New Petunias and Begonias Set to Debut at CAST 2019
The Greenhouse Grower team will once again be headed to the West Coast for the 2019 California Spring Trials, which take place March 23-27. Begonias and petunias will be among the many new annual varieties on display this year. Check out the slideshow above for a closer look at some of the new intros you can expect to see.
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Begonia semperflorens 'Fiona Red' (American Takii)
The Fiona Series includes Red and Rose. The series features great performance not only in gardens or landscapes, but also in containers. This semi-double type presents strong, upright blooming flowers. Plants are self-cleaning and provide continuous color throughout the summer until the first frost. Fiona Red is a Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner for 2019. -
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Begonia ‘Dreams Esmé Peach’ (Beekenkamp)
‘Esmé Peach’ is the newest recruit to the Dreams family. She has semi-double blooms and dark leaves that combine well with the vivid, bright, coral peach flower color. She is non-stop blooming in baskets and containers with gently cascading stems that spill over the edges. -
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Begonia semperflorens 'Fiona Rose' (American Takii)
The Fiona Series includes Red and Rose. The series features great performance not only in gardens or landscapes, but also in containers. This semi-double type presents strong, upright blooming flowers. Plants are self-cleaning and provide continuous color throughout the summer until the first frost. Fiona Red is a Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner for 2019. -
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Begonia 'Bewitched Cherry' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
This uniform series of Rex begonia has a fast crop time compared to traditional rex begonias. Begonias in the series have a beautiful cut leaf with strong colors that works well for any time of the year. Strong basal branching creates a quick-filled pot. Rex Bewitched begonias work great for shady spot outdoors or will last for years indoors. -
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Begonia 'Bewitched Pink Green' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
This uniform series of Rex begonia has a fast crop time compared to traditional rex begonias. Begonias in the series have a beautiful cut leaf with strong colors that works well for any time of the year. Strong basal branching creates a quick-filled pot. Rex Bewitched begonias work great for shady spot outdoors or will last for years indoors. -
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Begonia 'Bewitched Red Black Green' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
This uniform series of Rex begonia has a fast crop time compared to traditional rex begonias. Begonias in the series have a beautiful cut leaf with strong colors that works well for any time of the year. Strong basal branching creates a quick-filled pot. Rex Bewitched begonias work great for shady spot outdoors or will last for years indoors. -
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Begonia 'Bewitched White Green' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
This uniform series of Rex begonia has a fast crop time compared to traditional rex begonias. Begonias in the series have a beautiful cut leaf with strong colors that works well for any time of the year. Strong basal branching creates a quick-filled pot. Rex Bewitched begonias work great for shady spot outdoors or will last for years indoors. -
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Begonia 'Bewitched Wintergreen' (Green Fuse Botanicals)
This uniform series of Rex begonia has a fast crop time compared to traditional rex begonias. Begonias in the series have a beautiful cut leaf with strong colors that works well for any time of the year. Strong basal branching creates a quick-filled pot. Rex Bewitched begonias work great for shady spot outdoors or will last for years indoors. -
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Begonia ‘BIG Pink Bronze Leaf’ (Benary)
Pink Bronze Leaf is a new color in the BIG Begonia series. This well branched, beefy plant fills pots easily and fast with rich, non-fading pink blooms over deep-bronze foliage. It is easy to grow and ship and a good landscape performer. It finishes two weeks earlier than other begonia varieties. There are now six colors in the series. -
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Begonia ‘Jurassic Jr’ (Ball Ingenuity)
The New Rex Begonia ‘Jurassic Jr.’ is the same quality breeding and plant size as the Jurassic series with 40% smaller leaves to create a denser and stronger product that provides strong color for deep shade. This means easier shipping with less breakage during delivery. The series is also trialed successfully for indoor houseplant use. -
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Begonia ‘Nonstop Yellow Improved’ (Benary)
‘Nonstop Yellow Improved’ is 7 to 10 days earlier than the current yellow and has a clean yellow bloom with no blushing. A more rounded habit and excellent branching will make for colorful baskets at retail. -
