A second chance for limonium hybrids

Many limonium hybrid varieties have a natural tendency to give off an ugly smell when high temperatures hit them. Therefore, the demand for this variety decreased in the 1990s and never really picked up again. Until now as a second chance is given to this variety. After 10 years of breeding, selecting and testing, Ball SB was able to put an odorless limonium on the market, named Skylight. It was introduced last year and from now on, vegetative material will be available for growers.

Lourdes Reyes at the IFTF in Vijfhuizen presenting the Klara Skylight

"The limonium is a great flower for the growing bouquets market, as well as for the solid bunches. However, some old varieties like Misty withhold many florists from using it and consumers from buying it. So, it went out of the market and now we are happy to bring it back in full bloom," explains Lourdes Reyes of Ball SB.

"The flowers and calyx firmly located in the stems."

For breeder Ball SB, it was a great challenge to come up with a variety that lacks this typical limonium smell. After 10 years of breeding, selecting and testing, they introduced a hybrid limonium that was not only bred and selected for being odorless, but still has good cultivation and product habits. This new variety was bred in Israel and is named Skylight. "It is a very productive variety and has strong stems, high productivity, many flushes, and a great flower color. It is liked in the market because it gives great and abundance volume plus NO smell", says Lourdes.

"When you see a flower on films, magazines or on the runway of the fashion show week in Paris or Milan you know it is officially a flower in fashion!"

For more information
BallSB
Lourdes Reyes
lreyes@ballsb.com
www.ballsb.com