2019 California Spring Trials — Day 5
We made it!!
The 2019 California Spring Trials are officially over and Team GPN and Lawn & Garden Retailer are heading home.
We logged a lot of miles since we started last Saturday, saw a lot of plants and talked to a lot of people. But all good things must come to an end … it’s time to get back to our day jobs and start working on the May issue of GPN.
We concluded our five-day Spring Trials adventure yesterday afternoon in Santa Paula after seeing the folks from Green Fuse Botanicals, Westhoff, PAC, Koba and T.O. Plastics.
We began the day in Oxnard at the GroLink facilty visiting with Suntory Flowers, Florist Holland, Schoneveld, Evanthia, Royal Van Zanten, ABZ Seeds, Berger, Vivero and Prudac.
Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for tons of additional photos and videos that we shot while we were on the road.
And stay tuned for more in-depth coverage in the pages of GPN and our sister publication, Lawn & Garden Retailer.
Until then, here is the last serving of highlights from the Golden State …
Petunia ‘Surfinia Purple Starshine’
Suntory Flowers
Surfinia petunias are turning 30 this year and ‘Purple Starshine’ is getting the party rolling. This bicolor novelty has hot purple blooms with a stable star pattern. It has a compact, mounded habit that will work well in hanging baskets and planters.
Helianthus ‘Sunsational Yellow’
Evanthia
The Sunsation series of sunflowers has large, pollen-free blooms with a black center. The series has three new colors including Yellow (pictured here), Lemon and Flame. This helianthus has multiple flower buds on the top and dark green glossy foliage. The compact habit requires little to no PGRs.
Gerbera ‘Classic Femmy’
Florist Holland
Florist Holland has added two new introductions to its Garvinea Garden Gerberas line — ‘Classic Femmy’ (shown here) and ‘Sweet Frosting’. They flower from early spring until first frost, and each plant reportedly can produce up to 100 flowers. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators love them.
Cyclamen ‘Donatello Deep Red Wine’
Schoneveld Breeding
Schoneveld Breeding continues to expand its mini cyclamen offerings. The new Donatello series is made up of seven different colors. This silver leaf beauty has uniform flowering and is best for summer cultivation. Recommended for 2.5-inch, 4-inch and quart production.
Alstroemeria ‘Colorita Katiana’
Royal Van Zanten
Colorita is a long-lasting alstroemeria that provides an explosion of color in the garden or on the patio. The series has eight different color types and 13 varieties. Katiana’s striking color and unique foliage make for a great high end impulse item at retail.
Leucanthemum ‘Betsy’
Green Fuse Botanicals
This daisy has HUGE blooms as you can see in my hand. ‘Betsy’ will work well for large container production, she is daylength neutral and is a perennial to Zone 5. This leucanthemum will bloom all year long and does not require vernalization to flower in the first year.
Begonia Rex ‘Bewitched White’
Green Fuse Botanicals
This new series will really make a statement on the patio or in the ground. The Bewitched series has three colors: White (pictured); Wintergreen; and Red-Black. For growers it has a short crop time, for home gardeners it is low maintenance and easy to grow. Cherry and Pink are available through Green Fuse’s First Look program.
Didelta ‘Silver Strand’
Westhoff
This new addition to the FanciFillers series has attractive silver foliage that just begs to be touched. Thanks to its texture, mounding habit and size, ‘Silver Strand’ will stand out in mixed combinations. It is a heat lover that is drought tolerant.
Video Library 
Latest News
see all news »
