Now for the big reveal — and it comes in the form of a nasturtium. A brand-new upright, compact nasturtium with the brightest orange flowers any of us had ever seen on a plant, as in bright, safety-vest orange. It was stunning, and it was fun to listen to the “wows” and “look at that!” comments from CAST attendees. Next to it on the bench was ‘Baby Rose’, a lovely cherry rose color that is unique in nasturtiums. With its dark leaves, a compact habit, and eye-catching electric orange color, ‘Baby Orange’ will likely fly off retail shelves. ‘Baby Rose’ will make a wonderful combo or bedding plant, as well. Both are suitable for pot plant production. ‘Baby Rose’ is also a 2021 Fleuroselect winner in Europe.

New Additions to Established Series, Plus a Double Award Winner

At Sakata Ornamentals, a highlight was the newest member of the always-popular Zinnia Profusion series. ‘Red Yellow Bicolor’ is eye-catching. The flower emerges with intense-red centers ringed with bright yellow. As they age, the yellow fades to a soft apricot color, creating a slightly variable — and attractive — effect. ‘Red Yellow Bicolor’ is pretty special; it won a gold medal from both the All-America Selections (AAS) in the U.S. and from Fleuroselect in Europe. It received the first gold medal awarded by AAS in 17 years and this is the first time in 17 years that a single variety has been awarded a gold medal by both of these organizations.

‘Profusion Double Red’ is also a new addition. With true-red, double flowers that retain their color even in high heat, Double Red is a beautiful addition to the increasing rainbow of Profusion colors.

Of course, Sakata is known for SunPatiens. ‘Vigorous White Improved’ and ‘Vigorous Sweetheart White’ are new additions to the series. The delicate red eye of ‘Vigorous Sweetheart White’ adds just a bit of punch to the bright-white flowers, and it looked great in combinations — especially with red flowers.

Speaking of SunPatiens, we heard that Moriya Kawashima, the breeder who developed the whole series, which revolutionized the New Guinea impatiens class, is now taking over the SuperCal petchoa brand. SuperCals, an intergeneric cross between petunia and calibrachoa, have been in the market for a while and perform well, but Sakata expects Kawashima to take them to the next level.

SuperCal has a new logo and branding, and the series is being promoted as a fall décor crop. The orange, bronze, and deep yellow color tones found in this series are especially suited to accompany or even replace mums for fall pots and patio plants. The technical team cautions that growers should ask for production guides since there is a bit of a learning curve for growers who want to begin a petunia crop in July and August. Since SuperCals are cold tolerant as well as heat tolerant, it could be a cool new use for a petunia.

Next up is Dümmen Orange and Armstrong Growers, which includes PlantHaven, Suntory Flowers, and Vivero Internacional. Stay tuned!

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