California Spring Trials 2018

GroLink Plant Company in Oxnard. At this locations, Anthura, Prudac, Berger, Florist, Kapiteyn, iHort, MPS, Plant Haven, Royal Van Zanten, Shoneveld Breeding, Suntory Flowers, Evanthia and ABZ Seeds were showcasing their varieties and products.

At the Grolink property, the way towards the CAST spot.

There we are, at the CAST location at Grolink.

Judy Born and Felici Van der Velde of Florist Breeding and propagation. Born is holding the new Garvenia Sweet Sunset and Van der Velde Sweet Fiesta. These are the first two re bi-colors in their Garvenia series. They are suitable for pollinator gardens as they attract bees and butterflies.

A wood mix of Berger, called BM4, that has fiber in it instead of perlite. It is not a new introduction, but the interest for the product starts to pick up.

Eric Juckers and Adri Gillissen of ABZ Seeds presenting Summer Breeze Pink and Summer Breeze Rose. They are two brand-new double flowering strawberry varieties. Summer Breeze has a lot of flowers and each flower produces a strawberry. They've already showed it at the IPM Essen and are now introducing it to the North American market. They have trialed it in the US and Proven Winners will start producing it on a large scale for next Spring retail sales.

Leo Lievaart, Nico Grootendorst and Luit Mazereeuw of Evanthia presenting the Eucalyptus pulverulenta, Cyperus Zumula and Helianthus Sunsation. There are several eucalyptus pulverulenta on the market, but the procedure from seed to plant is different with Evanthias variety. There is also a lot of interest for the Cyperus Zumula, which is already a well known product in Europe. It is a green indoor plant that is healthy for pets. And of course sunsation. This variety, which is already on the US market is known for its fast cultivation (around 10 weeks).

The sunsation varieties of Evanthia. The yellow variety, on the right is already on the US market, but the Lemon variety on the left is not. Goldenyellow is the main color in the US, around 90-95 percent of the sunflowers on the US market are golden yellow, but interestingly, Grootendorst also sees a lot of attention for the Lemon variety.

Arthij van der Veer of MPS at the Grolink location. They are growing on the North American market and according to van der Veer, growers are becoming more interested in sustainability.

Delilah Onofrey of Suntory with the Senetti Magic Salmon. This variety was already available in Europe, but now is in the US as well. It is a bi-colored (Violet to salmon-pink) senetti that is blooming 10 days earlier.

Masashi Matsumura, T. Higgings and Sam McCoy of Suntory presenting their roses at the CAST for the first time. They already showed them at other shows, where they were awarded; at MANTS, it won the garden center award and at TPIE the best new flowering plant. It is a very disease resistant rose with a strong fragrance. “It looks like a rose and smells like a rose.” Currently, there are 7 colors and they are trialing new colors.

Peter Kok of Heritage Greenhouse Products. According to Kok, they have created a good programme for Callas for different potsizes.

Wim Kleine and Lennaert Kapiteijn of Kapiteyn Flower Bulbs presenting Captain Cheerio, a new pink variety that has a cultivation time of 8-10 weeks. Just like all other Captain Calla's, this variety is available yearround, colors fast, has a long shelf life and has a lot of flower.

At the booth of Kapiteyn, they were showing the calla's in different themes. This also underlines the fact that they are available yearround.

Also combination pots are doing very well in the US.

Anthura was also present at the Grolink location.

Tarek Alysuf of PlantHaven International holding their new Salvia Fuchsia that is added to the Vibe Collection. Yhe collection now consists of Purple, White and Fuchsia. The flexible stems make it a great variety for shipping and the nectar rich blooms are great for beneficial pollinating insects.

Scott Keg showcasing the capillar water mat for growers and retailers at the Grolink location. The mat does not only reduces water use up to 70 percent, it also reduces labor and plant loss.

Ard Ammerlaan and his son Ties Ammerlaan presenting the Pillar Pepper. It has many fruits, little foliage and the fruits stay on the plant for about 2 months.

At Prudac they tap into the mix trend and made a combination of their cauliflower, pepper and tomato plant. And it caught they eye of many visitors.

