Didier Beydts and Rene De Hoed at the Cultivate in Columbis (OH), USA. In the front of the photo, the Vega Red.
During the Cultivate'16 in Colombus Ohio, Gediflora widely presented this new variety and it caught the eye of many visitors. "Red chrysanthemums are very popular in the US", says De Hoed. "However, usually, the red chrysanthemums do not retain their color. They go from red to bronze and sometimes to even worse". For this reason, they started to focus on breeding a chrysanthemum that retains its red color throughout its flowering period.
At their trial station in California, they test different ball shaped chrysanthemum varieties and last year this red chrysanthemum stood out. "It is a good addition to our US assortment", says De Hoed. It flowers in early September and has medium vigor, a round habit and large burgundy flowers. "And even larger flowers when cultivated in a greenhouse", he adds.
Currently, the Vega Red is being grown at several growers in the US and De Hoed expect the first outdoor chrysanthemums on the market early September 2016.
For more information
Gediflora
Rene De Hoed
Email: rene@gediflora.be
www.gediflora.be