Brandkamp expands compact lantana series after two-year break

For breeders it is important to expand their series with new varieties regularly. However, even though it might sound cliche, quality is preferred over quantity. German breeder and propagator Brandkamp, for example, did not expand its 'Tropic Lantana' line over the last two years as it could not find a variety that met all te requirements of this compact lantana line. "If a new variety does not fit the series, we'd rather not introduce it and skip a year, or two", says Jürgen von den Driesch, sales manager at Brandkamp. But this year, they are ready to add not just one, but three new varieties to this line.

At the FlowerTrials, from June 13-16 on several locations in the Netherlands and Germany, these new lantana varieties together with two new Jollies Fuchsia will take center stage at the nursery Green05 location in Maasdijk, the Netherlands.

From left to right: Jürgen von den Driesch and Hubert Brandkamp at the IPM Essen, Germany

Breeding: time-consuming and complicated
The plants in Brandkamp's Tropic Lantana line are known for their special shape. "Unlike regular lantanas, which are quite big, these plants are compact, bushy, have many early-flowering flowers and are available in 10, 11 and 12 cm pots", explains Von den Driesch. About eight years ago, they put the first Tropic Lantana on the market and added colors in the years that followed. However, adding a new variety is not as easy as it sounds. The breeding process is quite time-consuming and complicated. "The production of seed and germination is often not good. On top of that, the minimum time to trial the variety is three years. The lantana is very sensitive to the weather conditions and it is more difficult to predict the reaction as it can be different from year to year." For this reason, it took Brandkamp two years to add new varieties to the line. "Holding up the high level of the line is more important than introducing some new ones every year."

Tropic Lantana Batida, Tropic Lantana Mango and Tropic Lantana Tamarillo.

New varieties
Over the years, Brandkamp added new colors to the Tropic Lantana line and currently consist of seven colors: orange, white, citron, gold, pink, lilac and red. Now they've added a new bi-color combination pink/ocher (Tropic Lantana Mango) and another orange colored lantana (Tropic Lantana Tamarillo). "Orange is one of the most important colors from the Lantana assortment. It is growing more compact than the well-known Grenadine. Now, we can offer two different orange varieties to the growers." Finally, Brandkamp will also add another white series (Tropic Lantana Batida). However, this one will substitute the current white variety named Tukan a year after its introduction.

High demand
Over the years, demand for these smaller sized lantanas has increased. "It has always been a very popular garden plant as it is easy to care for in the summer; after flowering, the old flowers do not have to be removed and watering every day is not necessary. Now, this smaller sized lantana can be used for more purposes as it does not grow as large as the regular varieties anymore. Customers really value this new shape as we see sales increasing every year," says Von den Driesch.

More plants per square meter
It is an attractive plant to grow not only for the customers, but also for the growers. "As the plants are smaller, the grower can cultivate more plants per square meter. Now, we see growers growing and selling millions of plants every season. In the past, this was not even possible," he says.

Jollies La Grande Jurancon

On display at FlowerTrials along with new Jollies
Next to the Tropic Lantanas, two new Jollies Fuchsias varieties will take center stage at the FlowerTrials. The Jollies La Grande series was introduced three years ago with the Jollies La Grande Jurancon coming as the first pink/white La Grande variety, followed by the early flowering La Grande Alsace that is growing upright and with, according to Brandkamp, a perfect shape. The line's success seems to grow rapidly from year to year. "Step by step we are creating the Jollies La Grande series in upright and trailing varieties in all colors", says Hubert Brandkamp.

Fuchsia Jollies Cassis and Jollies Miraval.

The two new varieties that will be on display at the FlowerTrials are the Fuchsia Jollies Cassis and the Jollies Miraval. Cassis is a red/white colored fuchsia with an upright growing habit. According to Von den Driesch, this early flowering type is a good variety for the standard assortment and mass production. The other novelty seems to be more a variety for the high end market. "Miraval is a special variety in the Jollies assortment. It is an early flowering variety with large elegant flowers in shiny colors. We think that this variety will work well in garden centers or flower shops."

For more information

Brandkamp
Jürgen von den Driesch
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +49 (0) 228/33 08 75
Fax: +49 (0) 228/33 47 00
Mobile: +49 (0) 171/4 13 55 91
www.brandkamp.de