Sue Klein traded century-old structures for state-of-the-art facilities at Klein's Floral and Greenhouses, gaining greater efficiency without ever closing the doors.
When Sue Klein’s grandparents chose Wisconsin farmland to start their greenhouse business in 1913, the location near Madison must have seemed like a perfect spot. More than a century later, few would disagree that the couple had foresight. The business now owned by their granddaughter would be hard-pressed to find a better site.
Engulfed long ago by Madison’s booming commercial and residential growth, Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses sits on one of the capital city’s most traveled corridors, on land that developers’ dreams are made of. “My grandparents chose well,” Klein says. “It’s definitely the right place and the right time.”
Fortunately, developers aren’t the only ones who dream. Faced with aging structures built by her grandparents, Klein planned for a time she knew would come. It might seem to outsiders that she had three options: renovate, relocate or cash in on her prime real estate. But Klein, who bought the business from her parents in 1990, didn’t see it that way. Despite many offers from developers over the years, selling out was never a consideration, nor was relocating to another site. With four children — all involved in the business “in their own ways” — Klein says, “This was important to the family to stay in the same location.”
“I just always knew this was what I wanted to do,” she says.
Making the decision
The renovation at Klein’s didn’t begin until August 2017, but Sue Klein had been thinking about it for years. Whenever she traveled and visited other greenhouses and garden centers, she made notes on what she’d do one day. Finally, it was time to act.
The street-side retail greenhouses were original to the business. “You can imagine,” she says. “The old wood-frame structure was over 100 years old, with maybe 6-foot gutters and ramps all over the place. Any tall people would be constantly hitting their heads.”
The unconnected greenhouses had other problems as well. A hard rain would mean downpours inside, and heat escaped freely in Madison’s cold winters. “It got to the point where I couldn’t band-aid it anymore. I had to do something major, or it wasn’t going to continue,” Klein says.
The old wood-frame structure was over 100 years old, with maybe 6-foot gutters and ramps all over the place. Any tall people would be constantly hitting their heads. -Sue Klein”
Staying on the landlocked property with no room for expansion or parallel construction would mean total demolition of approximately 27,000 square feet of retail greenhouses and business offices that were housed in the farmhouse where Klein’s father was born. The renovation would start from the ground up.
Remaining open during construction would mean shifting operations to the only undemolished structures: eight old growing greenhouses at the back of the property. Those hoop houses would be headquarters for all the grower-retailer’s operations until construction was completed the following spring.
The plan was in place, but when the demolition started, emotions ran high for more than one reason.
Clearing financial hurdles
Newspaper accounts of Klein’s initial announcement of her renovation plans estimated the project at $2 million. That figure elicits a good-natured laugh from Klein today. Once she sat down with contractors, her estimate changed. “What I wanted in a perfect world was $4 million, so I had to scale that back a little bit,” she says.
Despite Madison’s reputation for stringent urban-design requirements and rigorous, drawn-out approval processes, the city approved Klein’s plans on the first go-round. The final price tag for the project was $3.2 million, which Klein understood going in. Surprises were minimal and, for the most part, construction went as planned.
The biggest bump in the road came before work ever began.
When news about the renovation project broke, bankers came from every direction. But Klein’s family had banked with one particular Madison bank since before she was born. “It was still the same account number,” she says. “They went through many changes together through the years.”
Naturally, she turned to that longstanding financial partner and shared her plans early on. As the project drew close, the bank knew what was coming. “When it actually came down to the loan, they wouldn’t approve it,” she says. So, she had to look somewhere else
Klein recalls the day demolition began. A few tears flowed. “To see the greenhouses come down like dominoes. I’ll never forget that,” she says. But there was something more on her mind.
“I suppose I can talk about this now, but at the time, I was quite scared,” she shares. “When we started demolition, my loan wasn’t finalized yet.”
In the end, Klein put up personal funds and another local bank looked at her project and her projections, and approved the needed funds. “They believed in my project,” she says. “And I’m happy to say that we exceeded our expectations.”
Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses stayed open as commuters passed by the construction site each day.
Riding out the renovation
As commuters passed by the construction site each day — the Wisconsin Department of Transportation puts the daily traffic count at more than 50,000 vehicles going in each direction — Klein’s Floral and Greenhouses stayed open. Hidden in the growing greenhouses at the back of the property, conditions were less than ideal for employees and customers. But they made it through.
