Click here for the the extensive Photo Report of the California Spring Trials that we have published earlier this month.
HMA Plants
Carolyn Forro of HMA Plants holding the Nemesia French Connection Easter Bonnet. This plant blooms a lot and is fragrant.
Clockwise: Argyranthemum Summit Pink has light pink flowers, mounding habit and has a good heat tolerance. Beedance Bidens Red Stripe is a variety bred by Suntory. The flowers are yellow with red stripes and will grow 9-11 inches in height and 3-4 in width. Euphorbia Firesticks is a new addition to their succulent program. Lavandula angustifolia Platinum Blonde is a variety that is on the market for just under a year. It has green foliage with gold edges and a compact and mounding habit. The color of the flower is purple.
Jen Miner of Pacific Plug & Liner holding the new Euchibeckia Butterscotch Biscuit, a new variety in the lineup of Pacific Plug & Liner. It has a bright buttery flower color with a light eye and is the largest flowers in the series. This variety is more aggressive in growth and is best in larger containers. The bloom time for Butterscotch Biscuit is late, similar to Yellow, so it is great for summer and fall sales and is hardy to USDA zone 7-9.
Clockwise: Carex Feather Falls is a hardy and sun loving grass that grows quickly. Hula Berry is a white strawberry variety that can be eaten when it is still white. It seems to have the taste of bubble gum. The Hellebore presented at PP&L are bred by Bart Noordhuis. They introduced several new varieties for the year 2017 and they have all in common that they flower in early spring. Lavandula Ghostly Princess has silver foliage that is complimented with aromatic, pink flower heads. The flowers remain pink. It is a compact plant that is dry tolerant and easy to grow. The main flowering flush is from late winter through to spring.
April Herring of Pacific Plug and Liner holding the Geranium Bloom Time. A vigorous plant with strong growing spreading habit. Pink flowers are produced continually from May through October. It is hardy to zone 5. Josh Schneider of Cultivaris is holding the Basil Herbalea Snow White. It is disease-resistant against downy mildew, it has highly aromatic foliage and tolerant of cooler growing conditions.
Clockwise: Lamium Hanky Panky has silver-white, metallic foliage with narrow green margins. It flowers all season long with baby pink flowers and is hardy to zone 4-9. Primula Ooh La La Blood Orange is an interspecific primrose series from Asia. The branched spikes are studded with many flowers from early spring to autumn. It is hardy to zone 8. Salvia x microphylla 'Killer Cranbarry has dark foliage and cranberry-red flowers all summer long. It is hardy to zone 7. It is the Sunset/Southern Living Magazine exclusive for 2017. Begonia Autumn Ember is a component plant with copper-porange foliage. It works well as a house plant or in containers.
Marco Laan of Hem Genetics and the Limbo Picotee series. According to Marco this is the first genetically compact variety. It is available in three colors; red, burgundy and rose.
Clockwise: Dianthus Supra Pink is the result of interspecific Dianthus crossing. These compact, well-branched plants are hardy, flower early and also perform well at high temperatures. This year, it won the prestigious All America Selection Award (AAS). Dusty Miller Quicksilver has a natural dwarf plant habit and stays more dwarf than Silverado or older Silverdust. It combines a basal branching plant habit with finely indented silver colored leaves. Lavandula multifida Blue Torch is a fern-leaved lavender with a lavender-rosemary-pine scent. It is fast in production, can produce flowering gallon pots in under 16 weeks from seed in spring. Patio Tomato Sweet Valentines is a compact, well branched and trailing plant structure combined with many heart-shaped fruit. It only grows to 12-16 inch. Sweet Valentines is a Fleuroselect Approved Novelty.
More novelties of the California Spring Trials participants will follow soon.