A week worth remembering

Amy Stankiewicz

Spring Trials 2013 has come and gone, and while I’m still trying to catch my breath from the whirlwind of activity that took place during the six-day event, I also couldn’t be more thrilled that this year’s trials served as one of my first key introductions to the horticulture industry. Talk about an ideal place to gain familiarity with some of the hottest up-and-coming varieties! Here’s a very brief recap of some of my absolute favorites:

• Thompson & Morgan’s beautiful Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Pink Pop Socks,’ which grows to about knee height. Hence the name pop socks, which in the United States means knee-his.

• Sakata Home Grown’s ornamental edible line, which combines perfectly with eye-catching ornamentals like pansies. One of the newest additions to the line is Peppermint Swiss chard, the only Swiss chard with a variegated stem.

• Dummen’s newest varieties, which allow you to travel the world, if only in your own backyard. The latest additions include ‘Hula’ calibrachoa, which features a distinct circular dark pattern (hence the name ‘Hula’), and a new coleus series called ‘Main Street,’ which comes out of the University of Florida breeding program.

• Green Fuse Botanicals’ drought-tolerant echeveria line known as ‘Coral Reef,’ with varieties in red, pick and aqua. This plant’s crenulated leaves are truly unique, and very visually appealing.

• Skagit’s new hellenium ‘Short and Sassy,’ a naturally compact plant that starts blooming at about 12 inches in the middle of June. By the end of the summer, the plant may be about 18 to 20 inches, providing a continual color display until the first hard frost. I also loved Skagit’s social media-themed displays titled “Planterest” and “Vasebook,” which showed humorous “profiles” and “comments” about some of the company’s newest plants.

• The new Fusibles combinations from PanAmerican Seed, which use precision multi-pellet technology to create more natural-looking combination planters. Each pellet includes an already-made mix of ornamental seeds that the company has tested to ensure uniform, complementary growth.

• And last but not least, Suntory’s new compact ‘Lofos’ lophospermum, which provides an easier shipping and handling option to growers when compared with the traditional trailing ‘Lofos’ variety.

See all of our multimedia coverage of Spring Trails at bit.ly/11aWSQL. When it comes to making sure you have the information you need from this annual event, we’ve got you covered!

Amy Stankiewicz | astankiewicz@gie.net
216-236-5960 | Twitter: @Greenhousemag