Many people thought the greenhouses had gone out of business or shut down during the renovation. Klein worked hard to ensure that “out of sight” didn’t turn into “out of mind.” She relied heavily on social media to keep people informed that Klein’s was alive and open for business, welcoming customers, holding seminars and progressing on the new greenhouse project.
The experience underscored Klein’s wisdom in rejecting one developer’s offer to buy just the property’s front portion. “That would have been so detrimental to the business if we had [permanently] relocated to the back of the property,” she says.
Fall and winter passed, construction progressed and, just in time for the spring season, the new retail greenhouses and retail building opened in March 2018.
Operating post-construction
With limited room for expansion, the Klein’s renovation brought gains in style and efficiency rather than space. “Right now, we’re at about 30,000 square feet for our retail area: 22,000 square feet in new greenhouse and about 8,000 in the new retail structure,” Klein says.
About 5,000 square feet of the atrium-style greenhouse area is allotted to what Klein calls “growing retail space.” This year that space was closed to shoppers as holiday poinsettias grew and took on color there. The balance of the new greenhouse space is open for retail shopping.
Growing some of its stock remains important to Klein’s identity and the grower-retailer’s team. Most of that growing occurs in the approximately 16,000 square feet of growing greenhouses where the team rode out renovation. Major categories for Klein-grown stock include annuals, perennials, hardy fall mums, cyclamen and poinsettias.
The business employs six full-time and 15 part-time employees. Part-timers blossom to 50 seasonally. Klein says renovation feedback from employees has been extremely positive, especially regarding functionality.
As the new space’s second season winds down, Klein says customers are showing their appreciation.
“The surface is even; it’s flat. We can move hundreds of plants at a time on big multi-level carts instead of just a bicycle-cart load at a time,” she says.
As the new space’s second season winds down, Klein says customers are showing their appreciation. “Madison residents really love to buy local and they love family-owned business, which we are, so it’s just been overwhelming,” she says. Readers of Isthmus, Madison’s leading alt-weekly newspaper, recently voted Klein’s as Madison’s favorite garden store.
Klein says employees and customers alike love to watch the automatic ventilators. “In the old space, the growers would have to jump on a bench and crank the ventilators by hand — and live close enough so that, if it was stormy, they could get over here quick enough to do that,” she says.
Last winter was Madison’s coldest in 30 years, so it’s hard to compare energy efficiency just yet. But Klein expects good results. “We have in-ground heat and a high-efficiency boiler. Our heaters are highly efficient and we have shade curtains, which also act as heat curtains.”
Looking forward to the future
With the successful renovation complete, Klein now looks toward continued improvements to meet the needs of the growing Madison community. She’s been working with garden center design and renovation specialist Judy Sharpton on some new ideas. And with the Wisconsin State Capitol and University of Wisconsin-Madison campus nearby — and upscale urban apartments flourishing — she believes the future looks very bright.
Data for Klein’s retail rewards program reveals customers 25 to 34 years old make up its largest customer age group. “Like every other garden center across the country, houseplants are huge,” Klein says. From the March 2018 reopening to year-end 2018, houseplant sales increased 50%. Houseplant pottery is a second big growth category, and container gardens are hot.
“One thing that we’re really excited about is container gardens. They are just huge for us right now,” Klein says.
Customers currently can pot up containers on site, but Klein is dedicating greenhouse space to formalize the concept. “We’ll have a potting bench area where customers can come, a ‘leave the mess here’ kind of thing, with a dedicated space for it next year,” she shares.
Klein also has more renovation plans in mind. “After seeing how efficient the new space is, we need to do that with the growing greenhouses, too, and have it all connected,” she says. “We’re working on that as Phase Two.”
For other businesses wondering if major remodeling is worth it, Klein’s advice is to first make sure it’s worth it financially, and — if it is — go for it.
“I was very scared to do the renovation and nervous about that, but it was well worth it,” she says. “I’m loving the new space. Customers are loving the new space. But probably more importantly, the staff is. It’s definitely a safer place to work.”
The author is a freelance writer specializing in the horticulture industry and a frequent contributor to GIE Media publications. Reach her at jolene@lovesgarden.com.
Bulb bloom
Features - Trends
As sales rise, take note of these four trends in 2020.
From snow-white roselilies to ‘Black Hero’ tulips and every shade of unusual variety in between, the bulbs being grown today are not your grandmother’s flower bulbs. With more options and innovations on the market, bulb sales are taking off.
