Jul 19, 2019
New Blooms Event Takes Place in Canada

New Blooms for Canadian Nurseries and Retailers hosted their second annual event on July 18, at Deb’s Greenhouse in Morinville, Alberta, Canada.

More than 75 independent growers, retailers and Canadian broker representatives from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan attended the second annual event focused on new plant varieties, market trends and growing culture.

Speakers and hosts: Mohyuddin Mirza, Chris Berg, Diane Blazek, Rick Rabb, Deb Foisy, Robert Bett and Michiel Verheul

Speakers at this year’s event included Chris Berg, BlueSkye Creative; Rick Rabb, Dümmen Orange; Robert Bett, PlantHaven International; Diane Blazek, All America Selections; and Mohyuddin Mirza, the Alberta Education and Extension office.

In addition to a full day of educational seminars, attendees were presented with a greenhouse trial of more than 300 plants grown by Michiel Verheul at High Q Greenhouses under local conditions for the Edmonton area.

Trials included new and best-performing genetics from Dümmen Orange, PlantHaven International, All America Selections winners and various succulents and combination designs offered by High Q Greenhouses and Deb’s Greenhouse.

The SunStanding Jazzy series was voted the top favorite by attendees with the new and exciting variegated foliage on fully sun-tolerant hybrid impatiens. Other top picks included the new Main Street Beale Street Coleus from Dümmen Orange and the Tall, Dark and Handsome geraniums from PlantHaven International.

“This is such an important event for our market,” said Deb Foisy, owner of Deb’s Greenhouse, “These independent growers and retailers find tremendous value in getting a sneak peek at the newest plant varieties, and more importantly, seeing how they perform under local conditions.”

The event also provided attendees market trends for North American consumers and a cultural clinic focusing on plant issues specific to this growing area and climate.

The third annual New Blooms event will take place on July 16, 2020.

Pictured above: An attendee showing off her favorite pick, the new Achillea Heartthrob from PlantHaven International.