What varieties were on display at Dümmen Orange, Benary, Syngenta and Proven Winners during the California Spring Trials? Below, they will be shown. Also the varieties of Kapiteyn Flower Bulbs will be highlighted as they displayed their varieties at the Syngenta site this year.
The California Spring Trials was held from March 23-27. At several locations between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and is a launching ground for some of the newest plant varieties, signage and packaging products, and merchandising programs and concepts. The team of FloralDaily visited all locations and published the Photo Report right after the event. In this series, we go deeper into the varieties that were on display.
Dümmen Orange
Lindsay Pangborn of Dümmen Orange presenting New Guinea Roller Coaster. "It offers an appealing texture of double, wavy-edged blooms. Medium-vigor New Guinea Impatiens are suited to finishing in larger containers for premium positioning, or in packs for landscape use. Intense hot pink flowers make this selection a showstopper at retail; it’s a perfect season-extender for late spring and early summer sales."
The new collection for 2020 in the perennial category is Fleur de Rock .. The collection includes Alpine plants that naturally grow on rocky areas. "The collection is very suitable for the low-maintenance consumer and fits well in small gardens as it is great for small pot production. Now, there are about 5 genera in the collections. This all results in a lot of different colors and textures. For the consumer it is also nice that they know it all will work together."
To the existing pot mums series Breeze, three varieties are added; Pink, Jam and Frost. Most of the varieties in the series are single flowering. "We mark them as every day pot mum and they time well together and are vigorous." In total, the series currently consists of about 15 varieties.
Sakata
Alicia Suits of Sakata presenting the new begonia series named Viking. The series is divided in Standard and Xl plants and there are three leaf colors; green, bronze and chocolate. According to Alicia, unique is the chocolate leaf. “It is the darkest leaf on the market. On top of that it has large blooms.” The series was already launched in Europe last year and Viking XL Red on Chocolate was crowned AAS winner 2019.
To the SunPatiens series, four colors are added and Orchid Blush is one of the new colors. Special about this variety, besides the new color, is the fact that it requires less water than other SunPatiens. "We invest a lot in breeding of varieties that need less water and this is the first one we introduce."
Profusion Cherry Bicolor is according to Suits the first bi-color in Zinnia. "The flowers of this zinnia start as a white flower and when it develops, more cherry color will appear. "
Proven Winners
Kerry Meyer presenting the Heart to Heart™ Caladiums that will be new to the Proven Winners line in 2020. These varieties were developed by Classic Caladiums, one of the leading worldwide breeders and suppliers of Caladiums. They have joined the Proven Winners team recently and supply several of their varieties through their brand. They are very happy with this new addition because tropicals continue to trend strongly in the market and 'the industry is always looking for shade plants'. "On top of that, the striking leaf colors, shapes, increased disease resistance and sun tolerance, and season-long color make the Caladiums stand out."
Sedum Rock ‘N Grow ‘Boogie Woogie’ is a sedum variety with variegated leaves. "It has a nice mounded habit and can be used in landscapes and in combos."
Ringo™ is a new hybrid landscape rose. Rosa Persica gives it its red eye but it’s presented on this full landscape rose habit with deep green, glossy foliage. Flower color transitions from bright yellow, to soft yellow to white. It has already won 6 international rose awards, reaches heights of 3-4’ and is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Disease-resistant and super easy to grow, Carmolli commented that like all Proven Winners® shrubs, this is designed “to help consumers feel a winner in the garden.”
Syngenta Flowers
Brandon Willis of Syngenta presenting the Imara XDR (Extreme Disease Resistance). This new impatiens series is available in 9 colors and 1 mix. Red Star and Pink are the newest additions in the series. It is their biggest introduction in these trials as it is resistant to Impatiens Downy Mildew. On top of that, it is a shade plant and according to Willis, retail is always looking for shade plants. In North America, they also provide POS material for this series with the slogan: “Take back the shade”
Sincerity Dahlia will this year be launched in North America. It is a variety bred from the genetics from their acquisition of Verwer Dahlia last year. "It is a nice large plant that fits very well into a patio container. Retailers who have seen it are really excited. This cutting raised plant is a high value product and also good for Mother's Day promotion."
Sunfinity has been on the market for a couple of years in North America and it will soon be available in Europe. In North America, the Sunfinity is supplied with POS Material and cart programs, which for example enables to put 3 plants on top of each other - which is beneficial for the retail.
Kapiteyn Flower Bulbs 
Lennaert Kapiteijn and Wim Kleine of Kapiteyn presenting Captain Lorenzo, a new variety that is genetically short. It has a long shelf life and the US market seems to be liking it very much. This variety will be available in a few years.
Captain Dynamo is a new small flowering yellow calla. "Genetically, it is a very short variety and is very suitable for small pot sizes. In the coming years, the availability of this product will increase."
Captain Solo has been on the market for several years and is, according Lennaert doing very well in the US. "This calla variety flowers early, has many and large flowers and a long shelf life. The flowers and stems of this compact plant will stay steady and straight up until the final phase of flowering."
Benary
Jen Calhoun of Benary presenting the Pink Bronze Leaf Big Begonia. It is a new variety in the big begonia series and has dark (which gets even darker in the sun) colored leaves and glossy foliage. The big begonia series is, according to Jen, a powerhouse for Benary. “It works well worldwide and landscapers love them.” she says.
Flirty Pink is one of the varieties in the Graffiti 20/20 series, a new series bred for pack production. Special about this variety is that it is a seed penta with bi-colored flowers, it is claimed to be the first bicolor in seed pentas. "The plants are extremely uniform across the series in height and flowering time. On top of that, the series is extremely early, has better branching (= more flowers), good outdoor performance and dense, tight flower clusters, ensuring maximum color at retail."
Bicolor is part of the new and cool grown semperflorens series Super Cool. The series is available in 4 colors and 1 mix. "They are all-round begonias with a habit between Sprint Plus and Super Olympia - in earliness, it is close to Sprint. On top of that, the plants are well branched, have extremely large flowers, are floriferous, have enough vigor to be grown under cooler conditions early in the spring and work in pots and packs."
Benary+
Scott Hanes of Benary holding Tuka Tuka Red Glow. This Bidens ferulifolia is one of the three new introductions to the Tuka Tuka series. The series is characterized by: the bi-colored flowers, the well branched habit and the ‘great alone combinations’.
Aramis Lemon & Pink by Benary+. This Argyranthemum frutescens has a mounded habit and bi-colored flowers of which some change when they mature. "The flowers change from yellow to pink."
Thunbergia Apricot is added to the Sunny Susy series, which currently consists of 11 colors. "Consumers love the series as the plants grow very quickly, so one can easily make privacy screens in the garden."