“Across the board, bulb sales are increasing,” says Marjolein Berbee-Dzmura, co-owner of Leo Berbee Bulb Company in Columbus, Ohio. “Our garden center is having record-breaking bulb sales and our [wholesale] customers are saying the same thing. We’ve only heard positive news — people increasing their orders and asking to get bulbs earlier.”
To capitalize on this boom in 2020 and beyond, growers should pay attention to these four bulb trends that are taking over the market.
Regardless of the color trends that emerge in 2020, growers can generally rely on holidays to inform the best selection.
Photo courtesy of Oregon Flowers
Photo courtesy of Leo Berbee Bulb Company
Photo courtesy of Leo Berbee Bulb Company
Photo courtesy of Leo Berbee Bulb Company
New, different and unique
Berbee-Dzmura says social media is driving bulb popularity, as it has for houseplants.
“Everybody wants something unusual and unique that they can’t get somewhere else,” she says. “Everybody wants something they can share on social media to say, ‘Look what I have.’”
This demand is pushing breeders to hybridize new varieties — shaking up the expected red tulips and pastel lilies to offer new options.
“People are going after the parrots, doubles and fringes, not the standard varieties you can get anywhere,” Berbee-Dzmura says.
“The doubles trend is definitely picking up,” says Martin Meskers, AAF, president and owner of Oregon Flowers, which sells to wholesale florists and specialty supermarkets across the country. “The first doubles that came out had a few issues but the varieties are getting better every year.”
Now, instead of sticking to classic categories — like Oriental, Asiatic, trumpet or longiflorum (Easter) lilies — the lines between varieties are starting to blur.
“These groups are getting mixed up because they’re being hybridized together,” Meskers says. “Now you have OT, which is a mix of an Oriental lily and a trumpet, and you have LO, which is a longiflorum crossed with an Oriental, and then Asiatics are being bred with longiflorums so you have LA — and they’re even cross-hybridizing those, so it gives us a lot more varieties.”
Color play
Bulb hybridization has unlocked a spectrum of new color possibilities.
“Instead of just having white and pink Orientals, now we can get peach, yellow and other colors,” Meskers says. “Tiger lilies used to be heavy in orange and yellow, and now we can get whites, pinks and even two-tones. Even hyacinths used to be pretty much blue, white and pink, and now we see peach, yellow and purple.”
“Purple was the hot color for 2019,” Berbee-Dzmura says, noting unusually dark varieties like the nearly black “Queen of Night” tulip and “Black Hero” parrot.
Shades of salmon and apricot have also been popular, thanks to Pantone’s selection of coral as the color of the year.
“It’s difficult to adjust to color demands, especially if it’s something like peach that isn’t readily available in lilies, because we have to purchase our bulbs at least a year or two ahead of time,” Meskers says. “That will always be a challenge.”
Regardless of the color trends that emerge in 2020, growers can generally rely on holidays to inform selection. Obviously, red and white rule during Christmas, with pink joining the mix in time for Valentine’s, and then a wider palette of pastels to celebrate Mother’s Day.
In general, colors “get darker as the season goes on,” Berbee-Dzmura says. “It starts light — the first blooming flower is a white Galanthus snowdrop — and it works its way up to the latest-blooming bulb, allium, which is purple.”
Photo courtesy of Oregon Flowers
Photo courtesy of Oregon Flowers
Photo courtesy of Leo Berbee Bulb Company
Purple, salmon and apricot have all been popular colors for bulbs this year.
Photo courtesy of Leo Berbee Bulb Company
Cultural adaptation
Hybridization isn’t just about getting different bulb colors, but breeding better growing traits.
“Sometimes that means a stronger stem, better bud count, longer-lasting blooms or more disease resistance,” Meskers says. “It might be a nice color, but if it’s not holding up by the time the end consumer gets it, then it just doesn’t work.”
For cut flower growers like Oregon Flowers, stem strength and length are key characteristics. But potted plant growers are benefitting from more compact growth traits hitting the market.
“Over the years, they’ve been hybridizing more varieties for the potted culture,” Meskers says. “Now we have more varieties that are genetically short, so that’s a big advantage for potted growers.”
Bulb hybridization has unlocked a spectrum of new color possibilities.
Perhaps the most important trait is timing, as growers look to force bulbs earlier and extend the growing season.
“Some say the first sign of spring is seeing a flower bulb bloom, so getting an early crop [is important,]” Berbee-Dzmura says. “We do pre-cooling here, so customers will have Valentine’s Day flowers in early March because they want to have them before anybody else.”
