Windmill entrance to Spring Trials.
Windmill Nurseries' container field.
Nathan Lamkey, Larry Finley and Joy Lawrence of Terra Nova Nurseries. Lamkey is holding the Heuchera Forever Red. Finley holding the Lewisia and Lawrence the Scarlet Ibis.
Clockwise: The Tanacetum was usually thought of as a weed, but Terra Nova bred it down to a good garden plant; Tanacetum Radiant Deep Pink. It flowers in May-June, has a compact habit (only knee high), doesn't fall open and is hardy to zone 3. Coleus Scarlet Ibis is a naturally branched plant that requires no pinching. The small fingered leaves are dark red with green to gold edges. The foliage height is 13 inch and spread is 12 inch. It is hardy to zone 10-11. The Heucherella Onyx has glossy black foliage. According Lamkey it is the only true black Heucherella in the market. Besides that it is also rust resistant. The foliage height is 10 inch, spread is 16 inch and the flower height is 15 inch. It is hardy to zones 4-9. Begonia Nautilus Supreme is a vigorous plant that is cold tolerant (hardy to zones 9-11) and is produced mainly for its foliage. The plants in this collection do not have Rex in them. Foliage height is 14 inch and spread is 23 inch.
Jim Berry of J. Berry holding the Hibiscus Hollywood Gossip Queen. It is part of the Hollywood collection. This award-winning Hollywood Hibiscus line is characterized by the vibrant color, long-lasting, multi-day blooms, bud count, good disease resistance, and compact growth habit, which makes them good for containers. Together with the Leading Lady and Gold Digger, the Gossip Queen was on display at the California Spring Trials.
Clockwise: Gold Digger, Leading Lady. Black Diamond Crapemyrtle was showcased as a container garden component. Emerald Empire® Crapemyrtles is a new collection of premium, green leafed Crapemyrtles with good disease resistance, flower power, and fall foliage.
Steve Rinehart of Kientzler holding the Begonia Belleconia Hot Orange. This double flowered begonia is a boliviensis type. According to Rinehart, it will handle the summer heat a bit better than other begonias.
Clockwise: Dianthus Painter Romantic France is bred by the team of Georges Delbard in France. It has large blooms (4 inch in diameter) and is hardy to USDA zone 9. The Calibrachoa Unique of Kientzler is made up from three calibrachoa varieties; Mango Punch, Golden Yellow and Dark Red. Petunia Blue Picotee is bred by UK breeder David Kerley. Bidens Fire Wheel is a new variety bred by Kientzler.
Marc Englert of KiwiFlora holding the Meerlo. This new lavender is a good example of being a decorative plant even when not flowering. It is a good variety of lavender for humidity, heat and drought tolerance. When it blooms, it has light blue flowers. Each long, serrated leaf features a grey-tinted, green center with creamy-yellow margins. Meerlo Lavender is an evergreen shrub that will grow up to 36 inches high with a 30 inch spread. It has an upright nature and compact habit. It’s adaptive to a variety of soils and deer tend to leave it alone.
Looking for more? Click here for the extensive Photo Report of the California Spring Trials!