PDSI releases new varieties at Cultivate

Plant Development Services Inc. (PDSI) is debuting a new lineup of on-trend perennials full of color breakthroughs and award-winning blooms at Cultivate'23.

In addition to showcasing its new varieties, PDSI is also participating in three sessions on marketing strategies and future industry trends:

• “Translating Trends: Turning Trends from Concept into Social Media Content” spotlights timely and relevant social content that galvanizes consumers (4-5 p.m. Sunday, July 16 in Union Station Ballroom C).
• “Purpose Powered Marketing” channels brand identity and company culture into marketing that moves and inspires (3:30-4:30 p.m. Monday, July 17 in Room A110).
• YouTube creator and PDSI expert Jim Putnam hosts “Plant It and Forget It: These Plants Are Selected to Survive," highlighting the top plants garden centers can carry to ensure gardener success (9:30-10 a.m. Tuesday, July 18 on the Cultivate Live! Stage).

For schedule and registration information, visit CultivateEvent.org.

“Our priority is to bring innovation to the time-honored plant traits consumers love and support our grower and retailer partners with game-changing marketing and merchandising support,” PDSI Business Development Director Kip McConnell said in a statement. “We’re particularly excited to unveil these new releases at Cultivate, which were selected for their resilience and dynamic coloration.”

In addition to recent releases from Encore® Azalea, Butterfly Candy™ Buddleia, and the new BetterBoxwood® collection, PDSI is showcasing the following new trade releases from Southern Living® Plant Collection and Sunset Plant Collection®:

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Agapanthus Blackjack™ – Named RHS 2023 Plant of the Year, Blackjack offers superior performance and exceptional blooms in a color breakthrough: near-black purple flower clusters soaring atop tall stems. This resilient agapanthus variety combines a compact growth habit with abundant blooms, offering an extended flowering season surpassing conventional varieties. Ideal for Zones 8-11. Size at maturity is 14-20 inches high by 14-16 inches wide.

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Colocasia Redemption™ – A dramatic new colocasia color, Redemption’s leaves are jet-black with a hot pink center and pink veining that intensifies in the heat. Polished with a shiny, rippled finish to its leaves, Redemption makes an exceptional addition to containers, poolside plantings and accent plantings. Ideal for Zones 7-11. Size at maturity is 3.3 feet tall by 3-4 feet wide.

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Aspidistra Tokyo Skies

Aspidistra Tokyo Skies – An attractive evergreen groundcover that showcases broad leaves with unique variegation, this water-wise cast iron plant has vibrant dark green foliage accented with irregular cream and white. Tokyo Skies meets a growing consumer demand for visually dynamic shade plantings, thriving in partial to full shade conditions in Zones 8-10. Size at maturity is 2-3 feet high by 1-2 feet wide.

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Begonia Lunar Lights™ ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ – As black-hued plants soar in popularity, this sumptuous dark-leafed begonia delights with generous clusters of shiny foliage that cascade outward over time. Perennial in Zones 7-9, delicate sprays of bright red blooms decorate the variety from May until the first frost. Size at maturity is 24-30 inches tall and wide.

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Begonia Lunar Lights™ ‘Harvest Moon’ – True to its name, this variety of begonia thrills in the fall with rust-green leaves that glow with orange-red undersides. Its bright pink flowers glow in a gorgeous gradient from fuchsia to pale pink. ‘Harvest Moon’ thrives in shade to part shade settings. Ideal for Zones 7-9. Size at maturity is 24-30 inches tall and wide.

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Yucca Mellow Yellow – Sword-shaped arching leaves lend a unique architectural quality to this high-performing water-wise variety. Offering an attractive upright growth habit that develops with age, this yucca exhibits superior heat, drought and humidity tolerance in full sun conditions. Ideal for Zones 6-10. Size at maturity is 4-5 feet tall by 3 feet wide.

These varieties will be available to consumers through Southern Living® Plant Collection and Sunset Plant Collection® at select garden centers and retailers nationwide beginning in spring 2024.