The search is on

After a storied relationship that revolutionized the hydrangea market, Bailey Nurseries and Michael A. Dirr have paved a new path. Last month, Bailey Nurseries announced that it acquired Plant Introductions Inc. (PII), a breeding company founded in 2007 by Dirr, Jeff Beasley and Mark Griffith.

PII and Bailey Nurseries have partnered to release several selections, including many that are available through Bailey’s First Editions brand. But it all started with a serendipitous visit to a Bailey trial garden when Dirr was still a researcher at the University of Georgia.

“I was visiting Bailey Nurseries in 1998 when I saw ‘it,’” Dirr recalls. “It” was a remontant Hydrangea macrophylla that had survived Minnesota’s Zone 4 winter.

“I knew this could change the hydrangea market. I brought cuttings back to Georgia for more trialing,” he adds.

He was so confident that this selection was a winner, he scribbled the name “Endless Summer” on his yellow legal pad during the flight home.

This selection had already been in Bailey’s trials for several years. Dirr trialed it an additional four years, proving the plant’s ability to develop buds on new growth. A breeding program to incorporate these genes was established and the pair launched the Endless Summer brand in the spring of 2004. Endless Summer The Original was followed by other cultivars in the collection, including Blushing Bride, Twist-n-Shout and BloomStruck, the newest introduction.

When Dirr, Beasley and Griffith started PII, they partnered with several companies to release their genetics, including Bailey Nurseries. With the success of the Endless Summer brand, Bailey Nurseries saw a natural progression to create an umbrella brand to introduce and market a wider variety of trees, shrubs and other plants that either already existed as a BNI introduction or were genetics coming into the Bailey pipeline. The First Editions brand was officially launched in 2008. Since Bailey had an established relationship with PII from the collaboration on the Endless Summer brand, PII genetics were introduced under the First Editions Plants brand. Since then, there have been more than 10 new PII varieties released through First Editions.

“This new venture is a natural progression in our relationship with Dr. Dirr, Jeff Beasley and Mark Griffith,” says Bailey Nurseries’ President Terri McEnaney. “We have built such a collaborative rapport over the last 20 years, and we are incredibly excited to continue the groundbreaking work of PII here at Bailey Nurseries.”

Dirr, Beasley and Griffith will remain as consultants, collaborating on breeding strategies, helping with evaluations and setting up trials across the nation, McEnaney adds.

Trials are critical to the success of any new release and an important part of Bailey’s operations, according to McEnaney.

Dirr and his team will scout for good genetics and source other breeders, including backyard breeders, which are important to the industry, she explains.

“We’re looking forward to some great genetics in the pipeline,” she adds. “We have shared breeding goals, such as sterility, drought tolerance and cold tolerance, to name a few. They will help us fill holes in the market.”

The former PII team will continue to do what they love — breed and hunt for superior plants.

“This is and has been a true team effort,” Dirr says. “Bailey is full of good ideas and people. And they have a long-term vision.”

For more: www.baileynurseries.com