Click here for the extensive Photo Report of the California Spring Trials that we have published right after the Trials.
The entrance at Ball Horticultural Company.
The Trial location.
Kieft Seed
Anton De Wit of Kieft Seed with the Rockin Red Dianthus. "This dynamite red will keep perennial borders alight for years to come, thanks to its vivid color, durable performance and count-on-it overwintering. "It opens the door to premium product sales in perennial quart and gallon programs for mid-Spring and the Fall decorating season." It is a first year flowering perennial and is hardy to zones 5a to 8b.
Clockwise: Bandera Pink Lavendula is a new introduction to the seed L. stoechas series. This lavendula has large soft pink flags on spikes with deep rose flowers. It is hardy to zone 7a to 10b. Gaillardia Mesa Bright Bicolor is a F1 gaillardia from seed. It is an early-flowering plant that maintains its controlled height when filling quart and gallon containers quickly. Once established it is drought tolerant and the color of the flower has a non-fading color all season. Delphinium Diamonds Blue is a F1 spurless delphinium from seed. It eliminates the need for tissue culture inputs and is said to be supplied with up to 25% higher germination than O.P. types for more efficient young plant production. Hibiscus Luna Pink Swirl is a busy well-branched plant without pinching. It has many 6-8 inch flowers and is very responsive to PGRs.
Panamarican Seed
Josh Kirschenbaum of PanAmerican Seed presenting the palets.
Clockwise: The Megawatt Red Bronze Leaf Begonia has sturdy stems that hold its flowers above the foliage. The Bronze Leaf varieties seem to be faster to flower than the Green Leaf varieties in long days. Capsicum Hot Fajita is a new edible ornamental pepper. Akila Grand Canyon Mixture Osteospermum is said to be the first multicolor segregating mixes. The plants in this series are grown from seeds. The seed in this series are said to match or even surpasses any vegetative series for easy, no-pinch production. The Cool Wave Raspberry Spreading pansy is a new color in the Cool Wave series. It is velvet rosy-purple with white around the flower center.
Darwin Perennials
Mike Klopmeyer of Darwin Perennials holding the Salvia nemorosa Rose Marvel.
The Rose Marvel brings a rich, deep rose color to the Marvel family of Darwin Perennials. This family tend to have the largest flowers of all Salvia nemorosa. It features a long flowering window and re-blooms without being cut back.
Clockwise: Snowsation Iberis is a compact iberis with large flowers. The plant's flower uniformly and branch freely. It is hardy to zones 4a to 9a. Dianthus Mountain Frost Pink PomPom has double rose-pink flowers and flowers from early Spring until Autumn. It requires no vernalization to flower, is tolerant of rainy and wet conditions and has a tidy mounding habit. Armeria Dreameria Sweet Dreams is an inter-species hybrid that provides frost-to-frost flowering in containers or in the garden. It's heat tolerant and seems to be easy to grow. Dianthus Mountain Frost Rose Bouquet has large deep rose flowers and just like the Pink PomPom, it flowers from early Spring until Autumn. It requires no vernalization to flower, is tolerant of rainy and wet conditions and has a tidy mounding habit.
Ball FloraPlant
Salvia mistyJason Twadell of Ball FloraPlant holding the Dahlia Gardenetta Passion Fruit. This dahlioa is characterized by its big flowers, good garden performance and good powdery mildew resistance. Gardenetta is a new series that consists of three colors.
Clockwise: ColorRush Pink Vein petunia matches the ColorRush Pink habit and vigor, but has a more intense light pink coloration. The new SolarTower series Ipomoea consists of two varieties; Black and Lime. It is said to be the first ever self climbing ipomoea. Fiesta Lavender Orchid Improved Double Impatiens has large and fully roselike blooms. It is fast, easy and economical to grow in bench-run programs. Nine new and improved varieties are added to the Conga Series Calibrachoa. The plants in this series have an uniform growth habit and no PGRs are needed.
Selecta One
Angela Storm of Selecta One presenting the Trixi Who Knew Orleans. This 3 in 1 blend consists of Calibrachoa MiniFamous, Neo Yellow+Red Vein, Petunia Starlet Red and Verbena Lascar Mango Orange.
Clockwise: Trixi Batting Eyes is also a Trixi combination. Headliner Pink Sky Petunia is a new color in the Headliner Series, which is a mounded petunia series.
Lavender LaVela Compact White is a new addition to the LaVela series. The plants in this series have good branching and are said to flower earlier than most L. stoechas for early-season sales. Daisy Falls Series Osteospermum is a new series. It grows and blooms with traditional Osteos. It continues to bloom into the Summer months.
Burpee
Scott Mozingo of Burpee holding the Beefsteak Tomato Oh Happy Day. It's new concept in tomatoes with an disease-resistance package. It produces a crop of 5 to 6-oz. indeterminate beefsteak tomatoes in clusters of 3 to 7 fruit. Resists Early Blight, Late Blight, Verticillium and Fusarium.
Dragon Roll Hybrid Hot Pepper is a shishito pepper and produces 3-5 inch peppers and carry a mild heat when young and add up Scovilles as they mature. The Take 2 Combo Camera is part of the Take 2 Combo series is known for the fact that two tomatoes plants are grown in one pot, in this case a large and small tomato variety. Organic basil is a basil that can be grown indoors year round. It is being sold to the grocery stores and is a new segment for Burpee. Lemon Dream Sweet Pepper is a 18 inch ornamental plant that produces 3 inch yellow sweet peppers.
Ball Ingenuity
Florence Vaux of Morel Diffusion presenting the Halius Funflame Magenta. It is a sturdy and round plant. The seeds in the USA are distributed through Ball.
Clockwise: Passionaria Dark Purple Lobuiaria is one variety of the new Passionaria series, that consists of three varieties. The plants in these series have deep colors. They are bred for good branching and ease of growth. The Whopper Rose with Bronze Leaf is part of the Whopper series begonia. Three begonias in this series have been improved for better uniformity and more flower power. Whopper produces large flowers, up to 3 inch across and keeps blooming from Spring through the end of Fall. The Polar Berry Blackberry is a new white blackberry. The canes grow to 4 to 5 ft. The Smartiz Fantasia Series Cyclamen of Morel is the smallest Fantasia cyclamen and has a low sensitivity to Botrytis.
Star Roses & Plants
Layci Gragnani of Star Roses & Plants presenting the Babycake, which is part of the Bushel & Berry line. Bushel & Berry is the rebrand of the BrazelBerries line of small fruited raspberries, blackberries and blueberries of Star Roses and Plants. The plants are compact, self-pollinating, and seems to have a good taste. It is a well suited plant for in the landscape or in patio pots for small-space gardens.
Clockwise: Eyeconic Mango Lemonade is a new addition to the Eyeconic Roses series. This series was developed by rose breeder Jim Sproul. These Hybrid Hulthemia roses will re-bloom throughout the season and seem to be more disease resistant than standard Hulthemias. Three new varieties are added to The Knock Out Family of Roses. The series is bred by rose breeder Will Radler. The Knock Out Family of Roses seem to be easy to grow and don't require special care. Highwire Flyer Radwire and Grape Jelly Meimauleva.
More novelties of the California Spring Trials participants will follow soon.