New pot plant varieties

Alocasia 'Loco'Alocasia
'Loco’ from Deroose Plants features foliage that curls and crinkles along the edges. Durable and low maintenance, this variety is long lasting.

Aloe
‘Delta Lights’ is a new hybrid from Rancho Tissue Technologies. Created by breeder Kelly Griffin exclusively for the company, this variety appeals to a broad audience with its unique zigzag foliage pattern. Plants, which will fill in an 8-inch pot, are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. It is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 8-11.

Anthurium
‘Zing’ from the Oglesby Plants International’s breeding program is a breakthrough for a large flowering anthurium as it is both heat and disease tolerant under South Florida conditions. Brilliant red flowers contrast perfectly above glossy green foliage. Flowers are long-lasting and the color is vivid even during warm summer temperatures. Recommended for 6- to 10-inch containers.

Asplenium
‘Crissie’ is a dramatic bird’s nest fern with a natural bowl shape and full, beautiful, crested fronds from Oglesby Plants International. It grows more vigorously than other Asplenium varieties ‘Crissie’ is an easy to care for shade patio or interior plant and is recommended for 6- to 8-inch containers.

Azalea
Aris Horticultural Services has introduced two new florist-quality varieties.

Rozalea Dark Pink produces 3-inch, deep-pink, rose-petal-shaped flowers. It has excellent keeping quality and a long shelf life. Emblem has 3-inch semi-double lavender flowers and excellent keeping quality. Both varieties can be used for indoor use or as a patio accent and they produce abundant, colorful blossoms that last up to six weeks.

Begonia
Gryphon is part of the PanAmerican Seed Fantastic Foliage series. This Begonia x hybrida produces showy silver-green foliage that gives it a tropical appearance. The seed-produced variety fits into existing begonia plug culture.
Plants in the Begonia hiemalis Dragone series from Dummen USA bloom about two weeks earlier than other hiemalis begonias. The large, double flowers are set off well from the dark-green foliage. Varieties include: Champagne, Pink Hope, White Blush, Sunset and Dusty Rose.

Calla (Zantedeschia)
Golden State Bulb Growers added five new varieties to its Callafornia Calla series. All are easy to grow and have sturdy stems.

‘Crystal Clear’ is a productive bloomer with pure-white flowers that do not blush at maturity. It is a versatile variety with plain green leaves that is well suited to small- or medium-sized pots, landscape and cut flower use.

‘Grape Velvet’ is a profuse bloomer with purple flowers lightly fringed in white that gracefully age to deep rose. It’s naturally compact with plain green leaves and well suited to small- or medium-size pots as well as garden use.

‘Acapulco Gold’ has clear golden-yellow flowers with medium-large, well-formed cups on long stems. This robust variety has maculated leaves and is well suited to cut flower, large pots and landscape use.

‘Night Cap’ has dark-purple to black flowers that gracefully age to burgundy. It has plain green leaves and is well suited for small- or medium-sized pots, in the landscape and cut flower use.

‘Moon Shadow’ is a profuse bloomer that renders tricolor flowers in rose, white and purple. It has plain-green leaves and is well suited to small- or medium-size pots and landscape use.

Honey DurangoChrysanthemum
Syngenta Flowers has introduced three new Yoder Mums.

Honey Durango is the latest addition to the popular Durango family. With its excellent fall color, plants have good stem strength, foliage, flowering uniformity and shelf life. Honey Durango mums make a great eye catcher in combinations within the family.

Golden Emporia is good for spring, summer or fall sales. The plant is uniform and dependable, featuring smooth, golden spoon-type daisy flowers.

Cinnamon Pueblo has enticing orange daisy flowers and dark-green eyes. Large, sturdy flowers crown the strong, full plant make this a good choice for fall sales.

Cyclamen
Morel Diffusion is offering Halios Blush Mix. Plants produce 50 percent purple and 50 percent magenta flowers. The dominant color is white with a light hue. Temperature influences the intensity of the color. Plants grown at 61°F-68°F have a more intense flower color. The compact plants have silver foliage.

Syngenta Flowers/Goldsmith Seeds has released several new varieties.

