New cut flower varieties

ACHILLEA
Blooms of Bressingham has released two Achillea millefolium varieties:
 
‘Peachy Seduction’ has the same columnar habit as the other varieties in the Seduction series, which now has four colors. Bred by American Takii, ‘Peachy Seduction’ produces large clusters of glowing peach-pink flowers mid-June through July. Its rich green, ferny foliage forms sturdy upright columns. It grows to 23 inches tall by 20 inches wide during the first year in the landscape.
 
This full-sun plant provides carefree color for the summer perennial border or in large containers. It is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8.
 
‘Pineapple Mango’ is the fifth flavor in the Tutti Frutti series, which evokes images of colorful fruits. Bred by Takii, ‘Pineapple Mango’ produces large multi-hued flower clusters that start out a rich pink, maturing to yellow/salmon and finishing pale primrose-yellow. It flowers mid-June through July. It produces rich green, ferny foliage and grows to 23 inches tall by 20 inches wide the first year in the landscape. This full-sun plant is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 8.

ALCEA
Blacknight is the latest addition to Jelitto Perennial Seeds’ Alcea rosea Spotlight hybrid series. Upright plants produce single dark black-purple flowers from May through October. Plants have round, lobed leaves and reach 70 inches tall with flowers. It is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9.

ALSTROEMERIA
‘Tangerine Tango’ is a winter-hardy alstroemeria from Cornell University horticulture professor Mark Bridgen. Available from North Creek Nurseries, the flowers have a postharvest vase life of more than two weeks. Plants grow to 3 feet tall in full sun.
 
This variety has the added advantage of being able to survive the cold winters in USDA Hardiness Zone 5. Plants produce vivid orange flowers with intense, yellow highlights beginning in June and continue to flower until frost.

AMARANTHUS
Amaranthus caudatus Mira from Fred C. Gloeckner & Co. is a new red and green bicolor amaranthus. It reaches 40 inches tall.

CALLISTEPHUS
The Nina series from American Takii is a new spray-type aster. It features an abundance of semi-double flowers on vigorous plants. The series is excellent for mixed bouquets. Three colors are available: Rose, Salmon Pink and White.

DAHLIA
Fiesta is the newest addition to Gloeckner’s Karma series. It produces bright orange flowers with a yellow base. This vegetatively propagated dahlia is virus-indexed and comes from a certified, clean mother stock program resulting in faster and higher production.
 
The Karma series is characterized by its strong, uniform stems, upright flowers, long flowering period and high productivity. These long-day plants require 14 hours of light and are suited for both indoor and outdoor production.

DIANTHUS
Fandango Crimson Picotee from Syngenta Flowers-Goldsmith Seeds produces frilly, semi-double, fragrant flowers on plants that reach 16-18 inches tall and 18-20 inches wide. This strong branching plant is Fusarium tolerant. It also can be used in large containers.
 
The Dianthus barbatus Sweet series from PanAmerican Seed gives professional greenhouse and field cut flower growers a year-round D. barbatus series offered in five bright colors, including new Red With White Eye and a mix. Plants, which don’t require vernalization, produce high yields of large, fragrant, long-lasting blooms on straight, strong stems. The flowers are excellent for bouquet fillers.

ECHINACEA
Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus Superior’ from Jelitto was introduced to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the award-winning ‘Magnus.’ ‘Magnus Superior’ produces darker colored carmine-red flowers and stems and has more consistent growth. Flowering occurs from July-September. The upright plants have ovate-lanceolate deep green leaves and reach 40 inches tall with flowers. These full sun plants are hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 3-8.


EUSTOMA (Lisianthus)
PanAmerican Seed introduces six additions to its Eustoma grandiflorum ABC F1 series of double flowered lisianthus. ABC 1-3 Misty Blue, ABC 1-3 Green and ABC 1-3 Yellow are early flowering varieties. ABC 2-3 Misty Blue, ABC 2-3 Misty Pink and ABC 2-4 Yellow Improved are mid-flowering varieties. The ABC series consistently demonstrates less rosetting sensitivity in both plug and finish stages, increasing the total number of saleable plants and reducing or eliminating the need for gibberellic acid applications. Plants bloom uniformly producing high yields of first-grade flowers that display an outstanding double form with high petal counts.

American Takii has made additions to two of its eustoma series:

III Red and IV White are two new colors in the F1 Arena series. This series produces double flowers on strong stems. Plants are less sensitive to short stem length under long-day conditions and to rosetting in plug cultivation. The varieties in the series are classified by group, with group I being the earliest to flower and group IV the latest.

II Deep Purple is the latest addition to Takii’s Vulcan series, which now has five colors. The series is less sensitive to short stem length under long-day conditions and to rosetting in plug cultivation. Flowers have thick, cup-shaped petals which improves their transportability.

GERBERA
Florist De Kwakel has introduced three varieties:
 
‘Souvenir’ is a standard bicolor gerbera with orange and yellow bicolor, semi-double flowers with a green center. Flower diameter is 4-5 inches.
 
‘Crush’ is a standard gerbera that produces warm lilac, 4-4½-inch wide flowers with a black center. It is less susceptible to pests and diseases and has a high yield.
 
‘Delmonte’ is a mini gerbera with bright yellow, 3-inch wide single flowers with a black center.

