What to Expect in New Perennials at CAST 2019
The Greenhouse Grower team will be headed to the West Coast for the 2019 California Spring Trials, which take place March 23-27. Many plant breeders will feature new perennial introductions. Check out the slideshow above for a closer look at some of the new intros you can expect to see, and check back soon for a second slideshow of more new perennials premiering at California Spring Trials.
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Leucanthemum ‘Betsy’ (Green Fuse Botanicals)
‘Betsy’ has some of the largest flowers you’ll see on a shasta daisy, with flowers measuring 5- to 7-inches across. Plants are daylength neutral and requiring zero cooling. ‘Betsy’ can be scheduled for any time of year regardless of the climate. It is Zone 4 hardy and is great for filling containers with just 1 ppp. -
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Leontopodium ‘Alpine Sensation’ (Pacific Plug & Liner)
The hills are alive with the look of a new Edelweiss. This new breeding project was aimed at finding a taller plant with larger flowers from those seen natively in the Alps. In addition, the aim was to find faster finishing plants as traditional Leontopodium is very slow growing. ‘Alpine Sensation’ can be planted in the fall for an early spring finish but does not need vernalization, so it can also be planted in the spring for a mid-spring finish. The unique look of this plant will draw attention at retail and is a great addition for those looking for super hardy plants, as this one can survive up to Zone 3. -
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Lavandula angustifolia BeeZee Series (Hishtil Nurseries)
The BeeZee series is a new hardy, compact L. angustifolia series with similar characteristics and tons of flowers that will keep the bees busy during the long flowering season. Plants are first-year flowering, upright, and compact. The series includes five colors: Dark Blue, Light Blue, Pink, Power Blue, and White. Pictured: Power Blue -
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Iberis ‘Snowdrift White’ (ThinkPlants Perennials)
‘Snowdrift White’ is a late-flowering iberis that works well for extending the selling season. The plants bloom on average two weeks later than Snow Surfer, and four weeks later than Snow Cone. Snowdrift Iberis work well for one-quart to 2½ quart programs. -
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Iberis ‘Snow Cone Forte White’ (ThinkPlants Perennials)
Forte White has the same early flowering compact habit as Snow Cone but with a denser habit and tons of mid-sized blooms. It works well for later plantings. ‘Snow Cone Forte White’ can be planted 4 to 6 weeks later than Snow Cone and still finish on time. This variety is a good choice for early season one-quart programs. -
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Geum ‘Tempo Rose’ (Terra Nova Nurseries)
‘Tempo Rose’ has semi-double flowers held aloft on black stems and an excellent bloom count. It flowers repeatedly from March until October. ‘Tempo Rose’ has a dense, compact habit with a high crown count. It also attracts pollinators and is hardy in Zones 5 to 9. -
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Gaura Steffi Series (Danizger/ThinkPlants)
This Danziger introduction offers a Gaura that’s not only compact in habit but yields very large blossoms with red stems in early spring until the fall season. ‘Steffi Blush Pink’ and ‘Steffi Dark Rose’ do not require a bulking period and can easily be programmed like an annual. Steffi Gauras also have high tolerance to summer heat and humidity. -
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Erysimum Erysistbile Compact Series (ThinkPlants Perennials)
The Eysistbile Compact Series is a first for this class. Plants are Zone 5 hardy with with bright, bold colors, including tricolors. Controlled, well-branched plants are suitable for a wide range of container sizes from quarts to gallons, and the have an impactful show of color that works well for both early spring and late spring programs. -
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Mooodz Echinacea (Hilverdakooij)
Echinacea is a plant that is usually difficult to propagate and grow. MoooDZ echinacea are different because growing them involves a different cultivation method (without vernalization), which produces beautiful, full plants within a short time period (12 to 13 weeks). Mooodz Echinacea are propagated by means of tissue culture. The result is a nice full plant with many side shoots. Varieties in the series Hilverdakooij is highlighting this year include Awake, Glory, Sympathy, and Shiny. -
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Echibeckia Program-New Additions (Pacific Plug & Liner)
Pacific Plug & Liner (PP&L) has two new selections it plans to release at Spring Trials this year, names to be announced at that time. One thing to note for growers is the vigor of the program. One 72-cell liner can easily fill larger pots such as 1½ gallons and deco pots. For a sneak peek, PP&L Marketing Director, April Herring-Murray, is pictured with one of the varieties this past summer. Note the huge flowers and interesting fringles in the center of the flower. -
