2023 CAST preview: Hem Genetics

Notable new varieties to be introduced at CAST 2023 by Hem Genetics:

Ageratum houstonianum Kona Blue is Hem’s most compact Ageratum, part of their “LowGrow” line of products that require no PGRs. More compact than the Aloha series, Kona is ideal for pack use and for 4” pot production. Good seed production and produces very uniform seedlings for plug trays.

Antirrhinum/Snapdragon DoubleShot Series of Tall Snaps (18-20”) with double, open-faced flowers on heavily branched plants. DoubleShot was bred to produce strong stems even under short-day production, ideal for late-season gallon pots in the Deep South. Frost and freeze tolerance make them excellent season extenders. Five colors: Appleblossom, Crimson Red, Orange Bicolor, Peach and Yellow.

Antirrhinum/Snapdragon DoubleShot Orange Bicolor is a 2023 AAS National Winner for both Garden Performance and for Container use. Heavily branched plants with strong stems hold the deep orange flowers with white throats perfectly, ideal for height in flower beds and in mixed containers. Flowers also hold up well when cut for indoors.

Celosia plumosa Arrabona Series has added three new colors to the former stand-alone Arrabona Red. For 2023, Hem added Bronze Leaf Red, plus Orange and Yellow, both with green foliage. Uniform among the colors, in cooler, drier climates they get to 14-16” tall, and in warm, humid climates they achieve a height of 18-20”. Ideal dramatic landscape items that hold up to heat and humidity very well. 

Salvia splendens Red Hill is a tall, red-flowered Salvia splendens that has a heavily branched habit and produces its red flosser spices heavily all season long, reaching a height of 20-24”.  Ideal for tall accents in the garden, Salvia is one of the best hummingbird and pollinator attractants you can plant in your garden. Red Hill also performs beautifully in large mixed patio containers.

Lavandula angustifolia Lovely Sky Blue is a great new lavender from seed that blooms reliably the first year with no vernalization! This variety forms a strongly branched plant with beautiful light lavender-blue flowers, with the beloved lavender fragrance which is so attractive to pollinators. Winter hardy USDA zones 5 to 9. 12-16” tall.

Leucanthemum x superbum Arctic Snow is a first-year flowering daisy ideal for production in quart and gallon pots. It is also early-flowering, producing masses of white single traditional daisies all season long. Arctic Snow grows to a height of 14-16”, and is hardy in USDA Zones 5 thru 8.

Rumex flexuosus Twister Copper Red is an unusual dock/sorrel with narrow copper colored leaves and wiry, contorted flower stems and a mounding, spreading habit which creates a unique item to add color and texture to both your landscape and mixed containers, plus tart lemony foliage for your salads! Twister is hardy in USDA zones 6b to 10a.

Ruta chalepensis Barry is a less common species called Fringed Rue and has wonderful leaf shape and foliage color to add both that silver blue accent to your gardens or patio containers.  Ruta Barry is winter hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9 and grows to a height of 16”. The second year they will produce yellow cup-shaped blooms in spring.

Stop location: Green Fuse Botanicals, 8220 Stockton Road, Somis, CA 93066

Dates: Wednesday, March 29 - Sunday, April 2 | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.