2022 CAST preview: Hem Genetics

Notable new varieties to be introduced at CAST 2022 by Hem Genetics:

• Stop location: 8220 Stockton Road, Somis, CA 93066
• Dates: March 30 - April 3 | 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Lavandula angustifolia Lovely Sky is a first-year flowering perennial. It is well suited for herb, courtyard and patio gardens, providing fragrance both in the garden or indoor, when dried after harvesting. Plants are highly attractive for bees and other pollinators. Plant height is 12 to 16 inches tall and are ideal for 4 to 5-inch pots.

For a number of years now, Hem Genetics has produced the Ageratum series F1 Aloha, with blue and a white color, which is a variety intended for production in 4-inch pots or larger. This year, the company is introducing a smaller version of Aloha called “Kona.” Available this year only in blue, Hem Genetics hopes to have a white companion for it soon.

A unique new ‘designer’ color, Yellow Lime, is now available in the company’s lineup of Petunia multiflora Mambo GP series as well as its Limbo GP grandiflora petunias. The flower color is a light yellow with a prominent lime green overtone ideal to bring a sunny color to the landscape or to use in designer mixes with other colors. Mambo, being genetically dwarf, requires no PGRs in production. Plants stay compact in the garden and cover themselves with prolific flowers. A new must-have color for your assortment! This series is also one of the very best for fast recovery of flowers after heavy rains.

The new Dianthus interspecific F1 Chiba Auricula Mixture takes some of the most eye-catching patterns and color combinations to create this unusual and highly attractive mix. This hybrid dianthus, which is a cross between chinensis and barbatus, benefits from some very intricate color patterns in their flowers from the barbatus parent. One of the advantages of interspecific crosses is that these offspring of the cross bear no seed, so plant efforts go into rapid repeat of flowering. This allows them to create beautiful displays all season long.

This beautiful new Petunia Fi Mambo/Limbo GP Designer Pastel Mixture utilizes colors from both of Hem Genetics’ genetically dwarf petunia series for maximum impact and performance in garden containers, hanging baskets or ground beds. Because they are genetically dwarf, they look great all summer long, and don’t get leggy so they don’t require pruning and cleaning like most petunias. Try this mix; it will be a customer favorite.

Dancing around the color palette of Pantone Very Peri Color of the Year is the Petunia F1 Mambo/Limbo GP Designer Blue Fashion Mixture. This cooling mix of varieties features shades of blue and lavender in solid and veined forms. Blue Petunias tend to get very leggy, but this is the color range where the company’s genetic dwarfness really shines through, requiring little to no maintenance to keep them looking beautiful in landscape or containers.