Dave Pruitt of ihort presenting all kinds of plugs at the Grolink location.

Domenik Neisser of Vivero Iinternacional talking with visitors.

Judy Born of Florist talking with visitors.

Bert Koeze and Nico Laan of Royal Van Zanten presenting their new purple celosia. It has a larger flower and remains its color in warm climates. On top of that, it also requires less water.

Ton Koers of Schoneveld breeding presenting the Sprinkles; on the right the regular size and on the left the dwarf variety. This dwarf variety does not require any PGR's.

On to the next location, GreenFuse in Santa Paula. At this location aslo Floranova presents its varieties.

The entrances, Greenfuse to the left and Floranova to the right.

Steve Jones of Greenfuse showing a group of visitors Greenfuse's varieties.

Ralph Cockburn of Floranova presenting Reach Out, a new series of F1 Ivy Leaf Geranium consisting of 6 colors. It has a rounded and compact habit with shorter internodes.

The colorful varieties of Floranova displayed on colorful displays. In front, their new ornamental vegetable line.

Doug Lauberstein and Noel Yan of N.O. Plastics presenting their new 2 quart, 5.5” growing system. The 5.5” square pot has detailed bi-level drain holes combined with specialty feet integrate to maximise drainage. The 8 count tray has dual-cell features designed to increase airflow and prevent disease. The tray is engineered to hold up 35 lbs and has automation grooves constructed on the bottom of the tray sit multi-tray handling.

Jim Devereux of Greenfuse talking with visitors.

Steve Jones of Greenfuse presenting the new Milk Cherry Dianthus. A new introduction to the Constant Cadence family of hardy dianthus has caught most every retailers eye. The unique blossom coloring gives an instant mix to mono-cropping as the flower opens white and hardens to red. It’s day length neutrality enables easy scheduling as a pot crop in winter months and as a garden performer for the spring and summer.

Jennifer Weisbecker of Koba was also presenting some of their pot's, trays and tags at the Greenfuse location. New is the Grab and tag handle This new tag handle holds 34 pounds.

Ball Horticultural Company was presenting the varieties of their breeders at their location in Santa Paula. The varieties from the following breeders were on display: Ball FloraPlant, Ball Ingenuity, Burpee Home Gardens, Darwin Perennials, Kieft Seed, PanAmerican Seed, Morel Diffusion, Selecta, Star Roses & Plants, and Wave.

Eric Pitzen holding the new Cadet Upright of allFloraPlant. It is a new upright verbena and features the same heat performance as EnduraScape (a variety of BallFlorPlant that is on the market already)in a compact patio pot habit.

Tim Duffin of Burpee holding the new Sweet Pepper confetti. This pepper, and all other varieties have a new packaging and tags. Instead of the variety name first, they say what it is first. This to make it more attractive for the consumer.

Florence Vaux of Morel Diffusion, a part of Ball Ingenuity, holding the new Smartiz Fantasia red. This year, they are looking ahead for Christmas. According to Vaux, this new red small cyclamen variety will fit the demands well of the Millennials that are living in a small apartment.

Joan Mazat of Ball holding the Canary wings Begonia. The closest thing in the industry would be the Dragon Wing, but the Canary Wings prefers at least 65 percent shade.

Visitors enjoying the varieties of Ball Ingenuity.

Kelsey Fletcher of Ball Ingenuity holding the Morgana garden mums of Royal Van Zanten. These new Mums are suitable for cultivation outdoor and indoor (with and without blackout) and can be grown in any container size. The flexibility of the new Morgana Garden Mums series of Royal Van Zanten makes it a good variety to transport. The Morgana series will be available in the US through Ball.

Birdie Lenard Fountain of PanAmerican Seed presenting Tattoo Tangerine Vinca, a new series. Each petal looks like it is inked or airbrushed with soft brush strokes of black. And to fully implement the theme at the CAST, they were handing out tattoo stickers, see the wonderful tattoo on Birdie's arm!

Leah Haugh of Star Roses and Plants holding the Gardenia Jasminoldes. A low maintenance plant that has sugar fragrant flowers.