GOMPHRENA
‘Fireworks’ from PanAmerican Seed is a tough and vigorous plant topped with long-lasting, intense hot-pink flowers. It is easy to grow and resists weather damage. With its tall height (up to 4 feet tall) and scaffolding habit, it is an ideal cut flower novelty.

GYPSOPHILA
Danziger has released two new varieties:
 
Cassiopeia features pure white, medium-large sized flowers. This fast-growing cultivar offers high productivity. It has the added benefit of low artificial light requirements.
 
Extremely fast growing Orion is graced with medium-sized flowers and sturdy, heavy stems. It has high productivity and requires little artificial light.

IRIS
Gloecker has released two Dutch irises:
 
‘Silvery Beauty’ produces large two-tone silvery blue flowers especially suited for outdoor cut production. Other bicolor irises in the Beauty series are available for outdoor cut production.
 
‘Rendezvous’ produces large flowers that are almost iridescent purple and adds a new color for greenhouse production that has been missing. It also is well-suited for outdoor cut production.

KALE
Lucir is a new series from American Takii that introduces shiny-leaf flowering kale to the market. Plants have round leaves that have a distinctive shine. Bred for cut flower use and similar to the Crane series, Lucir is available in two colors: Rose and White.

LATHYRUS (Sweet pea)
Lathyrus odoratus Sunshine series from Gloeckner produces stronger, longer stems with more fragrant flowers. It is available in three flowering groups: spring, summer and winter.

LAVATERA
  Lavatera thuringiaca ‘First Light’ from Jelitto produces pure white flowers with a hint of pink at the center from July through September. The upright plants have palmately lobed, grey-green leaves and reach 48 inches tall with flowers. It takes full sun and is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 6-10.

LEONOTIS
Leonotis menthifolia ‘Savannah Sunset’ from Skagit Gardens is a perennial grown for its showy and unusual whorls of two-lipped, furry orange tubular flowers. It has square stems and aromatic foliage. It grows 60-72 inches tall and spreads 36 inches. It is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 8.

LILY
Gloeckner has introduced three lily varieties:

Oriental hybrid ‘Marmara’ produces brilliant true pink flowers with a creamy center that are held upright on sturdy stems. Flowers have exceptional substance and are long lasting.
 
What makes Asiatic hybrid ‘Summer Breeze’ unique is that it is a pollen-free lily. This desirable lily trait is not often seen with superbly formed flowers.
 
Asiatic hybrid ‘Rushmore’ has bright plum/purple unspotted flowers. As its name implies, this variety is extremely strong and tall.

MATTHIOLA (Stock)
The Matthiola incana Katz series from PanAmerican Seed delivers up to six weeks shorter crop time. New colors are Apricot, Lavender Blue and Bright Rose. Plants are uniform in flowering with the same length and timing between colors. The series also offers better heat tolerance than traditional types. Katz can be grown earlier and later in the season. Tight spacing increases stem length. The series is available in a pastel range of colors with appealing fragrance and good vase life. Plants produce 55-60 percent double-flowering, with some selectability possible.

PENSTEMON
‘Prairie Twilight’ from Blooms of Bressingham produces a myriad of small tubular flowers with white tips and throats. Plants have wide, lance-shaped leaves and sturdy stems. It has a long bloom time from late May through July. Vigorous plants reach 22 inches tall and spread to 26 inches. It can be used as an upright element in sunny perennial borders or containers. ‘Prairie Twilight’ was selected by University of Nebraska horticulture professor Dale Lindgren. It is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9.

SETARIA
Setaria italica ‘Red Jewel’ from Gloeckner is an easy to grow and extremely productive millet. One planting may harvest up to six weeks. Long leaves mature from green with a hint of red to a red-brown. It grows up to 4 feet tall.

SNAPDRAGON
‘Chantilly Yellow’ from American Takii is an open-faced, Group I-II snapdragon, with a longer vase life than other varieties. It is extra early and blooms 110-130 days after sowing. Stem length is 4-4½ feet. Yellow is the newest addition, bringing the number of colors available in the series to eight.

SOLIDAGO
Danziger adds two varieties:
 
Top Glory bears beautiful, medium-sized yellow flowers that won’t fade. Flowers are concentrated on the top of medium-weight stems. It is especially suitable for bouquets.
 
Ivory Glory produces lovely cream-colored flowers that are easy to tint or dye. It produces a high volume of medium-sized flowers on heavy stems.

ZANTEDESCHIA (Calla lily)
Zantedeschia rehmannii × elliottiana Callafornia Calla Crystal Clear is the latest release from Golden State Bulb Growers. Crystal Clear produces high yields of attractively formed, pure-white flowers that do not blush at maturity. This variety is perfect for weddings, funerals and holiday use. It is easy to grow with plain green, lanceolate leaves. Crystal Clear is equally suited for cut flower and potted plant applications.

ZINNIA
The new Zinnia elegans Queen series from Benary produces 24- to 30-inch tall plants with fully double flowers that have exceptional vase life. ‘Queen Red Lime’ has a bright bicolor appearance with dark rose-pink petals set off by lighter lime petals near the base of the flower. ‘Queen Lime’ is an excellent addition to the vase or the garden.