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Digitalis ‘Arctic Fox Rose’ (Darwin Perennials)
New ‘Arctic Fox Rose’ is a beautiful hybrid digitalis that offers winter hardiness to Zone 5, along with season-long flowering in a vibrant color for your perennial garden. -
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Digitalis ‘Pink Panther’ (American Takii)
‘ Pink Panther’ is first-year flowering and does not require vernalization. It is a winter hardy (biennial) that is daylength neutral. Plants are heavily branching and produce large pink flowers on compact spikes. -
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IQ Dianthus Series (Syngenta Flowers)
IQ Dianthus flower up to five days earlier than other dianthus. They are very floriferous, with a uniform canopy of flowers. Plants are naturally dwarf in habit and grower friendly. Less plant growth regulators are needed to grow them, so they make for a neater pack at retail. They’re also make a great pot bedding item. Colors in the series include: Red, White, Scarlet, Purple, Pink, Blueberry Picotee, Red Picotee, Raspberry Picotee, and Purple Ice. Pictured: Raspberry Picotee -
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Bellis ‘Bam Bam’ (Syngenta Flowers)
‘Bam Bam’ is a unique, large flowered variety with a dwarf habit that works well for packs and pots in autumn and spring. Plants have cleaner foliage than older, more vigorous genetics, and they have 100% annual flowering with no vernalization needed. ‘Bam Bam’ is available as pelleted seed in Red, Pink, and Mixed. -
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Agastache ‘Sunny Sparks Pink’ (Danizger/ThinkPlants)
This first-year flowering, full-sun perennial yields an abundance of pink flowers during the summer months. It has unique dark-green, fragrant foliage and a much-improved plant structure. Plants are quick to flower at 4 weeks from planting. Sunny Sparks is much easier to handle in production when compared to seed varieties. Plants are extremely versatile in the landscape and great for attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. -
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Achillea ‘Penhow Heartthrob’ (Vivero Internacional)
‘Penhow Heartthrob’ is a Plant Haven perennial that catches your eye from a distance. Its dark-red flower provide a strong contrast to its green, feather-type foliage. This variety is very vigorous and easy to bring into flower. It stays lower than usual Achilleas and makes smaller flowers but builds more flower heads. -
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Leucanthemum ‘Madonna’ (PanAmerican Seed)
‘Madonna’ offers consistent uniformity in height and habit, with hardiness to Zone 5a. This shasta daisy features excellent vigor and leaf quality during production for finishing in quarts to large containers using multiple plugs. -
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Leucanthemum ‘Western Star Series Libra’ (ThinkPlants Perennials)
Libra is the newest and most vigorous Leucanthemum in the Western Star line up. It is a good choice for a Becky-type with a vigorous habit, huge blooms, and heat and humidity tolerance. Vanilla is a new color form with attractive vanilla-yellow blooms that age to pure white. -
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Phlox Flame Pro Series (Dümmen Orange)
This new phlox series within the top-performing Flame series features matching habits and flowering times. Plants have an extremely long flowering window with vibrant colors that make them a good choice for early summer retail sales. They will be available for retail in the spring of the 2020 season. -
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Salvia ‘So Cool Pale Blue’ (Jaldety Nurseries)
‘So Cool Blue’ is an evergreen, bushy, tender hardy perennial. It has distinct, large, free-flowering blooms with an icy-blue color that will turn heads from early summer to autumn. Plants are easy to care for with an upright, well-branched, dense habit. They attract butterflies and bees. Use ‘So Cool Pale Blue,’ in small beds, big containers for patio and decks (great contrast to hot color varieties), mixed borders, group garden plantings, and cottage and meadow gardens. -
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Salvia Apex Series (Danizger/ThinkPlants)
The Salvia Apex series provides an abundance of straight inflorescences starting in the early spring season and will continue to rebloom up until frost. This first-year flowering nemorosa-type salvia does not require vernalization. It can be grown like a traditional perennial or programmed along with annuals in the spring. With a uniquely short and narrow foliage, Apex salvia are suitable for production in one-gallon containers and up.
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Brian Sparks is senior editor of Greenhouse Grower and editor of Greenhouse Grower Technology. See all author stories here.