July 2015
Striking New Selections By Jasmina Dolce

Bred for beauty and performance, these new varieties turned heads at the 2015 California Spring Trials.

Breeders must have gotten the memo that the National Garden Bureau designated 2015 the “Year of the Coleus” because they introduced a ton of gorgeous new coleus varieties this year. Even though the debut varieties on display won’t be available at retail until next season, we loved checking out all the great new colors in coleus.

Coleus Flying Carpet Thriller (Terra Nova Nurseries) Coleus ‘Flying Carpet Thriller’ (Terra Nova Nurseries)

Coleus Party Time Lime (Sakata)Coleus ‘PartyTime Lime’ (Sakata)

Coleus Campfire (Ball FloraPlant)Coleus ‘Campfire’ (Ball FloraPlant)

Coleus Main Street Granville Street (Dümmen Orange)Coleus ‘Main Street Granville Street’ (Dümmen Orange)

Coleus Under the Sea Fish Net (Hort Couture)Coleus ‘Under the Sea Fish Net’ (Hort Couture)

Hardy Standouts

We’ve been seeing the perennial category grow significantly over the past few years. Breeders are introducing varieties that will help gardeners achieve instant success in their plantings, especially with first-year flowering perennials. They’re inspiring growers and retailers with new, fun ways to use perennials — for instance, perennial combinations.

Screen Shot 2015-07-08 at 5.41.37 PM Scabiosa ‘Flutter Deep Blue’ (Darwin Perennials)

Screen Shot 2015-07-08 at 5.44.29 PMVerbena ‘Pompous Purple’ (EuroAmerican Propagators)

Monarda Leading Lady Lilac (Proven Winners) Monarda ‘Leading Lady Lilac’ (Proven Winners)

Helianthus Double Whammy (Pacific Plug & Liner)Helianthus ‘Double Whammy’ (Pacific Plug & Liner)

Screen Shot 2015-07-08 at 5.46.24 PMHeuchera ‘Champagne’ (Terra Nova Nurseries)

Breakthrough Bidens and Begonia

Each year, we’re used to seeing some of the staple annual crops like petunias and geraniums. But every couple of years, a few select species seem to trend with the breeders. This year, breeders seriously diversified the bidens and begonia categories with improved genetics and unique colors.

Screen Shot 2015-07-08 at 5.49.51 PM Begonia ‘Nonstop Joy Yellow’ (Benary)

Bidens 'Popstar' (Kientzler)Bidens ‘Popstar’ (Kientzler)

Begonia Bossa Nova Pure White (Floranova)Begonia ‘Bossa Nova Pure White’ (Floranova)

Bidens BeeDance Red Stripe (Suntory)Bidens ‘Beedance Red Stripe’ (Suntory)

Screen Shot 2015-07-08 at 5.50.04 PMBidens ‘Campfire Fireburst’ (Proven Winners)

Begonia Unbelievable First Kiss (Dummen)Begonia ‘Unbelievable First Kiss’ (Dümmen Orange)

Landscape Stunners

The landscape segment continues to gain interest as homeowners are investing in their homes and beautifying their outdoor spaces. Deciding which plants to market to landscape customers can be a challenge. Not every plant is bred for landscape performance; some definitely present better than others. These new varieties put on a gorgeous display and will survive various conditions.

NG impatiens SunStanding Cherry (Dummen Orange) New Guinea impatiens ‘SunStanding Cherry’ (Dümmen Orange)

Gerbera Garvinea Sweet Spice (Florist Holland)Gerbera ‘Garvinea Sweet Spice’ (Florist Holland)

Screen Shot 2015-07-08 at 5.56.10 PMSalvia ‘Summer Jewel White’ (American Takii)

Screen Shot 2015-07-08 at 5.55.59 PMDianthus ‘Jolt Pink’ (PanAmerican Seed)

Bicolor Beauties

Novel varieties are a great way for gardeners to really make a bold statement, especially in their mixed combinations. They offer dimension and create a standout presentation. For those consumers that dare to be different, here are some of the most eye-catching novel introductions from the trials.

Verbena Vanessa Koi (Danziger) Verbena ‘Vanessa Koi’ (Danziger)

Petunia Good and Plenty Purple Skirt (Green Fuse Botanicals)Petunia ‘Good and Plenty Purple Skirt’ (Green Fuse Botanicals)

Petunia ColorWorks Homare (Sakata)Petunia ‘ColorWorks Homare’ (Sakata)

Geranium Glitter Orange (Westhoff)Geranium ‘Glitter Orange’ (Westhoff)


These varieties turned heads at the California Spring Trials.



Jasmina Dolce

Jasmina Dolce is managing editor of GPN magazine. She can be reached at [email protected].