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Begonia ‘Tophat Rose Bicolor’ (Syngenta Flowers)
The Tophat series has some of the largest blooms in the class of vigorous interspecific begonias. New for the 2019 season is ‘Tophat Rose Bicolor.’ This begonia has striking, extra-large bicolor flowers that are white with a distinct, deep-rose edge. -
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Begonia ‘Viking XL Red on Chocolate’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
Red on Chocolate is a brand-new begonia with large, uniquely colored dark leaves that won the All-America Selections Flower Award for 2019. Judges were impressed with how the deep bronze/brown color remained sharp and intense throughout the season. The color tones shine through to give a stunning garden appearance. Covered with vibrant red flowers, this compact plant retains its shape well and does not become rangy. These extra-large (XL) mounded plants are perfect in both landscapes and containers. ‘Viking XL Red on Chocolate’ is part of a new series that includes four colors: Red on Chocolate, Pink on Green, Red on Green, and Rose on Green. -
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Begonia ‘Rise Up Aloha Gold’ (Quality Cuttings/Westhoff)
The Rise Up collection of garden begonias are recognized by their strong branching, followed by unstoppable flower power in both sun and shade. These begonias have an abundance of medium-sized flowers that stay facing upright in the garden for maximum color impact. The collection contains both singles and doubles in a wide range of vibrant colors. -
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Petunia ‘Trilogy Lime’ (American Takii)
‘Trilogy Lime’ is a unique color in this class of petunia. Flowers have a delicate and refreshing light-green hue and are produced in abundance on tidy, mounding plants. The Trilogy series is available in 10 colors and two mixes. -
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Petunia ‘Trilogy Purple Vein’ (American Takii)
‘ Trilogy Purple Vein’ is early flowering and has stunning, rich, dimensional color. The Trilogy series is a super floriferous, mounding type petunia with benefits for growers, retailers, and consumers. The series is available in 10 colors and two mixes. -
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Petunia ‘Veranda Compact Double Lavender’ (Kientzler)
Double Lavender is a compliment to ‘Veranda Compact Sugar Plum.’ It is a double-flowered petunia with great garden performance. Veranda petunias are medium growers with nice pot presentation and good trailing in the summer. -
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Petunia ‘SuperCal Lavender Star’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
Lavendar Star and Snowberry White Two are new color additions to the SuperCal series. Part petunia, part calibrachoa, all SuperCal colors stand up to cold and heat and perform well in the landscape. For the landscaper and gardener, SuperCal petunias offer great performance under all kinds of weather — from unexpected late frosts, to rainy-wet cycles and even through the high heat of the summer. These self-cleaning plants look beautiful all season long. Deadheading is not needed. -
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Petunia ‘ColorRush Merlot Star’ (Ball FloraPlant)
The ColorRush series is notable for its vigor and garden performance. The mounds of blooms hold up in the heat and rain, and the series has a range of bright, eye-catching colors and novelties, such as new Merlot Star. -
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Petunia Crazytunia Series: New Additions (Westhoff)
New additions to the Crazytunia Series include Spider Girl, Purple Storm, and Tiki Torch. Crazytunias are best know for their bold and exciting colors and their diverse selection of novel flower patterns. Pictured: 'Crazytunia Purple Storm' -
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Petunia Crazytunia Series: New Additions (Westhoff)
New additions to the Crazytunia Series include Spider Girl, Purple Storm, and Tiki Torch. Crazytunias are best know for their bold and exciting colors and their diverse selection of novel flower patterns. Pictured: 'Crazytunia Spider Girl' -
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Petunia Crazytunia Series: New Additions (Westhoff)
New additions to the Crazytunia Series include Spider Girl, Purple Storm, and Tiki Torch. Crazytunias are best know for their bold and exciting colors and their diverse selection of novel flower patterns. Pictured: 'Crazytunia Tiki Torch' -
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Petunia ‘Headliner Dark Saturn’ (Selecta)
This new novelty in the Headliner series features a deep, velveteen purple center with a creamy yellow halo. These petunias work well for baskets and pots, and boast early flowering for a fast finish with dramatic color. -
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Petunia ‘Surfinia Purple Starshine’ (Suntory Flowers)
This new star-patterned petunia has bright-purple flowers with white star pattern. Its habit is more mounded than classic Surfinia. This year Surfinia petunias celebrate 30 years.
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Janeen Wright is former Editor for Greenhouse Grower. See all author stories here.