Proven Winners displayed new plants, programs at open house
Proven Winners offered a sneak peek of its new plants and programs for 2025 at Four Star Greenhouse earlier this month. Here are some of the highlights from the event:
30-Second Planter
The 30-Second Planter is designed to be the easiest option for container gardening, ideal for budding gardeners or those pressed for time. In 30 seconds or less, containers and landscapes can be overflowing with blooms proven to be compatible in recipes.
Simple planting instructions are printed on the pot for clarity and ease of use. UPC codes are not printed on the container, but growers and retailers may add their own stickers.
30-Second Planters are being offered by Four Star Greenhouse and Pleasant View Gardens as a pilot program with their retail-ready and finished programs this spring, with a full rollout available for spring 2025.
Rex Begonia series Space Age
The new Space Age series was trialed and selected first for strong rooting performance, followed by vigor in spring production and finally for summer garden performance. Their dramatic silver foliage really shines in shade gardens and stands out on retail benches. It features three of the most exceptional cultivars on the market, each one with astronomically unique foliage.
A 2025 Top Pick, Rex Begonia ‘Space Age Europa’ features large, shimmering silver leaves rimmed in black with splashes of lavender in the center and near the edges.
‘Space Age Black Hole’ features shining silver leaves with black edges, dark green veining and a burgundy to black center in a dense, upright mounding clump.
‘Space Age Triton’ is a smaller-leaved Rex begonia that grows vigorously to form a very dense, compact mound. Its dark green leaves have far smoother edges, and the entire leaf surface is blasted with a fine, silver mist.
Alocasia ‘Emerald Isle’
This stunning tropical finishes faster than many other cultivars, forming a tall yet compact clump of massive, bright green, glossy, undulating leaves held on green petioles. At maturity, each leaf can easily measure 12 inches wide and 18 inches long, or even larger when grown in the ground in climates with long growing seasons.
Initially, the leaves are held vertically, but become more horizontal as they fully develop, lending an overall outward arching shape to the plant. The plant is distinctively heavier branched than most Alocasia of this type.
Growers and gardeners alike will enjoy the strong growth rate and vigor of ‘Emerald Isle’. Its tolerance of Pythium root rot and Xanthomonas leaf spot will help it shine all season. Growers will find it easiest to produce in 1-gallon Royale containers in spring or 2-gallon containers in summer given its extra-large size. Expect them to finish in six to eight weeks under short days in 1.0 GL Royale™ containers or 10 to 12 weeks in 2-gallon containers. Long day production will save about two weeks.
Alocasia ‘Emerald Isle’ makes a premium grade thriller in container recipes where its huge leaves act like party umbrellas shielding companions from the sun’s harsh rays. This plant also makes a stunning focal point in landscapes in sun or shade.
Coleus ‘ColorBlaze Mini Me Chartreuse’
Expanding on opportunities for smaller scale sun and shade recipes, the new ‘ColorBlaze Mini Me Chartreuse’ is a small but mighty coleus. Unlike some dwarf varieties that lack oomph, this selection displays excellent vigor. It forms a densely branched clump of feathery textured, brilliant chartreuse leaves and presents beautifully in Grande™ and monoculture containers where it won’t need pinching or PGRs to retain its neat shape.
Compared to ‘ColorBlaze Mini Me Watermelon’, it grows slightly larger with similar vigor and resistance to downy mildew. Both Mini Me varieties pair well with other medium vigor varieties in window boxes and upright container recipes.
Stardiva Scaevola series
Stardiva is the first-ever series of Scaevola aemula with star-shaped rather than fan-shaped flowers. Though both types have five petals, those of the new Stardiva series are arranged in a perfect star formation, lending a larger, fuller appearance to the blossoms. Pollinating bees are quick to find the tiny white bullseye that rims the throat of each flower.
These plants form a compact, densely mounded to semi-trailing mound that is smaller overall than Whirlwind Scaevola. They are extremely durable in sun, heat, humidity, rain, drought and wind.
Stardiva is available in Blue, Pink and White.
Heliotrope ‘Aromagica Purple’
Growers who have shied away from heliotrope in the past due to poor performance in production and in the garden will want to take another look at ‘Aromagica Purple’. A well-branched, layered habit and incredible summer performance make this new variety a standout.
While others can look tired and sparse by midseason, this heliotrope constantly blooms above spent flowers, keeping it full and covered in large, fragrant purple blossoms. They attract pollinating bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all summer long, especially with a little deadheading. Its flower color is most intense in high light conditions.
Virtuoso Dahlia series
Dahlias are undeniably trending with consumers but are not typically growers’ favorite plants to produce due to their awkward size and propensity for developing mildew. We’ve trialed garden dahlias for a decade or more, pulling together the very best in class to form our new Virtuoso series.