Midori Purple Flame and Wine Flame are fragrant miniature plants that have a compact habit and refined foliage suitable for early season sales. Plants size up nicely at a 6- to 8-inch height whether in 2½- or 4½-inch pots.

Canto Jewel Mix is an intermediate cyclamen that features a tightly mounded, round habit that reaches 9 to 11 inches high with excellent shelf life. The wide variety of colors makes it ideal for seasonal assortments. It also performs well in the landscape.

Laser Synchro features nine (Pink, Pink Flame, Purple, Purple Flame, Salmon, Scarlet, White, Wine and Wine Flame) of the most uniform, well-matched colors of this intermediate series. It maintains a high seed quality that produces 10- to 12-inch tall plants loaded with long-lasting flowers. The series’ heat tolerance helps with early fall and late spring sales.

Pink and Wine Red Flame are part of the standard Concerto series. Plants produce 12- to 14-inch tall plants with huge flowers that provide a florist-quality look. These varieties grow easily at cooler temperatures for a late season finish.

Light Purple, Pink and Purple Flame join the Rainier series. The uniform, standard-size plants produce huge flowers that are suitable for 6½- to 8-inch pots. These cyclamen plants thrive inside or outside at cooler temperatures for a late-season finish.

The Winter Ice series adds Rose and Scarlet. Plants in this series have wide, silvery bands edging each leaf. They produce thick stems and large flowers, growing 12 to 14 inches tall. Plants are suitable for container growth under winter conditions.

Dianthus
SuperTrouper Butterfly Dark Red from Selecta brings a brilliant bicolor contrast to this pot carnation series. Also new are Pink evol. and Light Pink evol. which are improved for habit. There are a total of 17 colors, all scented and hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 6. They have a medium vigor, are well branching and fill 4- to 5-inch pots easily. Plants perform outdoors in the garden, but can also be used as an indoor flowering pot plant for early spring sales, Easter, Mother’s Day and fall sales.

Eucomis
Eucomis spp. hybrid Aloha Lily ‘Leia’ from Golden State Bulb Growers is commonly referred to as pineapple lily. Plants are floriferous and naturally compact with bright-green leaves covered with purple speckles. Flowers are brightly colored with the gentle fragrance of coconut oil. It has an exceptional indoor postharvest life and is almost “everlasting” in outdoor settings. It is well suited for small to large pots, landscape use and as a possible cut flower. Easy to grow, it also naturalizes well in USDA Hardiness Zones 8a–10. Plants are drought tolerant once established.

'Jungle Fire'Excoecaria
‘Jungle Fire’ from ForemostCo Inc. has striking glossy leaf color with cream/green on the upper side and deep purple on the underside. Plants have a strong spreading structure and tight growth habit. This moderately aggressive growing plant can be used in baskets, combination planters or as a garden annual. It is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 10.
 

Ficus
Deroose Plants is offering two new Ficus benjamina varieties. ‘Kinky’ has small, variegated leaves and ‘Green Kinky’ has small, deep-green leaves. Both of these varieties have dense and compact foliage with short internodes and are resistant to leaf dropping.

Gerbera
Kieft-Pro-Seeds introduced two new varieties.

White is the newest addition to the Revolution F1 series that delivers quick crop time on compact and uniform plants. It blooms on short stems with dark-green leaves. Good for 4½- to 5-inch programs.

The uniquely colored Mega Revolution Watermelon is early flowering and produces vigorous, bushy plants with extremely large flowers. It is an ideal choice for 6-inch and larger containers and as a garden plant.

Syngenta Flowers introduces two varieties.

Jaguar Fire Dark Center is a member of the earliest flowering series yielding faster turns and more efficient production. Because it is genetically compact, there is no need for growth regulators. The series is uniform in habit and flowering time allowing for bench runs.

Autumn Colors produces large, rich and vibrant-colored flowers. Ideal for 5-inch and larger containers.

Gloxinia
ForemostCo is offering two series.

The double-flowered Sonata series has a compact habit and is well-suited for 5- to 6-inch pots. Plants produce large flowers and small leaves. Colors include Red, White, Dark Purple and Pink. Plants finish in 10-12 weeks.

