Appealing to the senses at the 2018 Spring Trials

Sense of fun

Editor’s note: This is a second in a series of two articles featuring highlights from the Spring Trials. Read the first article in our June issue here: bit.ly/2Nm44IW Whether it was through an entertaining display, showy planters or a whimsical theme, breeders kept it light and fun.

These floating planters caught our eye at the entrance of Sakata Seed America’s greenhouse. Adorned with festive umbrellas and floating in a metal trough, this display could easily be recreated at retail.

Coral Creations, a new succulents program with breeding by Chris Hansen, is made up of 32 compatible varieties that finish in six to eight weeks and selected for color and growth rate. Shortly after Spring Trials, Proven Winners announced the delay of the launch so the company can “build up enough clean stock to meet the anticipated demand,” according to a press release.

As usual, Ball Horticultural had many fun displays for their brands and product categories. Kristopher Carlsson walked us through the police station and firehouse-themed areas set up for Ball FloraPlant’s new Cadet Upright and Firehouse medium basket verbena series. Together with Endurascape, these verbena fulfill the different needs of growers and consumers.

The folks at Terra Nova Nurseries brought out their inner children with a playground and picnic-themed display at the Windmill Nursery stop.

At the GroLink stop, Florist showed off its pollinator-friendly Garvineas and promoted the use of an insect hotel to further support pollinator populations. More highlights can be found in this video: bit.ly/2Jes6lZ.

While some may consider cyclamen to be a one-plant show, Morel demonstrated how it could be easily incorporated into fairy gardens and combo planters, even pairing it with herbs.

Benary, a German company, reflected its love of football (or soccer for us Americans) in its displays, including with these soccer ball planters.

Quality Cuttings played into Pacific Plug & Liner’s overall rock concert theme with its own instrument-inspired succulent displays.

Sense of smell

Fragrance was a top priority for breeders interested in bringing scent back into plants.

Danziger had a large display of its new Mixis combos, including the fragrant Heaven Scent (pictured), featuring three varieties of Lobularia: Lavender Stream, Raspberry Stream and White Stream. Heaven Scent is one of several combinations that were selected by voting attendees during the 2017 California Spring Trials — the favorite combinations officially became a part of the lineup.

Beekenkamp showcased a series of trailing begonias with perfumed flowers from breeder Thompson & Morgan called Fragrant Falls (pictured) with scents that match their hues, including Lemon, Orange and Peach. Though they aren’t new, the company wanted to draw extra attention to their lovely fragrance.

A new introduction in 2017, Sakata expanded its Mime stock series from five to seven fragrant plants with two new colors — blue and white. Mime can be part of early-season promotions and feature dark green foliage and a mix of brightly colored single and double flowers, at 45 percent and 55 percent, respectively. Watch our interview with Brad Smith, retail category leader for Sakata, for more details: bit.ly/2spQIBu

Cohen Propagation Nurseries new Honey Nemesia line consists of 19 varieties from new genetics that boast an attractive color range, are less sensitive and have great habits. Asaf Cohen (pictured), who leads production and marketing efforts for the company, told us that Bicolor Pink has the most ideal habit, Orange Flame’s (inset photo) coloring is second-to-none, and White is the most fragrant.