Notable new intros from California Spring Trials
A key event for horticulture professionals, the multiday California Spring Trials showcases plant breeding companies’ new and improved varieties set to hit retail in 2027. Here, we share highlights from the event and fresh finds for your retail customers.
American Takii
Lisianthus ‘Corelli Sugoi! II Rose Pink’ is a new addition to the Corelli Sugoi! Series for cut flowers. “Sugoi” translates to “wonderful” in Japanese.
Danziger
New in the petunia Capella series are Inked (left) and Rose Ink. Danziger’s strongest selling petunia, they work well in quart and gallon pots, hanging baskets and mixes.
Selecta One
Calynopsis ‘Yellow Leopard’ is one of three new colors in this series, ideal for early season sales.
HilverdaFlorist
Echinacea ‘Moodz Zen’ is a new color in the series. It blooms all summer and is a pollinator magnet.
Sakata
The 4-inch pom-pom style blooms of aster ‘Azumi XL Pink’ are a strong addition to its cut flower offerings, and it’s resistant to fusarium.
Syngenta Flowers
The first in a new series, sedum ‘Hot Rocks Dark Leaf Red’ has a compact habit with vibrant deep red flowers on dark chocolate foliage.
Benary
Benary introduced begonia Wookie in two colors — White Splash and Pink Splash (shown). Its hairy leaves and stems inspired its name.
Dümmen Orange
Petunia ‘Sweetunia Violet Vortex’ has a medium upright habit, is early to flower and has an eye-catching tricolor pattern — sure to turn heads at retail.
Pacific Plug & Liner
The primula Pretty Polly series brings larger plants, longer stems and double blooms. Best in 2.5-quart and gallon containers.
Suntory Flowers
Petunia Surfinia Heavenly Blue Violet joins the series with dark bluish-purple blooms with expanded dark throats.
Walters Gardens
Another first timer at CAST, Walters Gardens brought some great pollinator-attracting varieties including semi-double heliopsis ‘Forged in Fire’.
Darwin Perennials
New garden daylily series DayScape is among the earliest to bloom in spring and blooms multiple times during the season. Shown is Lemon Meringue, one of nine colors in the series.
Ball FloraPlant
Ball FloraPlant debuted a new fuchsia lineup with three series for shade and container performance. Shown is Blue Radiance, which delivers vibrant, upright color for larger pots and baskets.
Beekenkamp
Beekenkamp highlighted its experimental calibrachoa Oasis series. The early-flowering series has good branching and is available in five colors and two mixes (shown is Rosy Maple).
Green Fuse Botanicals
Delosperma ‘Delmara XL Fuchsia’ is part of the new XL series with larger flowers than the Delmara series.
Schoneveld Breeding
Cyclamen Sweet Lips series is a macro-type and grows better in the cooler season. Its two-tone pink blooms make it a great Valentine’s Day promotional item at retail.
Westhoff
A CAST exclusive, petunia ‘Frogger White’ has green flowers, which naturally help the flowers last longer.
Photos by Teresa McPherson.
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