California Spring Trials day three recap

It was an overcast day on the coast when we woke up in Carpinteria, but the gloomy skies were no match for the riot of color we’d experience on the last day of our California Spring Trials. We headed south to see some of the biggest brands in the business.

Several brands were represented at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, starting with the breeder agency PlantHaven International. The company had several new plants aimed at solving problems for both growers and gardeners.

The perfect example of its solutions-oriented approach was the new Arabis sturii 'Arctic Fox'. Featuring variegated foliage that varies from silvery green to magenta and producing small white flowers, Arctic Fox “ticks a ton of boxes,” according to a PlantHaven representative. Those boxes? It’s a Zone 4, shade-loving, drought resistant, evergreen ground cover.

PlantHaven seeks to solve more problems with its Salvia Vibe 'Ignition Orange'. Featuring bright orange, trumpet-like, nectar-rich blooms that are particularly attractive to hummingbirds, this salvia is drought resistant and has a compact rounded habit. But it also features strong flexible stems that make it ideal for surviving shipping.

Another PlantHaven solution seeks to bring plants into the food aisle. The Colocasia Royal Hawaiian 'Hawaiian Luau' is a taro with edible tubers that starts as an impressive broad-leaf foliage plant. Its impressive, deep purple leaves, shot through with green veins, can be grown indoors as a houseplant, or as a patio plant. And once the season is done, the foliage is meant to be cut back and the tubers harvested to be used like potatoes. That’s why PlantHaven is making a push for Hawaiian Luau to be merchandised in the produce section of grocery stores.

After PlantHaven, we stepped on the Pacific Plug & Liner trail. The supplier’s theme for the week was “The Mountains are Calling” and featured a path from station to station, where flowers were paired with retro-style national parks posters. And there were, indeed, some standout sights along the trail.

New for this year, PP&L introduced “hikers” to the Pretty Polly Primula series. The doubled polyanthus in four colors stands out largely due to height and bloom size. The large, vibrant flowers are carried by robust stems well above the top of the soil, giving growers and retailers an opportunity to deliver a primula that doesn’t have to sit along a border to be seen and appreciated.

Finally, two grassy plants along the trail made us stop to admire the view. First was the beautiful Carex 'Moon Falls'. This variegated sedge includes a wild spill of long trailing leaves with silver edges and deep green cores. It’s the biggest of the Carex line of sedges and was developed to be a perfect plant for landscapers who want an interesting show-stopping grass that stands out in the landscape while standing up to winter conditions from Zones 5-9.

Also on display was the unmissable Electric Pink Cordyline. This cordyline offers long, thin, upright leaves that make it look more grass-like than anything else. But what’s most unique is the deep pink core color of the leaves that glows irresistibly electric around the edges, as if lit by an inner light. It’s a plant that would be a stunner in any landscape.

Off the trail, we moved into the land of Plant Development Services, Inc. (PDSI). Front and center for the first time in bloom at CAST was the Chelsea Flower Show award-winning Blackjack Agapanthus. Drought tolerant and sturdy, Blackjack was released from the Southern Living and Sunset Plant Collections. Its prime selling point is its big round purple blooms, great for a patio container or cut and brought into the home in an arrangement.

Another new introduction to both Sunset and Southern Living Plant Collections is the Nice & Easy Yucca. This is a yucca that loves families and production workers who must get up close and personal. The long, variegated leaves have a stable, creamy-hued outer edge, but more importantly, they lack the super sharp tips and edges that make yucca not-so-nice or easy. These are, in fact, pettable plants.

Ball Horticulturalserves up so much edible and floral wonder that it’s hard to get your arms around it all. We could have spent the whole day just at this one site taking everything in, but that’s not the way CAST works, so we had to hit the highlights, of which there were plenty.

Selecta was proud to introduce new colors to the Calibrachoa MiniFamous Evo line, including Double Magenta, Double White, Double Red and Double Yellow. As you may assume by the name, these calibrachoa feature tight double flowers in a compact habit that stays compact without pinching or PGRs. Plus, they’re early to flower, and flower they do, with the plants we saw easily filling pots with tons of blooms that stay on top of the foliage.

Like many brands we saw this year, Selecta was getting into the mix with its Dynamix combination inspiration program. Available now at selecta-one.com/en, Selecta is offering growers and retailers recipes that allow users to create combo pots with a bit of flexibility. Selecting plants that grow well together, the Dynamix program also showcases timely themes, like mixes that reflect college basketball team colors during the Final Four. It’s a nexus of inspiration to draw on now and into the future.

There was a great deal to see from Darwin Perennials, too. Of particular interest was a trio of perennials meant to make the most of the northern climes. Perfect for Zones 4a-8b, Darwin introduced Lilac Splash Garden Phlox, Saxifraga Marto Hot Rose and Armeria Dreameria Hypnotic Dreams, the last of which a Darwin representative called a “Dr. Seuss plant,” because it's reminiscent of the Lorax’s Truffula Trees. The release of these plants is meant to bolster perennial offerings for Canadians who can get lost in the seasonal shuffle.

Darwin's new Agastache Summerlong collection is perfect for attracting hummingbirds, and as if it had been paid to be there, a lovely hummingbird was busily enjoying the small, trumpeted flowers of these colorful flowers on sturdy upright stalks.

Green Fuse Botanicals CEO Jim Devereux showed us what was causing the most stir with attendees this year.

First was Leucanthemum Kilimanjaro, with massive-sized flowers. He called it the largest flowering shasta daisy. It’s got an aggressive habit and will quickly fill a large container for a quick turnaround in production and high-value sales at retail. It’s a day-length neutral perennial that’s hardy to Zone 5.

Next, Devereux showed us another variety that fits the mega category: Calibrachoa Cielo Series. This breeding features huge flowers. There are 13 colors in the series, and he wanted to point out the bright colors of Cielo Firecracker and the more subtle, but fun, colors of Cielo Pink Splash. Cielo will not only fill a large container or hanging basket but spill out of it, creating this colossal cali display.

The final plant on Devereux's gigantic floral tour was the newest color (and size) in the Hydrangea GameChanger series: Giant Pink. The flowers live up to their name and are noticeably larger than the other colors in this lacecap hydrangea series. Plants in the GameChanger series are day-length neutral and require zero chilling. Plants are ready in eight to nine weeks (depending on location and growing conditions) from a cutting, and Devereux says that is how this series got its name.

Check out our California Spring Trials day two recap for more.