Spring Trials Day 4: Brains, bidens and berries

Day 4 of the California Spring Trials found us in Salinas, home to American Takii, who also hosted HMA Plants, HilverdaKooij BV and OHP.

American Takii added another All-America Selections accolade to their line-up — this time a regional award for the new addition to the Salvia Summer Jewel series, Lavender. We saw some great container and landscape combinations, including several that featured Armor celosia as a thriller, a refreshing twist to traditional mixes. While Armor isn't a new line, it got zombie-fied. Watch the "A brainy rebranding" video to find out more.

OHP's Carlos Bográn emphasized the versatility of Triathlon BA for use in both ornamental and edible crops (see "Ornamental and edible approved").

We were surrounded by a succulent garden paradise at the HMA Plants area and were able to learn more about the state of succulent growing and trends. Succulents are in high demand and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon (See above photo).

Golden State Bulb Growers introduced four new calla lilies, including Peppermint Twist, a variety that was experimental in 2015. It features blooms that start out light pink and age to a salmon color, complemented with white-speckled foliage. Watch "Four callas and a eucomis" to learn about this variety and others, including a eucomis that will make its official entrance at Cultivate'16.

At the Speedling stop, we honed in on some delicious (or at least they sounded delicious) varieties at ABZ Seeds and Thompson & Morgan. The newest upright strawberry from ABZ Seeds, Delizz, was developed with retailers and consumers in mind, and will offer coordinating merchandising materials to stand out on the shelf. Some of Thompson & Morgan's displayed varieties also had appetizing names such as PlantHaven's Cupcake Strawberry and Cupcake Banana Cream — two bidens varieties — and cosmos Lemonade.

Stay tuned for coverage from Syngenta, Benary and Pacific Plug & Liner tomorrow.

• A brainy rebranding
• Ornamental and edible approved
• Bidens and bonds
• A succulent debut
• Four callas and an eucomis
• Retail-ready strawberries