July 2024 Plant Trials, Research, Variety Info

A new take on smooth hydrangeas By Heather Machovina

Bailey Nurseries listened to its growing partners around the country and overseas about the production challenges experienced with some of the newer Hydrangea arborescens cultivars. With this in mind, it launched an important initiative geared toward improving offerings in this category. 

Then at the end of June 2024, it held a special event at its Minnesota location to unveil its new offering — ‘First Editions FlowerFull Smooth’ hydrangea. 

“For years, ‘Annabelle’ has served as the market standard with its classic white, large blooms. There really weren’t many options that growers could be successful with like ‘Annabelle,’ and even then, growing ‘Annabelle’ has its challenges too with bacterial leaf spot and exposure to wind and rain being the most predominant,” said Alec Charais, chief marketing and product development officer for Bailey Nurseries. 

Charais also detailed that demand has remained strong for this hydrangea. There were challenges and concerns with consumers and industry stakeholders over its “weak stems, production challenges, staging difficulties and the ability to deliver good quality later in the season.” 

“So much development from an R&D standpoint had gone into other categories like Hydrangea macrophylla and Hydrangea paniculata, but not as much work had been done in Hydrangea arborescens. It just felt like the category had been ignored somewhat,” Charais said. “So, we set out to change all of this. While we had no interest in flooding the market with yet another hydrangea, we knew we could do better for the industry.” 

This desire to improve options in the smooth hydrangea wasn’t something new to Bailey Nurseries as it had been working on Hydrangea arborescens breeding for many years.

“When we purchased Plant Introductions Inc. from Dr. Dirr and his partners, additional work was done with a focus on warm-climate success with the species,” said Debbie Lonnee, product development manager for Bailey Nurseries. “This work didn’t lead to a new introduction but laid the foundation for a trial process across Bailey sites, including the new Bailey Innovations breeding facility outside Athens, Georgia.” 

Charais said that Lonnee’s vision is what led to the renewed focus at Bailey in 2016. He explained that a collaborative partnership between Bailey and David Zlesak, Ph.D., a well-known figure in genetics, was formed. 

At the same time, Bailey was building its breeding operation, Bailey Innovations, in Athens, Georgia. 

“The First Editions brand was poised for takeoff … ,” said Charais. “The timing was perfect for Bailey to make this big step investing in a new breeding project. Starting a breeding project within a production facility takes incredible support and communication, and we were fortunate to have this at Bailey. Everyone from ownership to production to sales was on board with the project.” 

Charais emphasized that Bailey didn’t want to just improve ‘Annabelle’, it wanted to create a program designed to solve challenges associated with the smooth hydrangea category — the difficulties that impacted both its customers and the clients of the customers.

BREEDING 

This led to the creation of breeding goals. The primary criteria was that the smooth hydrangea had to be production friendly. 

“Again, from our experience, so many of the newer cultivars had failed in our own production. They would either struggle to grow from a potted liner, be full of bacterial leaf spot, or not grow at all, meaning yields would be poor and any hope for profit lost. With that initial goal in mind, greenhouse space was allocated for crosses and trials, and field space was readied to accept generations of breeding outcomes,” Lonnee said. 

Once the project obtained the green light, Zlesak and Gail Soens, head trial grower for Bailey in Minnesota, embarked on a breeding program that looked at cool-climate resilience. Lonnee shared that over the course of six years and multiple generations the collaborative effort resulted in “hundreds of individual clones.”

TRIALS 

After evaluating many of the crosses, the team identified candidates that held the attributes that Bailey liked. 

“Those plants were initially planted in our trial garden in Minnesota for further evaluation. Before we moved into production trials, we used the in-ground experience to evaluate another major improvement opportunity with smooth hydrangeas: weak stems. If any of these initial cultivars couldn’t stand up to heavy wind or rain, it was removed from the evaluation process. This work continues to this day,” Charais said. 

After the in-ground trials selections were narrowed down, the team began the production phase trials. 

“Before long, we were able to see what plants propagated well and which didn’t, which also is factored into the evaluation,” Charais explained. 

