Apr 4, 2017

Spring Trials Day 3 — American Takii, Sakata and Floricultura By Jasmina Dolce

We spent Day 3 of the California Spring Trials in Salinas. The day started at American Takii where we got to learn about their new and experimental varieties and also walk through the introductions and programs offered by HMA Plants and HilverdaKooij.

Next, we traveled to Sakata who happens to be celebrating its 40th anniversary in North America. Aside from all the gorgeous new introductions, it was interesting to see all the side-by-side comparisons they offered for attendees, from a rainwater simulator to a shipping box example. They are clearly proud of the strength of their plants!

We ended our day visiting Westhoff, PAC, Beekenkamp, Plug Connection, Gediflora and Flamingo Holland at the Floricultura facility. As always, there was tons of great color, signage and displays. Gediflora and Flamingo Holland are new exhibitors at this location. It was interesting to learn about Flamingo’s new orchid program as well as Plug Connection’s new Super Dwarfs tomato collection. You may recall Gediflora’s chrysanthemum beer from last year, but this year we got to taste chocolates made with chrysanthemum extract!

Today we will continue south to Dümmen Orange, Chisan Orchids and Windmill Nursery. So stay tuned! For now, check out some of our favorite introductions from Day 3.

Petunia ‘Trilogy Mango’
American Takii

The popular Trilogy series will now have nine colors, Mango being the most recent introduction. It’s a great orange-coral color with the same great habit as its companions.

Euphorbia ‘Firesticks’
HMA Plants

Euphorbia ‘Firesticks’ is a hot new addition to HMA Plants’ succulent program. We loved the green color with red tips. This will be a great item to mix in combinations.

Helleborus ‘Winterbells’
HilverdaKooij

‘Winterbells’ flowers very early in the season and will continue to bloom seven to eight months of the year! It presents a wonderful display and is a heat-tolerant variety.

Impatiens ‘SunPatiens Compact Purple’
Sakata

Compact Purple is a vibrant new addition to the SunPatiens line. It is a great summer performer that will pop off the bench and will be a fantastic component in mixed containers.

Begonia ‘RiseUp Coral Reef’
Westhoff

Westhoff has added begonias to its lineup this year, with two new series. The hybrid RiseUp series boasts incredible branching and can be produced in quarts up to baskets.

Dahlia ‘LaBella Maggiore Purple’
Beekenkamp

Beekenkamp offers four different subseries of dahlia in different size categories. The most impressive has to be the largest — Maggiore. The flowers are huge, and the available colors are very eye catching. Growers can produce one plant in a 10-inch pot!

Remember to keep up with our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages where we’ll continue to post from each stop along the road. And if anything is catching your eye this week, please let me know!

— Jasmina