A taste of the 2018 California Spring Trials

With hundreds of new varieties on display at the California Spring Trials each year, it’s difficult to highlight all of them. We scoured our social media feeds to find out which plants attendees found most interesting, and also examined which of our posts were most popular. Here’s a small roundup of some of the exciting new varieties we spotted. Look for more extensive coverage from the 2018 California Spring Trials in videos shared on our website (www.gardencentermag.com/videos/category/videos/) , updates posted to social media and in a feature in our June issue.

Tophat begonia from Syngenta Flowers is one of the new seed introductions for 2018 from the company, which reported that the early-flowering begonia has blooms that are 20 percent larger than others in its class, is genetically compact and performs well in the landscape.

PanAmerican Seed distributed temporary tattoos in honor of its new Tattoo Vinca, a standout introduction for Ball Horticultural featuring unusual, striking color patterns on the petals. The new variety, which is available in Black Cherry, Raspberry and Papaya, will grow to 10 to 14 inches with a spread of 6 to 8 inches.

Senetti ‘Magic Salmon’ from Suntory Flowers was another new introduction recognized for its multiple colors, as it is characterized by its bold blue-and-pink, tie-dyed hue.

SuperCal Premium French Vanilla is one of the new, richly colored additions to the SuperCal family of petunia-calibrachoas. They caught our eye, and the striking contrast of the veins and petals were captured by other attendees perusing the Sakata Seed America stop.

‘SunBelievable Brown Eyed Girl’ Helianthus from Thompson & Morgan is a compact (growing to about 24 inches tall), sterile sunflower that will produce 1,000 flowers per plant in one season, according to the company.

Plug Connection showcased Altman Plants’ True Bloom Roses, a collection of six “hybrid tea shrub” roses that took 10 years of breeding work to develop. With a 25-petal requirement, they have the look of a tea rose but the disease resistance of a shrub. They each have their own unique quality, whether it be a powerful fragrance or 45-petal blooms.

Superbells Doublette ‘Love Swept’ calibrachoa from Proven Winners is one of two new colors of double flower calibrachoas, which Proven Winners first introduced in 2017. The plants are early to flower and have the same disease resistance as the rest of the Superbells family.

Poinsettias are not a common plant seen at the California Spring Trials, so we’re glad the team from Dümmen Orange pointed out the new Holly poinsettia, a 2020 introduction that requires no pinch to get its mini bracts. It works well in combinations and in 4- and 6-inch pots.