Taking stock

December is always a time of reflection for me, a time to take a look back at the events of the previous 12 months and contemplate the results. 2015 was a year of many firsts for me, including making my inaugural trip to the European Flower Trials, visiting produce growing operations and attending a conference on controlled environment agriculture in Panama, and getting an inside look at growers and retailers in Denmark. I think if I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that the learning opportunities in the greenhouse industry are endless — especially learning from each other — and each year will bring new technology, production innovations and varieties.

This month, we’re taking stock of this year’s plant trials in different regions across the U.S. We’ve gathered results from trials managers in Washington, Florida and many places in between so that you know which varieties to keep an eye on this year and possibly add to your line-up in 2016.

The list of top performers by region is organized into the following categories so you can quickly find what you’re looking for: overall performance- annual, overall performance-perennial, drought tolerant annual and perennial, pollinator-friendly annual and perennial, heat-tolerant annual and perennial. Turn to page 12 to check out the results. If you are curious as to why we need plant trials, Allan Armitage weighs in on that topic on page 30.

And don’t miss the last Generation Next Class of 2015 profile on page 32. Jared Hughes’ passion for plants and drive to succeed will both inspire and impress you. Do you know an up-and-coming grower who’s making waves in his or her growing operation and that we should feature in 2016? Send me the details at kvarga@gie.net.

As you wind up your year and perhaps take a few days to relax and prepare yourself for 2016, I wish you all the best.

Karen E. Varga, Editor