California Spring Trials — Starting Up North
The first two days of California Spring Trials are in the books, and so far we’ve seen lots of great plants and displays from breeders. The next three Retail Reports will take you through some of the highlights. (Make sure you click on the “read more” or each image for additional info.)
Team Lawn & Garden Retailer and GPN started in the north on Saturday with our first stop at Speedling in San Juan Batista featuring Hem Genetics among others, before heading over to Suncrest Nurseries where a number of Israeli breeders — Hishtil, Jaldety, Cohen and Nir — had material on display.
Up next was Pacific Plug & Liner, whose theme we look forward to every year. This year did not disappoint with The Secret Garden concept embraced by all exhibitors there, including Terra Nova Nurseries. See a video from PP&L on our Facebook page. Our final stop for the day was Benary in Watsonville, who told its family story of their company through their displays.
Day 2 started at Kirigin Cellars in Gilroy, where Proven Winners featured a number of new retail concepts along with annual, perennial and shrub introductions, some of which you can see in this video. We then headed to Syngenta Flowers, also in Gilroy, before going to Danziger and finishing the day with a trip to Beekenkamp’s location, where Monrovia exhibited as well.
Make sure you’re following along on Facebook and Instagram, and check out GPN’s blog for some variety-specific intros. And until Wednesday, check out these highlights …
Pentas
Benary
Benary’s best-selling crop in the U.S. is pentas, and the new Graffiti 20/20 series with nine colors and one mix was on full display. With dense, tight flowers for maximum color and a fun name, the possibilities are endless at retail.
Amore
Danziger
Danziger added three new Amore petunias to its series with heart-shaped patterns on every bloom, and they also showcased the varieties in combinations. New Amore POP includes these tags with “To:” and “From:” fields that are a great idea no matter the crop.
Upscale Planters
Proven Winners
Proven Winners is rolling out its Decked Out program where, instead of using the traditional Proven Winners white pots, growers or grower-retailers can choose any decorative container so long as it fits within the program guidelines (e.g., a minimum price point of $2 at wholesale).
Helianthus
Monrovia
The new ‘SunBelievable Brown Eyed Girl’ helianthus boasts, “One plant. 1,000 blooms.” It continuously blooms from spring until the first hard frost. The dark center is really prominent in spring and fall, and it yellows out in the summer.
Setting the Scene
Terra Nova Nurseries
This display from Terra Nova Nurseries was spot on with The Secret Garden theme of the stop, with tea cups featuring heuchera and numerous introductions throughout. The “brick” wall was created with boards but looks extremely realistic.
Combinations
Jaldety Nursery
We’ve seen a lot of unique combinations in the first two days, including this one from Jaldety, which includes the new ‘Silver Roses’ sedum in the bottom left corner, named for its compact, small rose petal-like shape.
School Spirit
Syngenta Flowers
This new series of Ivy League trailing geraniums from Syngenta Flowers just screams for spirited merchandising whether the local college colors are burgundy, salmon or something more common.
Rethink Functions
Pacific Plug & Liner
These tables at Pacific Plug & Liner garnered a lot of attention as the center cutout was originally intended as an ice box or cooler for drinks. The plantings, however, make for a great conversation starter and fun idea for any event at retail.
Videos
