July 2017 Plant Trials

Stars of the Show By Jasmina Dolce

It is certainly no easy feat, but Team GPN managed to put together a list of some of the most impressive introductions that made a statement and turned heads during the 2017 California Spring Trials. With hundreds of new varieties on display, keep in mind this is only a small fraction of what will be in store for next season. We’ll continue to share more new variety information with you in coming months.

Anemone Harmony Double Series
Sakata

Outstanding in the garden or container, the new Harmony Double series features compact plants with unique double flowers that do not shatter. Three colors (Blue, White and Scarlet) and a mix are available.

Begonia ‘Nonstop Joy Mocca White’
Benary

This new begonia variety features the dark foliage of the Mocca series but with the semi-trailing habit of Joy. The huge white flowers contrast nicely against the leaves, creating a beautiful basket presentation.

Begonia RiseUp Series
Westhoff

Begonias are a new addition to Westhoff’s lineup this year. The hybrid RiseUp series boasts incredible branching and can be produced in quarts up to baskets. Flowers are fairly small and won’t fall off or droop.

Bidens ‘Bee Giant Yellow’
Cohen Propagation Nurseries

Flowers are huge on this this naturally compact selection. It requires no PGRs and is ideal for small pot production.

Bidens ‘Pretty in Pink’
Danziger

Pink is a brand new color in Danziger’s bidens assortment. ‘Pretty in Pink’ has an upright, compact habit and is covered in an abundance of pink flowers with purple stripes. It is fast growing and early blooming.

Calendula ‘Crown Orange’
Thompson & Morgan

This Fleuroselect novelty winner boasts fully double, crested blooms. It is easy to grow and quick to flower. A versatile plant, it is perfect for beds, borders, containers and even as a cut flower.

Calibrachoa ‘Can-Can Bumble Bee Pink’
Ball FloraPlant

New to the Can-Can series, Bumble Bee Pink presents tricolor blooms with a star, eye and picotee. It is a vigorous grower ideal for larger baskets and mixed containers.

Calibrachoa ‘Cruze Control Grape Delicious’
Green Fuse Botanicals

Cruze Control is an upgrade to the existing Cruze series; it has the same large flowers but on a more controlled habit. It is ideal for pots of all sizes, baskets and combinations. Grape Delicious is a totally new color — plum flowers with a darker eye.

Calibrachoa ‘Million Bells Butter Pop’
Suntory

Two-toned pale yellow flowers with dark yellow centers cover compact plants. This calibrachoa is early flowering, has excellent coverage and blooms all season long.

Calla ‘Captain Solo’
Kapiteyn

A new addition to the Captain lineup, Solo boasts a brilliant deep yellow color. It has an excellent shelf life, and consumers can enjoy flowers for up to six or seven weeks.

Calla ‘Ivory Art’
Flamingo Holland

This unique calla has pure white, long-lasting flowers on compact plants. Flower count is high and stems are strong.

Campanula Ambella Series
Schoneveld Breeding

The new Ambella series of campanula presents bell-shaped flowers on sturdy, compact plants. It flowers from early spring to late summer and even thrives when potted indoors.

Chrysanthemum ‘Vigorelli Red’
Gediflora

Red is the third color to the Vigorelli line of Belgian mums. It is a late variety, blooming mid to late October. More colors are in the pipeline.

Coleus Great Falls Series
Dümmen Orange

Great Falls is a totally new series of trailing coleus, perfect for monoculture or mixed baskets and planters. It has a very controlled habit with smaller foliage, and it is late to flower. Dümmen Orange has also added Great Falls coleus to its Confetti Garden mixes.

Coreopsis ‘Solar Dance’
Cultivaris

‘Solar Dance’ is a grandiflora type with semi-double lemon yellow flowers. It continuously flowers from June to October and is hardy to Zone 4.

Corydalis ‘Hillier Porcelain Blue’
Plant Haven

This truly unique variety produces an abundance of highly fragrant clusters of bright blue flowers on a well-branched plant. It blooms nonstop from spring through fall and will create an attractive presentation in sun or shade.