Leland Touring of DarwinPerennials holding Coreopsis Super Star. A coreopsis with large flowers (2,5-3 inches) and a rounded habit. He is standing in front of their Perennials For Fall display. With this display they inspire retailers and growers how to use perennials for the fall season.

Cor de Jong of KieftSeed presenting Lavendel Blue Spear. This variety is bred for its beauty. “It migh not be a variety that flowers the earliest in the season, but it is a very graceful product with the stems tight to each other.”

Gary Vollmer of Selecta One holding the MiniFamous Duo Pink Strike Calibrachoa. It is part of a simplified calibrachoa offering from Selecta One.

Katie Rotelli of Ball Horticultural at the wave booth. She was so kind to give us a guided tour at the Ball stop.

The Wave car with Elvis Presley attracted a lot of attention.

The coleus of BallFloraPlant attracted the attention of many. Here, they showed the suitability of the product in mixes, as well as in a living wall. New in the coleus is the Pinkplosion.

Inside and out, everywhere a sea of colors of the varieties from the breeders of Ball.

Cheni Filios of PanAmerican Seed telling visitors more about the Corona Dianthus, a new series that consists of four colors. The main thing about this series are the large flowers of the plant.

At Windmill Nursery in Buellton. At this location, Kientzler, Terra Nova Nurseries, 2Plant, J.Berry Nurseries, Skagit, Oasis, Pelemix and Dramm were showcasing their products.

The team of Terra Nova Nurseries. This year, they are presenting their 20 new varieties in a playful way. The display features a “Join us for a Picnic in the Park” theme, which includes custom-built displays based on playground structures

Pieter van der Lans of 2Plant, a new CAST participant presenting one of their Asiatic lilies that is part of their Bloom Extension Program. In this program, they put two different lilies with a different flowering time in one pot to extend the blooming period of the plant in general.

James Fisk of Winterstroom Farm in South Africa and Tamara of J. Nerry Nursery presenting the new Cabana Canna “Lemon & Gin”, bred by Fisk. This variety stays below 40 cm, free flowering, virus indexed, and has sligh white edges on the leaf. It is a real international variety as it is bred in South Africa (by Fisk), tissue culture is grown in the newtherlands and the variety is grown in San Diego.

Jim Berry of J. Berry Nursery presenting the Gardena 'Sweetheart'. It is a fragrant variety that naturally grows like this, it may require one pruning.

Tim Reusch, Jared Babik, Les Evans, Kurt Becker of Dramm. Water is becoming a bigger issue, so their theme at the CAST is : Everything Water.

Steve Rinehart and Andreas Kientzler of Kientzler North America presenting two new varieties to the NGI Paradise line; Magenta Eye and Dark Lavender.

The Coleus combo. As combinations are trendy in the US, Kientzler taps into this trend with their coleus combo, these plants can grow well together in one container.

Marc Englert and Rebecca Graham of Pelemix, presenting the new MJ OT 65 (6,5 liter),MJ OT 65 (6,5 liter), MJ OT 40 (4 liter) and MJ OT 90 (9liter). It is an open top for legal cannabis industry. It is a pot and plastic in all in one and the grower just needs to add water.

Dümmen Orange was presenting its products at Edna Valley in San Luis Obispo.

Lindsay Pangborn presenting the new Iconia Portofino. It is a new begonia series with big flowers and a semi upright habit. The series consists of 7 colors under the brand name I'Conia. The flowers are placed on top on the flower and hold on very well during shipping. Pangborn is holding the orange colored variety, one of the varieties that caught the eye of the visitors due to the contrast of the flower and the leaves.

The I'Conia Portofino Sunrise, together with the orange and yellow, one of the colors that caught the most attention.

In the Garden Party, they now introduced four fixed combinations of four varieties. “We know that these varieties grow well together.”In the Garden Party, they offers suggestions only. So, when ordering this combination, the grower will receive a box with four trays with the varieties. They only have to put them together in a container.

Also the new Callas ramge are on display at Dümmen Orange.