This has led to more growers in Holland forcing tulip bulbs hydroponically to accelerate the process. The bulbs sit in special drainage trays that prevent overwatering and promote even cooling. Berbee uses hydroponics to force amaryllis blooms, “and it’s fantastic,” Berbee-Dzmura says. “I’m able to fit 15 bulbs on a tray versus potting them in containers, so I’m saving on the pots and I’m saving space.”
Assorted options
Despite the spectrum of bulb options available, Leo Berbee Bulb Company still plants standard red and yellow tulips in front of its store to draw traffic, and those classics continue to outsell unique newcomers.
Keeping up with bulb trends isn’t about abandoning the time-tested favorites; it’s about expanding your assortment as the options explode.
“You’re always going to sell the most of your yellow and red tulips — at least we always have — but bring in more unusual varieties. Try to offer something different,” Berbee-Dzmura says.
Berbee offers about 120 varieties of tulips in the U.S., with an expanded collection of more than 600 at their family’s facility in Holland, where they make special orders. Oregon Flowers offers about 60 varieties of tulips and 80 varieties of lilies, in addition to hyacinths and outdoor crops like peonies and hydrangea.
The challenge for bulb growers is navigating new varieties as trends shift at the speed of social media.
“Customers are getting more demanding, so we have to have more varieties, a better assortment and consistent quality,” Meskers says. “None of us can say, ‘Well, I’ve been growing this crop for the last 10 years, so I’m going to keep growing it for the next 10 years.’ Everything gets renewed so we have to keep up to date, try new varieties and listen to our customers.”
2019’s top plant performers
Features - Plant Trials
Trial garden managers from across the U.S. share this year’s standout annuals and perennials in various categories.
Every plant trial is different. Each trial garden has different weather conditions, sunlight levels, water needs and other factors that make each location unique. That can make knowing which plants are best to grow at your operation a difficult question to answer. It’s a tough question for end consumers, who want something that will thrive and look beautiful in a pot on their back patio or in their landscape.
Fortunately, however, trial gardens are here to help fill in the knowledge gap. Run, organized and staffed by trial managers who track every detail of every plant in their gardens, trial gardens help growers understand new varieties of annuals and perennials. They also test for different attributes like pollinator friendliness and drought tolerance, and note which plants have the ‘wow’ factor consumers are looking for.
For our 2019 compilation of trial garden results, managers from across the U.S. submitted what performed best in their region in the following eight categories: best drought-tolerant annual; best drought-tolerant perennial; best pollinator-friendly annual; best pollinator-friendly perennial; best heat-tolerant annual; best heat-tolerant perennial; best overall performance: annual; best overall performance: perennial.
Below, you’ll find the results for each of these categories. All of the descriptions have been submitted by the various trial garden mangers.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE ANNUAL
Southeast
Calibrachoa Superbells ‘Honeyberry,’ Proven Winners, University of Georgia
Yep, I’m smitten with this plant and who wouldn’t be? I love that it has abundant pink flowers with honey-colored throats. It has remained perfectly shaped despite rain, shine, heat and humidity. Nothing phased ‘Honeyberry’ which decidedly takes my top spot for annuals for 2019.
The colors of Bottle Rocket caladium are phenomenal. This caladium has everything: dark red, crisp white and bright green. This is a large fancy-leafed variety that just got better in the heat of the summer. It was really a standout in the Young’s Trial Garden.
Helianthus ‘Suncredible Yellow,’ Proven Winners, North Carolina State University
These uniform, well-branched, upright plants have rays of bright yellow petals around a brown center. Flowers are supported by sturdy stems, which make them great for cuts. They bloom all season long and no deadheading is required. Pollinators love these guys!
Midwest
Alternanthera FanciFillers Choco Chili, Westhoff, Penn State University Extension
An excellent plant, with no foliar injury all season. This plant received an overall score of 5/5 in 2019. As a foliage plant, it exhibited superb growth and maintained a uniform habit. A number of visitors remarked on the foliar quality during field day.
Large trailing pink flowers over lush green cascading foliage. A beautiful hanging begonia that withstood almost everything Mother Nature threw at it. It handled full sun to part sun and stayed in color through it all. Hot, cool, humid, dry: a plant for all seasons.
There were so many good annuals this year. This baby bloomed its heart out and didn’t get floppy until the end of September. It was also a favorite of pollinators and guests alike.
