Breeders Continue to Focus on Landscape Market
It’s one of my favorite times of the year. Homeowners, businesses and anyone with a landscape bed are getting busy beautifying their outdoor spaces.
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen gorgeous tulips, daffodils and other bulbs blooming in all the front yards in my neighborhood.
Last weekend was a big hit at my local garden centers, thanks to the fantastic weather. I watched my neighbors return from shopping trips with bedding plants and mulch and new garden tools. And throughout the week, I saw plenty of professional landscape crews transforming gardens large and small.
While it may take some time and work, who doesn’t want a beautiful landscape surrounding their home?
And the breeders have been paying attention to this growing category. As I returned from the California Spring Trials, I went through my notes and all the catalogs I collected at each stop. It seems like almost every single exhibitor had some kind of focus on landscape performers.
Consumers want plants that will survive the entire season, won’t lose their color and will tolerate various weather conditions. And it is important for growers and retailers to offer plants that promise these qualities.
So what new introductions can you add to your lineup to satisfy your customers? Here is a handful of some of the landscape performers we were introduced to at this year’s California Spring Trials:
Coleus ‘French Quarter’ (Ball FloraPlant)
This pink coleus features a pattern familiar to seed coleus but is more vigorous and much later flowering, and its color doesn’t fade. This season extender spreads 24 to 36 inches.
Petunia ‘Surfinia Sumo Glacial Pink’ (Suntory Flowers)
Bred specifically for landscape performance, the Surfinia Sumo series has a new addition with Glacial Pink. It presents gorgeous mounds of color and is a vigorous grower.
Artemisia ‘Quicksilver’ (Proven Winners)
With its spreading habit, ‘Quicksilver’ is an excellent choice for low-maintenance mass plantings. It presents cool silver, dissected foliage and is both heat and drought tolerant.
Gerbera ‘Garvinea Sweet Caroline’ (Florist Holland)
This bee-friendly garden plant boasts generous non-stop flowering from early spring until first frost. It is highly resistant to pests and diseases and is an ideal choice for beds and borders.
Pentas ‘Honeycluster Deep Rose’ (Syngenta Flowers)
The new Honeycluster series is intermediate in size and fills larger pots quickly. Its continuous flowering makes a big impact at retail, and gardeners will love its pollinator appeal. Four colors and a mix are available.
Salvia ‘Magic Wand’ (Danziger)
This new salvia hybrid is naturally full with a compact habit and presents beautiful dark blue flowers on long spikes. It blooms constantly from spring throughout fall.
Have you seen an increased demand for landscape performers? Which varieties do you anticipate being your best sellers? Are you planning to expand your landscape options? Shoot me an email, and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!
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