Dahlia LaBella Maggiore Series
Beekenkamp

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

Dahlia ‘Lubega Power Burgundy’
Volmary

This dahlia has large double flowers with an eye-catching almost bicolor effect. It flowers all summer long and is ideal for beds, window boxes and hanging baskets.

Echibeckia ‘Summerina Electra Shock’
Pacific Plug & Liner

Electra Shock features unique quill-type flowers, giving it a spider mum appearance. In cooler weather, flowers have more of a bronze hue. In warmer weather, flowers appear more yellow. It is hardy to Zones 7 through 9.

Geranium ‘Calliope Large Salmon’
Syngenta Flowers

Syngenta Flowers continues to expand the color range of its Medium and Large Calliope varieties. The Large subseries has excellent performance in the landscape and thrives under heat and drought conditions.

Geranium ‘Chocolate Cherry’
PAC

The new Chocolate series features rich, dark, reverse-zoned foliage with intense bright blooms. The plants are densely branched and are ideal for quart or 6-inch production.

Gerbera ‘Garvinea Sweet Love’
Florist Holland

Sweet Love is the newest addition and first red color in the Sweet collection. It features true red, super-sized flowers. It will look incredible mass planted or in decorative containers. Garvinea Sweet varieties flower continuously from early spring until first frost.

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.

Lewisia ‘Constant Coral’
Terra Nova Nurseries

Hardy to Zones 4 through 8, lewisia ‘Constant Coral’ blooms and reblooms from spring to fall. Flowers are coral pink in color and are display over vigorous deep green leaves. It is easy to grow in gardens or containers and prefers full sun.

Lomandra ‘Platinum Beauty’
Southern Living Plant Collection

This variegated lomandra is lightly colored, providing great contrast in the garden. It handles full sun but prefers light to moderate shade. It is hardy to Zones 8 through 10 and reaches 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide.

New Guinea Impatiens Wild Romance Series
Dümmen Orange

Wild Romance is a true breeding advancement with romantic gardenia-like double blooms that perform best in shade. Plants boast a few extra petals, totaling seven to eight petals per flower. Two colors are currently available: White and Blush Pink.

Osteospermum ‘Bright Lights Double Moonglow’
Proven Winners

The double flowers on this osteospermum remain open all day and will not close at night. It is cold tolerant but will also tolerate heat. Plants bloom all season and will reach 8 to 12 inches tall and wide.

Pentas Lucky Star Series
PanAmerican Seed

The new Lucky Star series consists of six colors and is bred for uniformity in size and timing. It boasts quick follow-up in blooming and is therefore never without color. Bud count is high, and plants bloom four to six days earlier than competing varieties.

Petunia ‘Evening Scentsation’
American Takii

This 2017 All-America Selections winner boasts a delightful fragrance — especially when heat is strong — similar to hyacinth. Blooms are shades of indigo and have an almost silky appearance. Plants exhibit a low, spreading habit and reach 4 to 8 inches and 30 to 40 inches wide.

Petunia ‘Limbo GP Rose Picotee’
Hem Genetics

For 2017, Hem Genetics introduced a developmental breakthrough and added three picotee colors to its Limbo GP series. More colors will come in the future. Plants do not require PGRs and will stay compact in both the greenhouse and the landscape.

Petunia ‘SUCCESS! Pink Star’
Benary

Marketed as the earliest petunia series in the industry, the SUCCESS! series now has a unique bicolor, Pink Star, in the uniform and top-quality seed collection. The star pattern is very stable and eye-catching.

Phlox ‘Intensia Red Hot’
Proven Winners

This cold- and heat-tolerant selection is a heavy bloomer with true red flowers. It will bloom mid spring through summer and fall, and will even take a hard frost.

Phlox Popstars Series
Floranova

This new phlox series showcases a truly unique star-shaped flower form. Plants are naturally dwarf and display an incredible show of single and bicolored flowers. Popstars is both disease and heat tolerant
and offers excellent garden performance.