The flower breeding industry must walk a fine line when it comes to not overwhelming customers with information. For many, flowers are a fun and beautiful way to spruce up an outdoor or indoor space. When buying flowers, consumers usually are on the lookout for a plant that catches their eye and is meant for their growing conditions. However, there’s a lot more to the flower world than meets the eye.
Plant breeders are “putting a lot of time and effort and resources into making sure that their products when they get in the gardens are going to grow well,” Diane Blazek, executive director of the National Garden Bureau and All-American Selections, says during the June 21 episode of Seed Speaks. “Companies like these are really making all of our home gardens look much better.”
Flower companies consider a wealth of factors when it comes to breeding new plants. From disease resistance to drought tolerance to color, breeders weigh each option carefully as they work to bring better flower options to consumers.
“We’re trying to breed a universal profile as hard as of an achievement as that is, and we’re also evaluating our genetics around the world in order to validate that before it goes to market. And then, of course, if there is a product that is really regionally specific in the market demands that we do approach things from a regional aspect as well,” Ryan Hall, head of Syngenta Flowers for the Americas, explains during the episode.
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