An overview of the Dümmen Orange location (part of the location)

A creative display formed of the varieties of Dümmen Orange.

Perry Wismans of Dümmen Orange presenting the new rooting Technology; Basewell.

At Floricultura in Salinas, Beekenkamp, PAC-Elsner, Plug Connection, and Westhoff were showcasing their varieties.

Chris Berg (on the right) showing the Shine Bright Begonia of Westhoff to Andrew Lee of Gloeckner. This variety won the independent breeding trial in Germany, as well as at Mast Young Plants in Michigan and is, according to Berg, by far the best branched boliviensis begonia. Another characteristic of this variety is that the flower looks at you instead of downwards.

The Westhoff, Elsner-PAC, Beekenkamp and Plug connection are presenting their varieties in the orchid greenhouse of Floricultura.

Chris Berg with the Two-in-One interspecific geranium of Elsner PAC. Next to Westhoff, Berg also represents PAC. This Two-in-One was introduced about two years ago and is one of Berg's favourites. “It is one of the most heat tolerant interspecific geraniums, it flowers long, has a spreading habit and brilliant color. On the right, a new introduction of Elsner PAC; Pinkerbell. This geranium does not need any cooling and flowers all summer long. According to Berg, it is a big hit at the CAST.

The CAST location of Plug Connection, Beekenkamp, Westhoff and Elsner PAC.

Ping Lim of Altman Plants presenting his True Blooms collection at Plug Connection. It is a new rose breeding programm of Altman Plants. Lim is the breeder. The flowers are more a hybrid T type and the habit of the plant is more as that of a shrub. It is disease resistant and all roses are grown on their own rood (not grafted). The line currently consists of 6 colors and some of them are fragrant.

Jon-Paul Williams of Plug Connection presenting Hamelia Lime Sizzler. This heat loving tropical shrub is very suitable for the southern part of the US, but can also grow as a summer annual in the Northern climates.

Sirekit Mol of Beekenkamp presenting Dreams; their begonia concept that helps to position this diverse product with a clear message. The concept simplifies the assortment for the retailer and the consumer as it divides it into 4 categories; indoor, garden, waterfall and perfume.

Beekenkamp is going into petunias and introduced this series for the first time at CAST. The varieties in the series have a mounded habit and many flowers. Currently, the series consists of 10 varieties, but more will follow.

Entering the colorful greenhouse of Sakata.

Inside the exhibition greenhouse of Sakata.

Alicia Troy of Sakata presenting the new Senator IQ series. It is an improved series that consist of 6 colors. Among others, the varieties in the series have bigger flowers.

The new varieties of Sakata, on the left the four new colors in the SunPatiens series.

Visitors relaxing and discussing between the plants of Sakata.

Greg Gabrels of Sakata giving a tour to a group of visitors.

MasterTag and Summit Plastic Company were also represented at the Sakata location.

Visitors looking at the Celosias of SAKATA.

At American Takii in Salinas Next to American Takii, HilverdaKoiij was also presenting its products as well as OHP and Philips.

Visitors looking at the Lineria Fantasia series of Takii.

Mike Huggett of American Takii presenting South Pacific F1 Canna. South Pacific Scarlet was introduced 6 years ago as the first F1 AAS winning Canna from seed. Joining the series are, 2018 AAS winner Orange along with Rose and Ivory. The South Pacific series delivers quick and uniform germination, saving the grower overall production time. South Pacific perform in various conditions including hot, humid landscapes as well as shallow water gardens but will also perform great in mixed containers or as a standalone for the deck. The plants will branch naturally and produce large abundant flowers season long.

John Burns and Jason Grimmet of Philips presenting their different applications for greenhouse and vertical farming.

Dennis Kern of OHP introducing a new herbicide, positioned for the more sensitive plants like grasses and hydrangeas.

On the left the plant untreated with the OHP herbicide and on the right the plant treated with the herbicide.

Jeroen de Kuijer of HilverdaKooij explaining more about the varieties of HilverdaKooij.

Co Overduin of HilverdaKooij next to the pot alstroemerias.