Impatiens Beacon, PanAmerican Seed, The Gardens at Ball
This plant did not fail due to Impatiens downy mildew, and we had it planted in several locations on campus. Our shade landscape beds particularly looked amazing, and several guests made a stop there to take pictures and take notes.
Petunia Shortcake Blueberry, Syngenta Flowers, Mast Young Plants
New standalone series! Something to sweeten up the garden! Shortcake turns the table and brings novelty color in a package that also excels in the garden. A versatile habit that works well in small pots and combos, but will still size up for an impressive display in the garden. Combining a grower-friendly habit with a unique, stable flower pattern, Shortcake is sure to be a hit at retail.
Petunia Color Rush White, Ball Seed, Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens
This petunia was the winner in our blind White Petunia trial, a visitor favorite and top performer. Always full of flowers and didn’t split.
West
Dahlia ‘City Lights Purple,’ Selecta, Colorado State University
This dahlia was Best of Show at Colorado State University. The dark foliage and flowers of this variety made a dramatic statement in the garden. The growth habit had excellent uniformity with upright plants that did not flop despite overhead irrigation. Plants had strong flower power and were favorites of the bees.
Northwest
Begonia Viking XL Red on Chocolate, Sakata, Smith Gardens
Amazing dark glossy foliage and contrasting red flowers made this variety a real standout in the garden this year. It has a vigorous, well-branched habit and great landscape performance.
BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE: PERENNIAL
Southeast
Agastache Poquito ‘Butter Yellow,’ Terra Nova Nurseries, the University of Georgia
Just hearing the word "butter" puts me in a good mood. Seeing the large butter yellow flower spikes on this Agastache from Terra Nova does the trick too. All season I have enjoyed the brightness and wispy habit of this smaller selection from the Poquito series.
Heuchera ‘Forever Red,’ Terra Nova Nurseries, North Carolina State University
Wow, what a winner! The intense red foliage makes you stop and notice this beauty. Foliage is a brighter, more intense red in the spring when there is cooler weather. Plants are uniform mounds of fiery-red ruffled leaves with white flowers. Did well in our heat and humidity. This is year two out in full sun and it continues to impress.
Midwest
Salvia nemorosa Rose Marvel, Darwin Perennials, The Gardens at Ball
Salvia nemorosa Rose Marvel from Darwin Perennials was planted in our front garden beds and provided vibrant color for many weeks.
Digitalis Pink Panther, American Takii, Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens
We had the opportunity to trial this over the last few years and even early on, it was a solid performer. This year in our gardens, it continuously reflushed, looked great and was very well received by our visitors.
Dianthus Constant Beauty Crush, Green Fuse Botanicals, Mast Young Plants
All new bicolor introductions into the Constant Beauty family. Daylength neutral, continuously blooming, even under the hottest conditions. Hardy to zone 4.
Spigelia ‘Little Redhead,’ Walters Gardens
Spigelia is native to the eastern United States and is a versatile perennial that does well in sun or shade. The gorgeous, tubular red flowers are a hummingbird magnet, and are produced beginning in late spring, continuing to bloom through mid-summer. ‘Little Redhead’ is a superior selection of the species, vegetatively propagated to ensure uniformity.
I have never seen a first-year perennial bloom like this, much less a Kniphofia. I really, really hope it survives our winter. I cannot imagine what it will look like in year two.
West
Northwest
Spigelia 'Little Redhead,' Walters Gardens, Smith Gardens
We grew these adorable plants in container trials and have since planted them into our landscape display to assess overwintering performance. They have a well-behaved upright habit, are easy to grow with no major pests or diseases, and sport tubular bicolor red/yellow flowers held on curving cymes (like Crocosmia).
BEST DROUGHT-TOLERANT ANNUAL
Southeast
Celosia Kelos Atomic ‘Neon Pink,’ Beekenkamp, University of Georgia
Even when other plants were starting to flag, ‘Neon Pink’ held its stance and prevailed against the hot dry conditions. It is a traditional neon hot pick flower spike played well of its dark green leaves with deep pink margins.
Euphorbia ‘Diamond Snow,’ Proven Winners, North Carolina State University
Uniform mounds of deep green, delicate-looking foliage covered in a riot of clear, bright-white flowers. Continuous bloomer with no deadheading necessary. Great low maintenance plant.
