After weeks of rain, cold temperatures and cloudy days, the California Spring Trials seem to have brought sunshine to the state. The event took off last Saturday, March 23, and until Wednesday March 27, breeders, growers and suppliers are showcasing their new and existing products at various locations throughout California.
Too early?
A big difference compared to last year is the timing of the event. Is this visible at the event itself? Not directly. A few companies decided not to attend as it was not possible to let their plants flower in time for the event, but the invisible effect is “effort”. For the ones showing flowering plants, it was quite a challenge and it took a lot of effort to let their plants shine on time, particularly with the rainy, cold and cloudy weather which delayed many crops. Some breeders even had to get some of their varieties from growers out of other states, Florida for example.
5 days
Another difference this year is that the event is shorter, only 5 days instead of 6 like last year. Is it too short to visit all locations? According to many participants it is not. “In the past, the Pack Trials, as it was called, was a 2 week-event. But over the years it changed, partly because the faraway locations are not participating anymore and partly as everything needs to go fast these days”, one of the participants says.
Visitors
Individually, with colleagues, clients or in large organized groups. In different settings growers, brokers, retailers, plant buyers (and more) travel to California to visit the trials. It leads to a good flow of visitors with peaks during the day. However, every company has to deal with busy and slow days, depending on the location. Many visitors work their way south or north, so the companies exhibiting at these ends have had a busy weekend and expect busy final day(s). In turn, the days in between have been very busy for the ones located in the middle of the route.
FloralDaily.com
The FloralDaily team is also at the event and will make a full photo report of the show. This report will be published Monday, April 1, but below already some first shots from the southern sites.
Team of Evanthia at the Grolink site. One of their novelties that they are presenting is Sunsation Yellow Multiflower.
A glimpse of the Grolink site in Oxnard
Ruud Brinkkemper and Lisa Lacy of PanAmerican Seed presenting the new Impatiens downy mildew resistent Impatiens series Beacon at the Ball Horticultural site. On the picture, they are comparing it with Super Effin XP.
Entrance to the Ball Horticultural site in Santa Paula
Steve Jones of Greenfuse Botanicals presenting Rudbeckia Rising Sun Chestnut Gold