Sep 10, 2024

2024 Plantpeddler Trial Gardens and Variety Day recap

Plantpeddler has recorded another Variety Day in the books! The 2024 event on August 2, focused on the goal of: “Testing the best in the Midwest.”

The full video with breeder presentations from Variety Day 2024 is now available to watch here. 

Attendees were welcomed with a beautiful Northeastern Iowa weather day. The event highlighted over 1,500 varieties of vegetative annuals in large containers, hanging baskets and beds from a global array of breeders in a vivid array of garden color. The day saw a record number of attendees including breeders, sponsors, brokers, growers, garden center managers and industry professionals.

Check out the short video recap of Variety Day 2024 here.

The day began and ended with presentations covering the global young plant supply chain with Nathan Sell of Kientzler/InnovaPlant; Pablo Corzo and Brian Krug of Syngenta Flowers and Kapok Plantas. Midday featured disease management presentations from Janna Beckerman with Envu and Chris Currey of Iowa State University Horticulture. Jim Gideon spoke on the new greenhouse covering, UbiGro. 

At Variety Day, participants had the opportunity to vote on their favorite three varieties. The winner this year is helianthus ‘Sunfinity Double Yellow’; available in the 2025 Plantpeddler program.

The Top 25 was once again a day dominated by begonias, with 9 winning varieties. Makes sense for a trial at the industry leader in begonias. The remaining 16 represent a mix of twelve spring annuals genus. 

Mark your calendars: Plantpeddler Poinsettia Variety Day 2024 is on December 5.

Plantpeddler Variety Day 2025 follows on August 1, with our second Educate the Educators Workshop on July 31. Plantpeddler will celebrate the 45th anniversary in 2025, so please stay tuned for details on expanded events. Please make plans to attend. For more information, images, variety submittal and sponsorship opportunities for this or other Plantpeddler events, please contact us at stacyb@plantpeddler.com.