Granvia Gold Bracteantha was a true surprise in our garden this year. Granvia is a sturdy plant, about 30 inches tall. It was covered with very large, bright yellow flowers all summer long.
Midwest
Portulaca Color Blast Mango Mojito, Westflowers, Plantpeddler
Best at handling the extreme moisture swings in Iowa. Did well during the dry harsh weather in July and tolerated our cool wet August. Picked as a top ten choice in our trials due to the unique two-tone flowers in tangerine and white. We experienced opened flowers earlier in the day that stayed open later in the evening in comparison to the other varieties of Portulaca. Large full flowering plant.
Coleus Heartbreaker, Ball FloraPlant, The Gardens at Ball
Coleus Heartbreaker from Ball FloraPlant is a premium sun coleus that kept its pink color through many environmental conditions. It was very low-maintenance but with high impact because of its stature and color. Did very well in containers with no flowering.
Lantana ‘Hot Blooded,’ Syngenta Flowers, Penn State University
This well-branched plant performed very well in the PSU Flower Trials receiving a score of 4.88/5.0. All lantanas tested in 2019 draw many pollinator insects, including skippers, swallowtail and red spotted purple butterflies. Bees are also drawn to Lantana ‘Hot Blooded,’ and species observed include honeybees and bumblebees.
Lantana ‘Hot Blooded,’ Syngenta Flowers, Mast Young Plants
Portulaca Mojave Red IMP, Proven Winners, Boerner Botanical Gardens
New standalone series! If you pick just one, pick this one! Naturally well branched with more vigor than Bandana making it a great choice for gardens across the country. Medium-sized flowers with amazing color coverage. A sterile selection that has been a top-pick in development trials. We tortured this plant in tiny hanging baskets, in an area [where] irrigation was barely hitting it and not only did it survive, it thrived. Did very well in ground as well.
West
Lantana ‘Havana Sunrise,’ Dümmen Orange, Colorado State University
This heat-loving plant had good branching, large umbels of flowers over dark green foliage. The compact growth habit with prolific very attractive multi-colored flowers with shades of pink, cream and yellow makes it outstanding. It has a very uniform growth habit and looked great in a container.
Northwest
Cuphea Honeybells, Ball Floraplant, Smith Gardens
Honeybells Cuphea was great in the garden beds and baskets this year, with a proliferation of tubular red bicolor flowers on a sprawling, semi-trailing habit. On more than one occasion, the baskets dried down to the point of concern but bounced right back after watering.
BEST DROUGHT-TOLERANT PERENNIAL
Southeast
Lavandula ‘Annet,’ Darwin Perennials, University of Georgia
‘Annet,’ out of my 10 lavenders I trialed this year, held up the best from spring to fall. Strong stems with wide bold foliage and large lavender/blue flowers made this a standout this year despite the heat and dry summer.
Penstemon ‘Dakota Burgundy,’ Terra Nova Nurseries, North Carolina State University
Glossy, purple colored leaves provide long term interest. Flowers are a lavender/purple color; the showy dark seed heads that form after bloom are attractive. Can use both the flower and seed heads for cuts. The fact that pollinators like these plants is a bonus!
Midwest
Perovskia 'Denim 'n Lace,’ Walters Gardens
This Russian Sage is the Proven Winners Perennial of the Year for the 2020 retail season, and for good reason! More compact and with stronger stems than older varieties, 'Denim 'n Lace' brings a lacy texture to the garden and a cool blue hue in mid-summer when it blooms. The sky blue flowers are held on amethyst calyxes for an even fuller look, and a longer season of interest after peak bloom.
Delosperama Delmara Yellow, Green Fuse Botanicals, Mast Young Plants
Excellent garden performance two years straight in MYP Trial Garden. Features large, bright flowers mounding. This series produces flowers all over the plant and not just at the growing points. Hardy to Zone 4.
We had more of a wet season than a drought this summer, but as a first-year perennial, this plant rocked. It was so covered in flowers you could not see the plant. Very excited to see it after one winter.
Northwest
Sedum Sunsparkler Dream Dazzler, 2Plant International, Smith Gardens
Sedums are always a no-brainer for drought tolerance. Dream Dazzler offers excellent foliar color with dark variegated leaves edged in pink. Compact but sprawling growth makes a superb groundcover for drier spots in the garden.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY ANNUAL
Southeast
Salvia Purple & Bloom, Ball FloraPlant, the University of Georgia
Sun up to sun down you will count honey bees, carpenter bees, butterflies and even the elusive hummingbird moth will find this plant enjoyable. ‘Purple and Bloom’ will make a great medium to large annual for any full-sun flower bed, especially if you want to watch your local six-legged visitors.
