All photos courtesy of PDSI
Plant Development Services, Inc. (PDSI) will be debuting new varieties at Cultivate'24.
“The past year has been one of unprecedented growth for Plant Development Services,” says Kip McConnell, business development director with PDSI. “We celebrated the addition of two new brands and saw many of our new releases honored with prestigious industry awards. The road from a plant’s discovery to the garden center is made possible through meaningful partnerships. At Cultivate'24, we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on the plants and partners making this growth possible.”
The following 2025 trade introductions will be offered through Southern Living Plant Collection, Sunset Plant Collection and Encore Azalea:
Encore Azalea Autumn Kiss
The newest addition to the Encore collection features semi-double blooms with bright pink edges that fade into a soft pastel pink toward the center, ultimately blending into a nearly white core. This heavy bloomer reblooms in spring, summer and fall against a backdrop of verdant evergreen foliage. Autumn Kiss thrives in full sun and is hardy in USDA Zones 6-10, reaching 3 to 4 feet high and wide when mature.
Silver Caress Mahonia
Soft, bamboo-like foliage offers fine texture, movement and a silver hue that shines in partial and full shade settings. An easy-care compact evergreen, Silver Caress offers year-round visual interest with yellow blooms in winter. With drought and heat tolerance, Silver Caress thrives in USDA Zones 7-9, reaching 3.5 feet high by 3 feet wide when mature.
Nelliet Ilex
Offering an attractive pyramidal habit, Nelliet requires minimal pruning to maintain a dense, compact form. Nelliet is an ideal selection for privacy screening, woodland gardens and hedges, with red berries providing an additional pop of color as the weather cools. Reaching 15 to 25 feet high by 10 to 15 feet wide when mature, Nelliet thrives in full sun to part shade and is suitable for USDA Zones 6-9.
Tokyo Skies Aspidistra
Winner of a Retailers' Choice Award at Cultivate'23, this groundcover has garnered acclaim for its dark green and white variegation and its resilience in the landscape. A waterwise groundcover that thrives in partial to full shade settings, Tokyo Skies also performs well as a houseplant beyond its USDA Zone 8-10 hardiness regions. Reaching 2 to 3 feet high by 1 to 2 feet wide when mature, Tokyo Skies thrives in containers, borders and accent plantings.
Additionally this year, PDSI is celebrating the debut release of the new Better Boxwood collection. With four varieties suited to a diverse range of landscape uses, Better Boxwood is the country’s first scientifically bred blight-resistant collection of boxwoods. With partnerships now in place with 31 licensed growers, the Better Boxwood collection will be available through retailers across the US and online in fall 2024 and spring 2025.
PDSI and Better Boxwood's partner, Everde Growers, are cultivating an engaged network of growers from coast to coast, supporting them with robust marketing initiatives, engaging POP, signage and education opportunities.
