Sep 6, 2016

BabyCakes Blackberry Wins Top Honors at Farwest

There were 55 new trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and vines on display at the 2016 New Varieties Showcase at the Farwest Show in Portland, Oregon.

But BabyCakes Blackberry (Rubus x ‘APF-236T’) and Lavalamp Sublime Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Kolmakilma’ PPAF, CBRAF) stood out from the crowd, according to judges.

The Farwest Show judging panel, made up of industry experts, selected BabyCakes Blackberry for Best in Show honors. Meanwhile, show attendees chose Lavalamp Sublime Hydrangea for the People’s Choice Award.

The 2016 showcase featured plants with interesting shapes, colors, growth habits and other characteristics. The Farwest Show is produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries.

BabyCakes Blackberry is a dwarf thornless blackberry bush bred by the University of Arkansas and jointly selected by Fall Creek Farm & Nursery Inc. and the University of Arkansas. It was introduced by Fall Creek.

Lavalamp Sublime Hydrangea was hybridized by Kolster BV in the Netherlands, and is available from Van Belle Nursery Inc.

In addition to the Best in Show award winner, the judges chose three other plants for honorable mention status.

• Purple Pillar Rose of Sharon was discovered by Marinus Adrianus Cornelis van Aart and introduced by Proven Winners Color Choice Flowering Shrubs.
• First Editions Sunset Magic Crape Myrtle was hybridized by Jeff Beasley, Michael A. Dirr, Mark Griffith, Rhonda Helvick and Oren McBee in Watkinsville, Georgia, and introduced by Bailey Nurseries Inc.
• Cherry Berries Wintergreen was hybridized by Gurjit Sidhu, Sidhu & Sons Nursery, and introduced by Briggs Nursery.

Cherry Berries Wintergreen and First Editions Sunset Magic Crape Myrtle were also two of three runners-up in the balloting for the People’s Choice Award.

The third runner-up was Hollywood Hibiscus Hot Shot (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘8117-8’ PPAF), which was bred by Lannes Nursery in Toulouse, France, and introduced by J. Berry Nursery.

For more information on these plants — and all 55 of the plants that were featured in this year’s Farwest New Varieties Showcase — visit the Farwest Show website.