Cuphea Honeybells, Ball FloraPlant, North Carolina State University
Easy, carefree, low-growing plants that are very uniform in size. The plants are covered in beautiful, bicolor tubular flowers that are orange-rose and yellow color — quite the pollinator magnets. Standing still, you notice the plants literally vibrating from the pollinator activity! Exhibit excellent heat tolerance too.
Gem Compact Orange Fire is a nice, tidy little lantana with a rounded growth habit. It was covered in bright reddish-orange flowers for most of the summer. Bees and butterflies love lantana and this Gem was no exception.
Midwest
Salvia Purple & Bloom, Ball FloraPlant, The Gardens at Ball
Salvia Purple & Bloom welcomed hummingbirds all season and it kept its compact shape with good-sized blooms in its container showcase, as well as in the landscape.
Not very showy at first glance but had an abundance of flowers that always had bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all over it.
Dahlia XXL Cancún, Dümmen Orange, Mast Young Plants
MYP has exclusive rights to these cuttings for 2020. This will not be released to the entire market until 2020/2021. Amazing flower and garden performance.
Salvia Rockin’ Blue Suede Shoes, Proven Winners, Boerner Botanical Gardens
Butterflies and hummingbirds alike covered this plant pretty regularly. It’s also a bumblebee magnet.
West
Salvia Mystic Spires, Ball FloraPlant, Colorado State University
Another dependable performer and past winner, it stood out again in 2019 for the abundant dark purple flowers and vigorous, upright plants. Foliage was clean and glossy. This was another bee-friendly plant that was often buzzing with excitement.
Northwest
Salvia Skyscraper series, Selecta One, Smith Gardens
This is our second year having Salvia Skyscrapers in the garden and they continue to be a pollinator favorite. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all flock to these plants, which were covered in flowers and looked fantastic all summer.
BEST POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PERENNIAL
Southeast
Caryopteris ‘Gold Crest,’ Darwin Perennials, the University of Georgia
‘Gold Crest’ is an excellent small to medium perennial with bright golden foliage that remained true all summer with clusters of blue flowers. This Caryopteris was covered with bees at all times and most importantly covered late in the season to extend its overall usage by pollinators, especially honeybees.
Echinacea Kismet Series, Terra Nova Nurseries, North Carolina State University
Continuous flowering on sturdy upright stems are good for cuts or you can leave the seed heads for the birds. Low maintenance, attractive flower colors and being easy to grow make them a gardener’s favorite!
Midwest
Angelonia, Alonia Big Indigo, Danziger, Plantpeddler
Bees loved this plant. Out of the 1,000 pots we had in our gardens, this plant ranked the highest with our bees. Impressive indigo colored spikes work well for height in combos or flower beds as it does well in both conditions. Also loved by humans as it was picked in the top-15 at our Variety Days this year.
Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit, PanAmerican Seed, The Gardens at Ball
Echinacea Cheyenne Spirit from PanAmerican Seed is a classic now, and its attractiveness for bees, butterflies and birds was amazing. We had a large planting outside our cafe windows and it was a joy to watch the season progress with new pollinators every few weeks.
Lots of flowers all season and lots of pollinators.
Agastache Poquito Butter Yellow, Terra Nova Nurseries, Penn State University
This excellent performer was consistently inundated with pollinators including butterflies and many species of Hymenoptera. While it is only the first year of three in the perennial trials, it grew well and bloomed all season.
Verbena Cloud, Proven Winners, Mast Young Plants
New standalone series. MYP Annual Comparison Trial Winner features lollipops of lilac blooms on deep green foliage A fun plant for landscapes and containers.
Allium ‘Serendipity,’ Walters Gardens
This brand new perennial ornamental onion is a sport of Allium ‘Millenium’ that has all of the great qualities of the parent, but with blue foliage. The globe shaped rosy-purple flowers are produced prolifically in mid to late summer, unlike bulb Alliums, which typically bloom in spring and go dormant in the summer. The aromatic foliage deters deer and rabbits from feeding, and bees will collect both pollen and nectar from the flowers. Allium ‘Serendipity’ is part of the Proven Winners perennial program.
Echinacea Tres Amigos, Darwin Perennials, Boerner Botanical Gardens
Not only does this color drag you in from afar, it was often the perennial host for butterflies and honeybees.
