July 2024 Plant Trials, Variety Info

Annuals, perennials and foliage introductions to consider for 2025 production By Heather Machovina

Selecting the most worthwhile varieties to share with you from the 2024 California Spring Trials event is a tricky task. I have personal favorites, but I hope to give growers a helpful list of varieties that will be easy, successful additions to their current offerings.

LOVELY LEAVES 

Fun new foliage options were debuted in displays at multiple stops on the CAST route. 

Green Fuse Botanicals launched a new bushy-type cordyline for 2025 that is sourced from tissue culture. Growers will love ‘Panic Burgundy’ because it’s quick to finish and suits any pot size. The prominent pink stripe in the middle contrasts well with the burgundy leaves, and its clumping habit works well for fast-filling containers. 

Ipomoea varieties from Green Fuse Botanicals are produced on site in California and certified to ship anywhere in North America. Sweet Georgia is a uniform series, and Pulse Black is a new variety with dark burgundy-black leaves and a super compact habit so it won’t take over in combinations. 

New for 2025, carex ‘X Moon Falls’ is a variegated sedge from Pacific Plug & Liner that looks like an extra large version of ‘Evergold’ carex. Growers can expect a rapid growth rate, as it’s aptly named after a waterfall because of the arching habit with cream-striped leaves. 

The creeping, trailing habit of muehlenbeckia ‘Coins’ is a fun new choice for any container from Syngenta Flowers. Growers can benefit from easy propagation and rapid growth. Consumers love its glossy round leaves and cascading habit. ‘Coins’ looks great as a filler component in mixes and provides interest on its own too. 

Dichondra ‘Silver Surfer’ has a trailing growth that can reach up to 5 feet long. This makes it a solid pick for containers and hanging baskets, but can also be a suitable groundcover or used indoors. ‘Silver Surfer’ seed is treated with Reliable BeGreen from Benary for stronger root development and faster growth, with superior germination at 85% or more. 

Benary is also on the path to bring eucalyptus back with three new seed types this year. Eucalyptus globulus ‘Styx,’ eucalyptus populnea ‘Murray’ and eucalyptus preissiana ‘Albany’ are all great choices for foliage or perennials programs. 

‘Styx’ (shown) is a fast growing, vigorous plant with exceptional branching and silvery-blue leaves. It’s the quickest of the three varieties to finish in 12-14 weeks. 

A great container variety, ‘Murray’ has a compact habit, oval green-blue leaves and a light menthol scent for additional appeal. It finishes in 15-18 weeks. 

‘Albany’ is a multi-use variety that also finishes in 15-18 weeks. The large oval leaves bring a bright green pop to containers, and it looks great when cut for floral arrangements. The mature plants will bloom with yellow flowers under the appropriate conditions as well. 

PERENNIALS 

Genetic improvements in perennials is bringing more heat and drought tolerance to some popular genuses, and better growth habits for container applications. 

As the name eludes, ‘Kilimanjaro White’ is one of the largest flowering shasta daisies in the world! The aggressive growth habit of this leucanthemum from Green Fuse Botanicals provides an easy filler for large containers and is day-length neutral. 

The Woodlander series is an interspecific phlox with better garden adaptability from Dümmen Orange. The stronger, mounding and spreading habit makes it a great groundcover. Periwinkle, a new release, produces larger light lavender flowers, has an extended flowering season and is naturally an early bloomer. 

Elemental is the latest variety in the hellebore Frostkiss series from Pacific Plug & Liner. The marbled leaves are attractive in the landscape all year, and hardy pink flowers bloom from December through April. 

A shade-loving option that holds up to the heat and humidity is arabis ‘Arctic Fox’ from PlantHaven. This Zone 4 hardy perennial shines a spotlight on darker areas of a garden by providing brightness in the form of variegated leaves and pure white margins. From a rooted liner, an 8-inch pot finishes in 6-8 weeks and 1-gallon containers will be ready in 8-10 weeks. 

At Beekenkamp the focus was placed on weather resistance in begonia breeding. Macarazz, from the Dreams series, has pink blooms and is best for landscapes and containers. It can finish in as little as nine weeks, depending on container size. (Shown in feature photo)

ANNUALS 

In the annuals category, breeders are boasting vibrant flower colors with long bloom times and stable colors and patterns. 

Did you know there is a lobelia hybrid from seed? Benary is bringing the first to market with Masterpiece lobelia. It has a strong mounding habit with good branching and large flowers that bloom early. It is best suited for pot and container production but can be an option for the landscape too. The seed has a minimum germination rate of 80%, and should be planted at four pellets per plug; light is required for germination. 

‘Glory Days Red Orange Bicolor’ drew a lot of attention during CAST at the Dümmen Orange stop. The dark green foliage on this new geranium stood out among other varieties and the singleflowered blooms are so vibrant. The Glory Days series is known for heat tolerance, great branching and medium vigor that works well in hanging baskets and containers. 

Syngenta Flower’s new ‘Painted Love Purple’ petunia produces bicolor, stable flowers that perform through the summer. Its mounding habit is great as a standalone, or in combinations for hanging baskets and containers.

Sakata’s ‘Calipetite Blue Splash’ produces a beautiful sky-blue star pattern on blooms; ideal for “ready-to-enjoy” mini-planters and baskets. It is a naturally compact calibrachoa that features a well-branched habit that is easily maintained. 

‘Senetti Blue Spoon’ is closer to true blue than purple, and is the first spoon-type pericallis. This new introduction from Suntory Flowers has a mounding habit with flowers above the foliage, making it a great attraction for bees. 

THE RED! is a striking new petunia in the Hells series from Westhoff, which is known for its brilliant colors. Boasting the reddest flowers on the market, THE RED! is vigorous with horizontal branching so it will fill up a basket fast. It can stand the heat and is a great pollinator plant. 

River Valley is a compact alstroemeria in the Summer Valley series from HilverdaFlorist. It flowers continuously from spring to first frost, then the variegated leaves offer ornamental value when not in bloom. Its compact habit creates a lush border in the garden but also does well in containers. 

‘Lia Abstract Lemon Cherry’ calibrachoa is full of flower power with golden yellow blooms featuring a bold splash of cherry. This medium vigor calibrachoa from Danziger is an excellent addition to hanging baskets and combinations. 

Danziger’s petunia Capella series helps meet growers needs by performing well in propagation, blooming early enough for any program and creating a tidy pot with minimal PGR use. The plants will continue to gain size in the garden with plenty of flowers. There are more than 20 color choices available, including the new Pink Morn. ‘Capella Pink Morn’ brings a new pattern to the series with bright pink edges and a multicolored center. 

Celosia ‘Burning Embers’ from Sakata is an AAS winner. Its fiery bronze leaves and red plumes make it a good selection for fall; the long bloom time is perfect for mixed combos from spring through fall. The plants have sturdy stems and are well-branched, so no PGRs or pinching is required. 

A top-selling retail favorite from Syngenta Flowers, Sunfinity Double is a vegetative double-bloomed sunflower with the same nonstop blooms as the original seed Sunfinity. It will bloom all season in large patio containers or in the ground, while maintaining a well-branched habit. 

A new canna from American Takii, ‘Gold Leopard’ provides brilliant orange and yellow color and mimics the markings of a leopard. ‘Gold Leopard’ is slightly shorter than Cannova and is longer flowering. It’s a good pick for cool climates.