With their varieties, breeders try to meet the needs of all the links in the chain and again, convenience seem to be the keyword.
Some locations, clockwise: Proven Winners, Ball Horticultural Company, Syngenta, Volmary at the Ernst Benary of America location.
Firstly, for the grower, a variety needs to be fast-growing and easy to cultivate. For example, many breeders introduced or now have varieties that do not require plant growth regulators (PGRs).
Anna Chernyavsky of Danziger holding the Capella purple Veins. On this dome shaped plant, no PGRs are used.
Secondly, it's important for a variety to be 'foolproof' in order to retain its quality during transport and stay pretty in the shelves at the retailer or garden center. At the show, some breeders introduced varieties of which the flowers do not fall off when being handled harshly and varieties of which the flowers do not fade.
Chris Berg of Westhoff with the new Begonia RiseUp Series. The flowers on these begonias are not that heavy, so they do not break off during transport.
Last but not least, it needs to be a low-maintenance product which should enable the end consumer to enjoy the product as long as possible. The US consumer likes a plant with many and in particular large flowers. However, when the product is not flowering, it needs to be beautiful too. So, apart from extending the flowering period of the plant, a lot of attention is paid to the appearance of the plant itself when it is not flowering. For some varieties, the beauty of the leaves take over the importance of the flower.
Marc Englert of KiwiFlora holding the Meerlo. This new lavender is a good example of being a decorative plant even when not flowering.
FloralDaily was also present at the event to make a photo report, which will be published on Monday April 10.
At the Grolink Location they ended the Trials with a nice barbecue dinner.
In 2018, the California Spring Trials will be held from April 14-19.