These plants display outstanding vigor, good tolerance to powdery mildew, and large double to semi-double flowers that stand on proportional stems above the densely mounded foliage. Blooming throughout the whole season, their sales window is greatly expanded over typical dahlias, so you can keep your customers supplied for months, not weeks. Virtuoso dahlias are available in a broad range of colors including soft pink, deep pink, bright yellow, violet purple and carmine red, with more to come in the future.
The Virtuoso series includes: Classy Carmine, Dayglo Yellow, Pinkerific, Rad Raz and Vibrant Violet.
Petunia ‘Supertunia Tiara’
This new patterned petunia is backed by outstanding genetics like all varieties with the Supertunia name. The blossoms feature a luminescent glow that emanates from the center, not unlike the color patterns found on some morning glories. No deadheading is needed to keep this petunia in bloom from spring to fall. In addition to gorgeous flowers, its vigor is incredible, nearly rivaling Supertunia Vista petunias but with a more trailing habit. Combine it with other medium- to high-vigor plants in large hanging baskets and upright containers or use it as a flowering groundcover for landscapes.
Supertunia Tiara is available in Pink and Blue.
New Cascade Hydrangea ‘Fairytrail’
Proven Winners ColorChoice is expanding its line of Cascade hydrangea to include two new varieties: ‘Fairytrail Green’ and ‘Fairytrail White’. These versatile hydrangeas are early blooming hybrids that combine the fabulous flower power of bigleaf hydrangeas with a never-before-seen horizontal habit that expands their use into hanging baskets and decorative urns. In landscapes, they look spectacular planted at the edges of retaining walls or used as a groundcover.
Landscape Rose ‘Oso Easy En Fuego
A standout performer in both Michigan and Florida trials, this show-stopping rose is sure to have tremendous impulse appeal at retail. Its large, intensely pigmented flowers start off yellow and red, then open fully to electric orange. They pop against the glossy green foliage that has outstanding disease resistance.
Abelia ‘Poco Loco’
This fast growing, tightly mounded, dwarf abelia has a tidy, globe-shaped habit that makes a perfect container with loads of impulse appeal. Spring foliage emerges yellow and orange, then morphs to green with pink-red new growth. Plentiful, fragrant, pink flowers appear in summer.
Stokesia ‘Totally Stoked Riptide’
From NC State comes this new series of moderately sized, densely mounded wildflowers with good basal branching which results in a more prolific floral display that blankets the foliage. Periwinkle blue, 2.5- to 3-inch flowers bloom from early to late summer. It’s tolerant of heat, humidity and drought and hardy in Zones 5 to 9. Also new this year is ‘Totally Stoked Whitecaps’
Salvia ‘Living Large Big Sky’
The first in a new series of super-sized perennial salvias. A magnificent display of violet blue flowers is displayed above a dense rosette of large, green leaves in late spring to early summer. Later to bloom than others of this type, with flowers that attract many kinds of pollinators. It’s both deer and rabbit resistant and hardy in Zones 3 to 8.
Delosperma ‘Kaleidoscope Razzle Dazzle’
Bicolor raspberry red flowers with a fuchsia purple eye and cream center are larger than many delosperma on the market, blooming primarily in late spring to early summer. Handsome evergreen foliage creates year-round interest on reliably hardy plants. They’re heat and drought tolerant. Hardy in Zones 5b-10. Also new this year are ‘Kaleidoscope Dancing Embers’, ‘Kaleidoscope Orchid Flash’ and ‘Kaleidoscope Pink Radiance’.
Hibiscus ‘Summerific Cookies and Cream’
Many years in the making! This exceptionally compact, sturdy selection forms a robust clump of matte purple-black foliage and bright white, 6- to 7-inch diameter flowers with no contrasting eye. Blooms appear from the ground to the top of the plant; begins earlier and continues longer than traditional rose mallow. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
Edible Rose ‘Flavorette Pear’d’
This healthy, sturdy, repeat blooming rose produces an abundance of semi-double, white flowers that take on blush pink tones as they age. Designed to appeal to rose lovers, herb gardeners and foodies, this rose’s petals have a distinctive light pear flavor and lush, soft texture. Serbian breeding adds an extra level of cold hardiness.
Coreopsis ‘Designer Threads Golden Needles’
Large, 2-inch bicolor golden yellow flowers with a well-defined, maroon eye have no flecking or bleeding of color onto the petals. They persist from early summer through late summer while attracting pollinators and resisting deer browsing. Threadleaf green foliage has demonstrated exceptional mildew resistance. Also new this year are ‘Designer Threads Creamy Calico’ and ‘Designer Threads Heartstrings’. Hardy in Zones 5 to 9.
Photos courtesy of Proven Winners.
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