June 2023 - 34

VAUGHN'S VIEW
of consumers make snap judgments
when it comes to color decisions,
and Peach Sunrise will be virtually
irresistible for many consumers. SunFire
Nurseries will be the exclusive
liner supplier for 2024.
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6. COLEUS 'PREMIUM SUN
CORAL CANDY'
PanAmerican Seed
I have highlighted many exceptional
seed and vegetative coleus
introductions the past six years; last
year, I focused on Ruby Heart, the
Premium Sun introduction for 2023.
It was the first seed coleus to receive
the prestigious All-America Selections
(AAS) award. This collection just
gets better and better with the
new Coral Candy for 2024. This
new introduction offers lanceolateshaped,
multicolored, serrated
foliage with a deep pink midrib, pink
splashed leaves and green margins.
The color patterns and texture are
bold, and the foliage has a slight
pendulous habit. This variety is sun
and shade adaptable, late flowering,
and non-fading. The range of leaf
colorations is transitional, predicated
on environmental conditions. The
accompanying photograph may differ
from what you see in the summer
trials. There are now 11 diverse and
polychromatic colors in the Premium
Sun Collection, and these are
unquestionably the most unique seed
coleus in the industry, with exceptional
versatility in production programs,
multiple applications for the consumer
and proven success in landscape beds.
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7. GERANIUM 'MOJO SCARLET'
Syngenta Flowers
The Syngenta geranium portfolio
is formidable, diverse and well
represented in spring programs
throughout the country. The
interspecific dark leaf Mojo series,
introduced two years ago, has
quickly captured market share and
become an integral part of many
geranium programs. I highlighted
'Mojo Cranberry Splash' last year
for its unique bicolor flowers and
outstanding heat and humidity
tolerance. The characteristics that
have moved this series to the forefront
are the dark foliage, large umbels,
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JUNE 2023 GPNMAG.COM
medium vigor, superior summer
performance and versatility in spring
production programs. Syngenta
tests and screens all its geranium
introductions in Florida, and the Mojo
series has been recognized as the best
interspecific geranium series in trials
the last two years. There are now eight
colors in the series, including Dark
Red Improved and the new Scarlet.
Even though it was late February, the
Scarlet manifested dense branching
and multiple umbels with strong deep
scarlet florets.
8. PETUNIA 'SWEET SUNSHINE
MAGENTA SKY'
Selecta One
It has been over 20 years since the
first double petunia series entered
the market; since then, we have seen
the introduction of many seed and
vegetative series from multiple flower
breeders. The Sweet Sunshine Double
series is comprised of six unique
colors, including the new Blueberry
Vein and Magenta Sky, the first sky
pattern in double petunias. Magenta
Sky was eye-catching in the Costa
trial with a well-branched trailing
habit, colorful canopy, and welldefined
and stable deep magenta
petals interspersed with white flecks
and white margins. The series had
been used successfully in spring
mixed basket programs, quarts and
patio containers. In addition, 'Sweet
Sunshine Double Provence' has
received the Fleuroselect Gold Medal
award for its unusual flower colors and
performance.
9. PORTULACA 'CUPCAKE
IMPROVED GRAPE JELLY'
Dümmen Orange
Many new plant introductions
in summer trials have made a
lasting impression on me with their
optical properties of brightness,
floriferousness and vibrancy. This was
true of the portulaca Cupcake series
introduced in 2012. It was entered
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June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023
