ThinkPlants at CAST

Before diving in to the newest perennial introductions at the California Spring Trials aka CAST, I wanted to take a brief moment to introduce you to ThinkPlants. Hopefully, you already know who ThinkPlants are, but if you don’t, ThinkPlants brings plants from multiple breeders and suppliers together and offers them to the industry through a dedicated supply chain.

The collaborators currently include:

Feel free to click the company names above to visit each of their websites. ThinkPlants offers growers an unrivaled commitment to breeding a diverse mix of improved plant genetics, with a healthy supply chain of top quality unrooted cuttings, bareroot and liners, along with a true sense of transparency between grower and supplier.

I’m sure I oversimplified who they are but wanted to take this opportunity to provide this brief ThinkPlants introduction before showing their collective CAST introductions.

Unex Intros

Unex Inc. is best known as a reputable supplier of bare root perennials and flower bulbs. Like most perennial growers, I’ve not thought of Unex as a company that introduces perennials to the industry. This perception is no longer the case. Unex had a few new perennials on display at the ThinkPlants CAST venue.

Hosta Sorbet

Sorbet is a unique hosta cultivar with bright green foliage edged with crisp icy white margins. However, the most distinguishing feature is the contrasting red petioles that truly catches the eye. Bill Calkins (Tech on Demand) describes it as having “burgundy speckled stems that looked just like rhubarb.” Sorbet grows 16 to 18 in. tall, produces lavender flowers in the summer and is hardy to Zone 3.

Hemerocallis See You Tomorrow

Perhaps the common name of this new introduction should be multi-daylily as Unex’s new See You Tomorrow hemerocallis has flowers that last four to five days rather than the typical lifespan of a single day. The flowers hold just on top of the foliage and start out green, mature to yellow and transition to dark yellow. Grows 18 in. tall and is hardy to Zone 4.

New From Danziger

Delosperma Sandgem Series

Sandgem Fuchsia

Sandgem Dark Orange

The Sandgem series of delosperma from Danziger has four new bold colors to brighten up drought-tolerant gardens. There are now six stunning varieties in the series: Dark Orange (new), Ember, Fuchsia (new), Gold, White (new) and Yellow (new). The Sandgem series has a low growing, semi-trailing habit. Great for the landscape or mixed containers. Hardy to Zone 5.

Iberis First Flush Grace

First Flush Grace is an exciting first year flowering and hardy (Zone 5) candytuft cultivar. It supplies an abundance of light lavender flowers beginning in the spring and continues to bloom until the fall. With its exceptionally long bloom time, evergreen foliage and compact spreading habit, First Flush Grace is a great candidate for perennial programs.

Syngenta's Newest Delphinium

Hunky Dory Sky Blue

Hunky Dory Blue

Hunky Dory White

Syngenta Flowers is introducing the Hunky Dory series of delphinium. Besides being fun to say, Hunky Dory is quite enjoyable to grow. There are three colors (Blue, Sky Blue and White) in this new F1 series of Delphinium grandiflorum. It has improved germination compared with the open-pollinated cultivars on the market. Additionally, the Hunky Dory series flowers earlier and has improved uniformity versus competitive genetics. Hardy to Zone 5.

Terra Nova’s Intros

Phygelius Colorburst

Colorburst Deep Red

Colorburst Orange

Wow! The Colorburst series of Phygelius are absolutely eye-catching. Colorburst Deep Red has burgundy stalks, purple sepals and awe-inspiring deep red flowers. Colorburst Orange has bold, distinctive red-orange flowers. Colorburst Rose draws attention with its intense purple-rose flowers. And last, but certainly not least Colorburst Yellow yields tons of soft, yellow flowers. This stunning series offers tons of flower power and is great for attracting pollinators and hummingbirds. Take note: Phygelius Colorburst cultivars are only hardy to Zone 7.

Northern Exposure

Northern Exposure Red

Northern Exposure Purple

Terra Nova showcased many of their Northern Exposure Heuchera cultivars at CAST. They weren’t on display because they are new; Terra Nova featured them because they are strong proven performers. Not only are the Northern Exposure cultivars the most cold hardy heuchera on the market (Zone 3), but they withstand high temperatures and high humidity as well, with exceptional performance all the way down to Miami, Florida.

One More

It’s impossible to include all the great new introductions in a single newsletter. However, I thought I’d close out this edition with another recent introduction from Terra Nova.

Anemone Satin Doll Glow

Anemone has been gaining in popularity over the past year or two. Satin Doll Glow from Terra Nova is a great new dwarf cultivar with full-sized pink daisy-like flowers. It blooms from July until October. It slowly spreads in the garden, but unlike other anemones, Satin Doll Glow stays in its lane. It makes a great potted plant for fall sales and is absolutely wonderful in the garden. Hardy to Zone 4.

Thanks for reading this edition of Perennial Pulse. My email is paul@opelgrowers.com if you have any comments, article suggestions or if you'd just like to say hello.

Best regards,

Paul Pilon
Editor-at-Large—Perennial Pulse
Director of Growing—Opel Growers

This email was received by you and 34,625 other fine subscribers!

If you're interested in advertising in Perennial Pulse, contact Kim Brown ASAP and she'll hook you up.