Apr 13, 2016

Day 4 at the Trials — Two Dümmen Orange Locations and Windmill Nursery By Jasmina Dolce

Day 4 of the California Spring Trials began at Dümmen Orange’s northern location at BarrelHouse Brewing in Paso Robles. This is now their second year at this location, and now that the Florexpo acquisition is fully complete, they were able to add interesting perennial and herb displays. They had a large focus on combinations, showcasing their first-year flowering perennials together as well as mixing kalanchoe with succulent containers.

Our next stop was Dümmen Orange’s southern location at Edna Valley Vineyard in San Luis Obispo. Here they focused a lot on their branded programs, such as Confetti Garden and Potunia. They also did a great job of displaying where each line is sourced, whether it be from Guatemala or El Salvador.

HGTV Home Plant Collection was also on display at Edna Valley. We were able to learn more about their new liner program through their partnership with EuroAmerican Propagators. And as always, they had outstanding retail displays with a ton of merchandising inspiration. We saw a lot of mixed combinations, along with the message “One Step Style,” making it easy for the consumer to find success with combos.

Our final stop was at Windmill nursery in Buellton, where we got to see all the offerings by Terra Nova Nurseries and Kientzler. Coleus continues to be a strong category for Terra Nova. Kientzler shared with us that it is now a producer for 100 percent of the Sakata and Suntory lines. There were also some new breeding companies exhibiting at Windmill, including Kapiteyn and KiwiFlora.

Here are some of the highlights from Day 4, and be sure to check out our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages where we’ve been sharing regular updates throughout the week.

Dahlia ‘Starsister Yellow Stripes’ (Dümmen Orange)

This new variety caught a lot of interest with its unique color. It boasts a full double yellow bloom with white edges. And it holds its color all season!

Petunia ‘Sweetunia Miss Marvel’ (Dümmen Orange)

Miss Marvel joins Johnny Flame and Suzy Storm as the third generation of a highly popular collection. It presents deep burgundy-black blooms with a white border, and the pattern is stable.

Calibrachoa ‘Aloha Kona Golden Girl’ (Dümmen Orange)

Golden Girl presents a truly golden yellow bloom, and it holds its color extremely well. It matches the Aloha Kona habit, so it is compact and self branching. And it requires little to no PGRs.

New Guinea impatiens Sunstanding series (Dümmen Orange)

The SunStanding series was a limited release last year, but now it’s a full release with 14 colors. One color that seemed to be a popular favorite with attendees was Orange Aurora. It has orange blooms with deep orange to red edging. Very eye catching!

Dianthus Scent from Heaven series (KiwiFlora)

KiwiFlora is a breeder out of New Zealand and is a first time Spring Trials exhibitor.  They showcased their Scent from Heaven collection, which features true plumarius types that are highly fragrant. They are hardy to Zone 4.

Coleus ‘Fancy Feathers Copper’ (Terra Nova Nurseries)

Fancy Feathers is a series of dwarf coleus. It has high vigor and is fast growing; it fills the pot nicely. It’s very versatile and can be used in containers or even in fairy gardens.

Stay tuned for more highlights from the 2016 California Spring Trials. In the meantime, what are some of your favorites so far? Shoot me an email, and let me know!

— Jasmina