The Salvia is a new variety that is still under code. At the CAST they are looking at the reactions and till now, they seem to be positive, and the colibri loves the variy as well. The Salvias in the picture are not treated with PGR's.

In the border (on the right) HilverdaKooij planted Hellebore, echinacea and garden alstroemeria. These varieties will remain in the border so that the visitors can see their performances year after year.

At Speedling in San Juan Bautista. At this location, HEM Genetics, Thompson & Morgan, Vista Farms, Plant Source International and Lambert were presenting their products.

Marco Laan of Hem Genetics and the Limbo Picotee series. New in the series are Violet and Blue and for the coming year, they will only be available to the US growers in a mix. Next year, the varieties will be introduced individually.

"Hem Technogies is a new service of HEM Genetics and Hem Zaden through which they are combining their latest and best methods of seed enhancement. The Pellets from Hem Technologies, for example, melt directly after contact with a drop of water and they have a yellow color for better optical recognition to allow for immediate spotting of sowing errors. "Our trials conclude that we have developed a pellet that shows extremely good germination results." This pelletting process is available for various species, including their petunia, dianthus ageratuma dn others like begonia."

Georgie Moody, Paul Masters and Perry Sheeran presenting Sunbelievable, a vegetative sunflower. In the UK, they had it flowering from June to Mid-November and it produced around 1,000 flowers, explains Masters.

Lambert was also displaying its products at the Speedling location.

Troy Lucht of Plant Source International, They grow other breeder's genetics and on the picture Verbena Estrella of Westhoff.

Another variety of Westhoff that Plant Source International is growing is the FloriGlori Diana. It is the 2018 AAS Ornamental Vegetative Winner and on this picture it is compared with Alysson. FlorGlori on the right and Alysson on the left.

Jerome O'Neil with Sunstone Red (introduced in 2017) and Sunstone White (introduced in 2018). Both varieties have spore of Juanita in it. It Is a compact variety, heaty bloomer and are very suitable for tropical climates as ground cover, in small containers and/or hanging baskets.

A combination of Yanis Delight, Topaz Gold and Juanita. All three varieties have the same plant structure and flowering habit and therefore work well in a combination.

At Headstart Nursery in Gilroy, Danziger and Varinova could be visited.

Hans Gerritsen of Headstart Nursery. This propagation nursery is a big player in the field of green plants.

A 130 person Ball group visiting the Headstart Nursery location.

Kate Zvara of Danziger presenting their new Erysium Sunstrong Bicolor Purple, a new bicolor that does not require cooling, it holds color till frost, it is first year flowering and you can grow it as an annual.

The Petunia Amore is still gaining popularity in the US and it is working well in mixes.

Zvara showing around a group of Gloeckner.

A group picture of Gloeckner at Headstart Nursery.

Bart Kuyer of Varinova presenting one of their bestsellers; Goblet Shine Wine Red.

Bart Kuyer of Varinova presenting it's cyclamen varieties to a group of visitors.

The greenhouses of Headstrat Nursery, business must go on.

In another greenhouse at Headstart Nursery, Danziger was showcasing more varieties.

The gardens at Syngenta decorated with their Syngeta varieties.

Matt Brandson of Syngenta showing the Alesco of Chrrysal and the benefits of using Alesco on a loberia.

On the left treated with Alesco of Chrysal on the right not treated with Alesco.

Brandon Willis of Syngenta presenting Tophat, an interspecifiv begonia. The series excists of a scarlet, pink and white variety and according to Willis, the size of the flower is making the white variety unique. “We are the only breeder with this large white flowers on the market. Besides that, it is early finishing and the arms do not stick out.”

They took over Dutch company Derwer Dahlia BV. On the picture Brandon Willis.

Videos being shot about the new Moxie series of Syngenta. This Interspecific compact geranium series consists of 6 colors. According to Willis, it is a perfect crop for growers that do large box production so that can shift from zonal geranium to this one. Syngenta sees a great future for the interspecific geraniums and is therefore fully focusing on these geraniums.

The Cabrio Calibrachoa series of Syngenta. This series consists of 6 colors and according to Willis, the Eclipse Lilac is the most special color in the series. “It stands out as other colors are more core colors.“

At the Syngenta Location, Monrovia also presented their varieties.