The double-flowered Vibrato series does best in 4- to 4½-inch pots. Colors include White, Purple and Pink.

'Humpty Dumpty'Guzmania
Oglesby Plants International has introduced two varieties.

‘Humpty Dumpty’ is a Guzmania conifera hybrid in a new form with a flame color of red with yellow tips. The inflorescence remains clean throughout the long flowering period, which really sets this variety apart. It is recommended for 6- to 8-inch containers.

‘Red Riding Hood’ is a whimsical, showy, red guzmania. Not only does it have a bright-red inflorescence, but it is also offers a unique, deep-red color through the base of the plant. It is recommended for 6- to 8-inch containers.

Corn Bak has introduced several new varieties.

‘Alto’ is a fast-growing plant suitable for 6-inch pots. It has a beautiful cone-shaped purple inflorescence with bright yellow tips on the bracts, which forms a nice contrast. ‘Eclipse’ is a fast and compact-growing plant with a short, purple, star-shaped inflorescence. ‘Freya’ has a pink star-shaped inflorescence and can be grown in 6-inch pots. ‘Rock’ is a fast-growing plant that can be grown in both 4- and 6-inch pots. It has a purple star-shaped inflorescence. Together with ‘Jazz’ and ‘Techno’, ‘Rock’ completes the color series.

Helianthus
H. annuus Miss Sunshine is a dwarf F1 sunflower from Pan--American Seed. This mildew-tolerant helianthus needs fewer plant growth regulators and flowers at a shorter height under short days. Plants produce 3- to 4-inch diameter pollen-free golden yellow “face-up” flowers. They produce long-lasting color with a fast flush of secondary flowers.

Juncus
Twisted Dart from PanAmerican Seed is a multi-species multi-pellet containing Juncus tenuis and Juncus effuses spiralis (curly juncus). The compact plants offer contrasting blue and green colors with straight and twisted habit. It is part of the Grasses of Fantastic Foliage series and can be used in mixed containers and baskets or as an indoor lifestyle plant.

Kalanchoe
Kalanchoe thyrsiflora ‘Fantastic’ from Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery is a new variegated version of the popular flapjack/paddle plant. It has all the positive traits of the non-variegated form with the addition of a rich, yellow variegation which accents a red blush on the leaves. This full-sun plant does best in a well-drained growing medium with a pH of 6 or higher. Best results are obtained with a high-nitrogen fertilizer. ‘Fantastic’ received the Favorite New Foliage Plant Award and Retailer’s Choice Award at the 2010 Tropical Plant Industry Exposition. It is available exclusively through ForemostCo.

Fides North America has added several new varieties to its Calandiva series. Plants are well-branched, produce double flowers and are very uniform.

Rio has large, true-orange flowers and an 11-week response time. Compact Birkin has large, clear-pink flowers with a 9.5-week response time. Cadillac Pink has huge pink flowers with a deep-pink center, medium-sized leaves, good keeping quality and 9.5-week response time. Compact Dabo produces large, pink bicolor flowers with a lighter margin. It has an excellent shelf life and a 9.5-week response time. Foster is compact with excellent branching. It produces large, hot-pink flowers and has an 11-week response time. Strong-branching Weaver has large, bright pink-purple bicolored flowers, smaller leaves, good branching and a response time of 11 weeks. Fiesta is a compact, true-red decorative with a 9-week response time. Casablanca is a true-white decorative. Lemon is a compact plant with green-white flowers, good branching, compact leaves and a 10.5-week response time. Compact Brazil has good branching, bright-yellow flowers and good keeping quality. Jamaica is strong branching with yellow–orange flowers and dark-green leaves.

Fides has also introduced medium-sized Swan, which produces large, single, true-white flowers. Response time is 9.5 weeks.

New Guinea Impatiens
Dummen’s Red Fox Magnum series features six colors (Lavender, Blue, Fire, Salmon, Peach and White Blush), all producing enormous flowers. The strong plants are early to flower and simple to grow. Foliage color ranges from light to dark green with Fire and Lavender having the lightest color.
 