Soon after recognizing plants that performed well, larger production trials ensued and replicates were planted to see if the traits from the “mother plant were true,” he explained. 

“Easily, FlowerFull started to rise to the top with its incredible flower display, and even more exciting, the dense compact form and deep green foliage made a tremendous impact in the field,” Charais said. “You knew exactly which one FlowerFull was among the sea of hydrangeas.” 

In the second year, FlowerFull was strong with bountiful blooms compared to ‘Annabelle’ in the field. In year four, FlowerFull continued to stand out amongst other cultivars, with strong, tall stems that handled heavy winds and rains well. The foliage “stayed clean” during the hot, humid Minnesota summers, Charais explained.

Notably, the abundance of flowers caught the Bailey team’s attention. Throughout the trials and each year of the pre-release trials, “FlowerFull exceeded industry standard cultivars by at least two-to-three times as many blooms during peak flower in late June and into July,” Charais explained. 

“In fact, it outperformed every Hydrangea arborescens in the field by a wide margin,” he said. Eventually, trials began of FlowerFull Smooth to First Editions licensees in North America.

“Having these partners is crucial because we want to be sure growers confirm what we experienced, especially in different climates as compared to Bailey sites in Minnesota, Illinois, Georgia and Oregon,” Charais said. 

Trial partners reported resoundingly positive outcomes regardless of location, which confirmed Bailey’s intent on developing a more industry-friendly cultivar, Charais explained. 

“We noted that on FlowerFull, the unique rounded shape carried flowers from top to bottom, side to side, and the number of flowers was exceptional. Inevitably, a few classic Minnesota thunderstorms made their way through the trial field, and the thick, strong stems proved again a huge improvement over anything else on the market,” Lonnee said. “In addition to FlowerFull, additional superior clones were kept for further evaluation and those that flopped, had disease or poor color were eliminated from trial.” 

INTRODUCTION 

“Getting the green light and excitement from our First Editions growers was a huge boost of confidence. Seeing them as eager to move forward as we were confirmed we were on the right path. As growers ourselves, we understand the need for skepticism. There are so many plants in the world today, and everyone is trying to wrestle for market share,” Charais said. 

“Even in a crowded category like hydrangea, the best rise to the top and in both cases, they have performed in the marketplace extremely well. We see the same, if not a greater future, for FlowerFull,” he said. 

With its prolific flowering, strong habit and clean foliage attributes, FlowerFull Smooth is a cultivar that Bailey Nurseries hopes will appeal to every landscape architect, landscape designer, and all industry stakeholders. 

“I am not only excited about FlowerFull, but what more is to come from this breeding initiative! I try hard not to wax poetic about every plant in our brands because they aren’t all equal. But FlowerFull? That’s something special,” Charais said.

Production at Prides Corner Farms

Prides Corner Farms in Connecticut received its first liners of FlowerFull Smooth hydrangea from Bailey Nurseries in June 2023, and 11 months later had its first saleable crop.

“Hydrangea FlowerFull Smooth has been a winner for Prides Corner Farms,” said Mark Hamilton Sellew, president and owner of Prides Corner Farms. The plant has a very compact habit, and combined with its big flowers, really stands out as the best in class of our arborescens cultivars, Sellew said.

“We grow many selections of Hydrangea arborescens that require lots of pruning band time to create the quality our customers demand,” he said. “With FlowerFull’s superior, compact habit, it will be both easier and quicker to grow and finish this plant.”

Blooming at Baucom Nursery

The first FlowerFull Smooth liner at North Carolina-based Baucom’s Nursery Co. was planted in a cold frame greenhouse in August 2023. The first visible flowers appeared early in May of this year and the foliage is a healthy lush green, said Eric Baucom, vice president of Baucom’s Nursery Co.

“The plants have shown to rebloom on new wood after an early spring trim,” Baucom said. And, FlowerFull has very sturdy stems that appear to support the large white blooms, he said. “We are excited to continue to work with the Bailey Nurseries team in introducing FlowerFull in spring of 2025 and build upon the future potential of its attributes.”