June 2023 - 22

GREEN GOODS
Compared to garden mums, Sakata Seed Co.'s SuperCal offer a much greater flowering window with continuous blooming
through hard frosts.
20/20 pentas; rudbeckia 'Amarillo Gold' and echinacea 'Polly
Nation.' All of these provide extreme heat tolerance for lush
gardens and patio pots all the way until frost. Ornamental
grasses like melinis 'Savannah' are always a win for late
season sales.
Huggett: Not only do plants and flowers help brighten
our surroundings, but we can also look at the value of
products that can be used for a greater length of time and,
in some cases, be used both indoors and out. American
Takii is fortunate that our portfolio contains both cut
flower and bedding varieties. Cut flower demand, access
and usage have grown dramatically. Cut flowers offer a
quick and easy color splash to any home or apartment, and
have become very affordable.
Takii also features two recent additions, ornamental
pepper 'Onyx Red' and 'Onyx Orange' for fall usage, and we
are also happy to have launched a new Casa Cannova canna
program, which makes possible the sale of canna for indoor
use in the spring. The consumer can then take Casa Cannova
outside for planting when the season turns to summer
conditions, in the end building value and well-being into
everything we do always pays.
Onofrey: The greatest benefits are longevity, durability
and weather tolerance. We are actively promoting Granvia
bracteantha as a season extender for fall.
Additional varieties that have been on the market for
many years and could be used in the fall include Surfinia
petunias, Beedance bidens and Million Bells calibrachoas.
Varieties positioned for summer performance include
Sun Parasol mandevillas, Surdiva scaevolas, Summer Wave
torenias and Soiree catharanthus - and the three Soiree
series are Kawaii (small flowered), Double (double flowers)
22 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | JUNE 2023
and Flamenco (ruffled flowers). When most annuals are
looking rough in August, these are in their glory.
Seguin: SuperCal have a very unique genetic bloodline
that results in superior garden performance traditional
petunias cannot offer - mainly superior heat and rain
tolerance that provides end consumers with more flowers
through the heat of summer. This ability to perform under
high temperatures opens the door for summer production
(necessary for autumn sales and fall promotions) that was
previously not offered by traditional petunias. Compared
to garden mums, a staple at most garden centers in the
fall, SuperCal offer a much greater flowering window (two
to three times as long in some cases) with continuous
blooming through hard frosts, down to 25° F.
L&GR: How should garden centers and/or consumers
think differently about crops that they might have
previously thought of as only appropriate for one season?
Berkhout and Pennings: Take Garvinea, for example:
Gerberas were considered only as annuals for a long time,
to be enjoyed for weeks. And yes, for seed-raised Gerbera
jamesonii, this is true. But with Garvinea, it has become
a totally different story. Breeding efforts have resulted in
a strong and floriferous garden-worthy hybrid gerbera
that flowers from spring to frost and is considered hardy
down to Zone 7. Since Garvinea looks like a gerbera at first
glance, it took a lot of time proving its unique properties by
trialing, showing, educating and experiencing. By working
closely together with growers and all links further up in
the chain, we were able to get the story out there. Garvinea
garden gerberas has become a well-established name. This
naming and positioning is key and should be understood

June 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2023