Poinsettia
The Ecke Ranch has released three new varieties.

Tapestry has vibrant-green leaves with creamy-yellow margins to set off its dark-red bracts. Transitional bracts bring in a touch of red, creating a rich tapestry of colors. This mid-season (8.5 to 9 weeks) variety has medium vigor and upright branching.

Solstice Red is a late-season poinsettia designed to serve the market even better than Success Red. This late-season (9 to 9.5 weeks) variety has dark-green leaves and medium vigor.

Polar Bear is Ecke’s whitest white poinsettia and has dark-green leaves. The green undertones of the bracts create a much brighter white as contrasted to the creamier, yellow undertones of most other dark-leaf white poinsettias. This medium vigor variety finishes early in the season (8 weeks), but unlike other whites, features longer post-production durability. Ecke has partnered with Polar Bears International, a non-profit organization dedicated to polar bear conservation. For every Polar Bear cutting purchased, a donation is made to Polar Bears International.

Syngenta Flowers introduces two varieties. Ruby Frost has eye-catching tones of rose, pink and a contrasting white.
It is great for the early- to mid-season novelty market. The dark-green foliage features medium vigor and upright branching. It fits well with all container sizes, from minis to pots to trees. Mira Red is an early-season variety that finishes well under a range of conditions. The large, clean bracts contrast nicely against the dark-green foliage and pairs well with Mira White poinsettias. It has the same excellent root system of the Mira series.

Vintage from Selecta displays oak-shaped, dark-red bracts over dark-green foliage. It is a sturdy, well-branched plant with medium vigor that fills smaller pots and baskets nicely. It finishes in time to start the peak-season.

Primula
Sakata Ornamentals introduces ‘Danova Pink Improved’ with large, showy 3-inch-diameter flowers. The pink flowers have a bright-yellow eye. The series has high germination, excellent seedling vigor and extreme uniformity in habit, flower size and blooming.

'Mundo'Tillandsia
‘Mora’ from Corn Bak is new for 4-inch pot production. It has a purple panicle-shaped inflorescence.

Vinca
The Catharanthus x hybrida Tutu series from PlantHaven includes Angel, Pink and Purple. All three varieties produce unique ruffled flowers and dark-green leaves. The vegetatively-propagated compact plants are well branched, reaching a height of 8 inches and spread of 10 inches. Angel has flowers with soft, shell-pink tones. Pink produces sterile flowers in pink tones. Purple has sterile flowers in purple tones.

Vriesea
‘Mundo’ from Corn Bak is suitable for a 4-inch production. It has a dark-purple, single inflorescence and beautiful foliage. It makes a good mix with Vriesea ‘Solo’.

Company contact information:

Aris Horticultural Services, (800) 232-9557;
www.arishort.com

Corn Bak b.v., telephone 011 (31) 75-687-3853;
www.bromelia.com.

Deroose Plants Inc., (407) 889 5228;
www.derooseplants.com

Dummen USA, (614) 850-9551;
www.dummenusa.com

Ecke Ranch, (760) 753-1134;
www.ecke.com

Fides North America, (805) 525-7125;
www.fidesnorthamerica.com

ForemostCo Inc., (800) 421-8986;
www.foremostco.com

Golden State Bulb Growers, (831) 728-0500;
www.goldenstatebulb.com

Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery Inc., (808) 959-4088;
www.hawaiinursery.com

Kieft-Pro-Seeds, (800) 879-2255;
www.kieft-pro-seeds.com

Morel Diffusion, telephone 011 (33) 494-197304;
www.cyclamen.com

Oglesby Plants International, (800) 762-0022;
www.oglesbytc.com

PanAmerican Seed, (800) 879-2255;
www.panamseed.com

PlantHaven Inc., (805) 569-9179;
www.planthaven.com

Rancho Tissue Technologies, (858) 756-6785;
www.ranchotissue.com

Sakata Ornamentals, (408) 778-7758;
www.sakataornamentals.com

Selecta, (800) 879-2255;
www.firstclassplants.com

Syngenta Flowers, (303) 415-1466;
www.syngentaflowersinc.com