December 2021 - 28

vaughn's view
BY VAUGHN FLETCHER
BOLD, Flashy
and DURABLE
2021 Summer Trials
Vaughn Fletcher
is president of
Fletcher Consulting.
He has been in the
horticulture industry
since 1971, working in
many areas including
landscaping, garden
center and greenhouse
production, greenhouse
and nursery sales and
sales management.
He can be reached at
vfletcher9@gmail.com.
completed my trial visits in mid-September, and it
has been another extraordinary year with a wide
range of new and exciting annuals for 2022. This
article will focus on some of the current and new
breeder designer recipes in the late summer trials.
My choices are based on performance evaluations in
August and September.
I chose the adjectives bold, flashy and durable to
describe the designer recipes, which stood the test of
time and demonstrated vivid and exceptionally eyecatching
color combinations with balance, timing,
uniformity, flower stability and floriferousness. These
dynamic and exciting recipes combine monochromatic,
analogous, complementary and polychromatic color
schemes and create a diverse color palette that will
I
generate exceptional retail appeal.
1. CONFETTI GARDEN TIKTOK TIME FOR SUMMER
Dümmen Orange
This Confetti recipe was introduced last year and was in
regional trials this summer. I was impressed with its vibrant
colors, durability, striking component contrast, balance and
flower canopy. It combines these varieties: the interspecific
petunia 'Durabloom Watermelon', calibrachoa 'TikTok Blue' and
calibrachoa 'Bloomtastic Yellow'. The individual components
were in multiple trials. The interspecific petunia Durablooms
are the most vigorous petunias in Dümmen Orange's portfolio.
The series has demonstrated exceptional durability, flower
stability, floriferousness and heat tolerance throughout the
country. Many of the varieties were in the University of Georgia
basket trial early in the season and in container and trial beds
that I visited in Colorado, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania,
Texas and Iowa later in the summer. I grew many of them in my
Kansas City container trial as well. What impressed me was the
flower power and vigor of all the colors. The calibrachoa TikTok
series debuted last year with four colors: Rose, Blue, Grape and
White. The yellow Starburst flower pattern with dark centers is
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These designer recipes shined into late summer with eye-catching color and lasting performance.
one of the most eye-catching and high-impact calibrachoas in
the market. The calibrachoa 'Bloomtastic Yellow' demonstrates
the attributes of the series: mega flowers, vigor, prolific
flower canopy and exceptional heat tolerance. I observed and
evaluated many yellow calibrachoas in the trials this summer
and 'Bloomtastic Yellow', based on performance in numerous
regional sites, was the brightest yellow of all calibrachoa
entries. When you combine the attributes of these plant classes
in a designer recipe you produce an all-star. The photo is from
the Lucas Greenhouse container trial in my mid-August visit.
2. KWIK KOMBO ITSY BITSY
Syngenta Flowers
This new Kwik Kombo for 2022 will provide consumers
with three top performing components: petunia 'Blueberry
Shortcake', petunia 'Itsy Magenta', which was introduced
last year, and petunia 'Itsy White' for 2022. I highlighted the
novelty petunia 'Blueberry Shortcake' when it was introduced
a few years ago. It is a standalone variety with superior color
stability, outstanding summer performance and a distinctive
bicolor flower pattern. Petunia 'Itsy Magenta' created
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December 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2021