The Proven Winners' location at Kirigin Cellars Winery in Watsonville. It is the third year that they are showcasing their products at this location.

John Gaydos of Proven Winners presenting their new Vegetable Programme, something they never had before. On the picture, he is presenting the tomato plants.

Gaydos showing visitors their new Rockin Fuchsia Salvia. Unique about this new salvia is the color. “We never have seen a pink variety.” On top of that, it has shorter internodes and darker foliage.

Proven Winners is also going intro succulents. The Coral Creations attracted the attention of many visitors.

At Suncrest Nursery, a new location this year. At this location, Cohen, Hishtil, Jaldety, Nir Nursery and Kamel are presenting their varieties and products.

Taufik Dawahri and Suheil Kamel Dawahry of Kamel presenting their pots and containers. On the right their Kamelia vertical garden container.

Asaf Nir of Nir Nursery holding their new variety Rey.

Also at Jaldety, there were a lot of varieties on display. One of their new varieties that attracted a lot of attention is the Senecio Silver Velvet. This variety is doing very well in a humid and warm climate.

Haim Rosenblum of Hishtil presenting Gaura Summer Star Baby, a natural dwarfish Gaura with large and crowded dark pink flowers, applicable for containers planting or out in the open. Does not require any PGR's.

Asaf Cohen of Cohen presenting the new Nemesia Honey line. They have this line for a couple of years, but replaced it with 13 new varieties of breeder Breier. This series is more compact, has many (bi-)colors and have clean foliage, often a problem with Nemosia.

Susan Loui of Global Plant Source. She organized this location for the five companies.

At Pacific Plug & Liner, Bailey Nurseries, Quality Cuttings Team, Encore, Southern Living Plant Collection and Sunset Western Garden were presenting their products.

Any LeBard and Natalia Hamill of Bailey Nurseries presenting their new hydrangea Summer Crush. It is the newest and fifth introduction in the Endless Summer collection. This hydrangea has raspberry red mopheads and is more compact (w:18xh:36).

Jacqueline Azbill and Carolyn Forro of Quality Cuttings Team, a new company (employed owned) out of HMA Plants.

Janet Sluis of of Plant Development Services, presenting Meerlo lavender. A variety that was introduced last year and from this year onwards, it will be available to every grower.

Azbill of showing the varieties of Quality Cuttings to a group of visitors.

Encore Azalea, Southern Living Plant Collection and Sunset Western Garden Collection al; presented at Pacific Plug & Liner.

Jen Miner of Pacific Plug & Liner presenting the lavendula Ghostly Princess. This silver foliaged plant was introduced last year and currently, they have enough plants available.

Mark Thomas of Klassmann-Deilmann America presenting Growcoon, made of 100 percent biodegradable glue. It is certified for composting and a grower can use loose substrate which enables the plants to roots faster and to give the roots more oxigen.

We ended our tour at Benary+ in Watsonville. This year is a special year for Benary as their company is celebrating its 175 anniversary.

Jen Calhoun of Benary with the popular bike. With this bike, the Benary story began after World War II. After the family had lost all of their company and personal belongings Friedrich Benary started to collect seeds through Europe riding its bike.

At the CAST location, they showed the history of Benary in a form of a highway. The meaning is two folded as not only symbolizes their journey, but also gives a sneak peek to what the employees will start doing in the coming weeks, giving back the seeds (on a bike) that the founder once borrowed to start up his business. Every milestone in history is linked to a plant variety at Benary.

Last year, Benary+ was established. This is a partnership between Benary and Volmary. Benary supplies the seeds and Volmary the cuttings through Benary+ directly to the grower.

"The end of the highway; "Bedding Plants 2019"

Melissa Main of Benary+ is holding the Fuchsia Fuchsita Candy and Leonita Red-Blue, varieties of Volmary, supplied in North America by Benary+.

In this greenhouse the varieties of Volmary that are, togehter with Benary, supplied to the US growers directly.

California Spring Trials 2018

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