CAST 2022: Suncrest Nurseries

Hishtil is expanding its offerings of ornamental herbs with Thymus serpyllum ‘GrowFlow Pink Magic.’ New and exclusive to Hishtil, the cascading thyme is covered with pink flowers when mature. It can grow to a half-meter. It’s native to Europe and North Africa and hardy to Zone 5. Hishtil's herb line is not just for cooking. The breeder selects items not only for scent and taste, but also for flower and form in the garden. No PGRs required. 

 

Prudac Breeding Specialties introduced the Pillar mild pepper F1 'Galaxy Red'. These CEA-specific bred peppers are compact and mounded, and they come in three colors (yellow, orange, and red). Due to a pre-existing relationship with NASA, they’re about to be put through perhaps the greatest CEA trial in horticulture history: a shipment of these and other Prudac vegetable varieties are being shipped up to the ISS for astronauts to incorporate into the menu for more taste in space.

Peppers from Heaven F1 ‘Orange’ (Editor's note: CAST took place in March, before these peppers have had a chance to ripen into full color) 

Another CEA-specific bred variety from Prudac, Peppers from Heaven are a perfect candidate for the trending edible hanging basket market. The variety will not shoot up vertically but rather will trail to the sides and eventually overhang the sides of a hanging basket in dramatic fashion. Glossy, tasty orange fruits are the growers final reward.  

Jaldety Plant Propagation Nurseries based in Israel is expanding its sedum offering, a crop that is still a hot seller worldwide. Magic Kiss (top photo) combines a mounded and trailing habit that's hardy in Zones 5-9.

Royal Pine (pictured below) offers interesting texture with a dense, low-growing habit. It's hardy in Zones 5-9 and it's heat- and drought-tolerant.