West
Northwest
Allium 'Millenium' and Allium 'Serendipity,' Walters Gardens, Smith Gardens
Allium Serendipity is a sport of Millenium and we trialed both varieties in pots this year. Masses of bees swarmed the flower clusters of both varieties in summer, making them a great pollinator-friendly perennial choice.
BEST HEAT-TOLERANT ANNUAL
Southeast
Helianthus Suncredible ‘Yellow,’ Proven Winners, University of Georgia
Seven … seven months! This plant bloomed for over half of our calendar year and that should tell you all you need to know about heat tolerance. Georgia has had a tremendously hot summer and Suncredible ‘Yellow’ just shrugged it off like, “I’m good, I’ll just keep blooming.”
Lantana ‘Luscious Goldengate,’ Proven Winners, North Carolina State University
Well-branched, compact plants that are covered in golden yellow flowers and frequented by pollinators. They were easy to grow with no deadheading needed. Takes our heat and keeps on shining!
Coleus is always a winner in our garden. They perform great in the heat and humidity of an Alabama summer. ColorBlaze Wicked Witch was particularly nice, with deep purple foliage contrasted nicely with the ruffled green leaf edge. This coleus was also very late to flower and retained a great compact growth habit all season.
Great performing variety during the heat of the summer in Iowa. Loves the full sun and high temperatures. The variegated foliage and hot pink flowers are outstanding in flower beds and large landscape projects. Big plant, big color. Picked in the top five favorite plants in our trial gardens.
Petunia ColorRush White, Ball FloraPlant, The Gardens at Ball
Petunia ColorRush White from Ball FloraPlant was planted in our skyframe garden as well as a container showcase. It was a bright, crisp white all season and its blooms bounced back from harsh weather and storms.
This looked great throughout the summer with lots of bright flowers.
Angelonia Carita Purple, Syngenta Flowers, Penn State University
All Angelonia cultivars performed very well in the PSU Flower Trials, but Carita Purple was an excellent performer, and bloomed strongly throughout the growing season. Carita Purple received 5.0/5.0 scores for flowering on the first two ratings.
Coleus Stained Glassworks Royalty, Dümmen Orange, Mast Young Plants
Brings a bold splash of color to shade gardens. Excellent habit that adds texture and interest to mixed combinations. Suitable for solo and combo plantings.
West
Vinca ‘Soiree Kawaii Coral,’ Suntory, Colorado State University
Tiny coral-colored flowers were bright and prolific making an impressive display of color in either ground or containers. Additional features were the small white eye on the bloom and glossy green foliage. Plants stayed compact all summer long with no leggy branches.
Northwest
Osteospermum Zion Purple Sun, Selecta One, Smith Gardens
In the Pacific Northwest, we generally don’t get very hot, but even our mild summer temperatures are too high to keep most Osteospermums blooming into summer. Zion Purple Sun remained covered in striking multi-toned flowers in mid-July and continued blooming into August. Great mounded habit, no splitting.
BEST HEAT-TOLERANT PERENNIAL
Southeast
Gaura ‘Cool Breeze,’ Jelitto Perennial Seeds, the University of Georgia
This very impressive Gaura from Jelitto Perennial Seed had two heavy blooms this year and stood up the heat like a champ. ‘Cool Breeze’ has solid green leaves with large pure white flowers. It’s not uncommon to see pink or red in the fading flowers of Gaura but this selection stayed pure white from beginning to end and we loved it.
Lychnis ‘Petit Henri,’ Must Have Perennials, North Carolina State University
Uniform, compact plants with oblong, dark green leaves adorned with lots of clusters of double, white flowers. Blooms for a long time. Use for cuts.
Midwest
Sedum rupestre Prima Angelina, Darwin Perennials, The Gardens at Ball
Sedum rupestre Prima Angelina offered by Darwin Perennials held its bright chartreuse color through the season without burning. It remains a great-looking groundcover in our perennial beds, and was low-growing and fast-spreading in the summer months.
Rudbeckia American Gold Rush, Intrinsic Perennial Gardens, Penn State University
This plant has done very well in the PSU Flower Trials. The plants are in their second year of the three-year in-ground trials and have done very well in 2018 and 2019. In both seasons very little foliar spotting due to fungi has been observed. Plants received a 5.0/5.0 score for flowering in the second and third ratings in 2019.
Guara Belleza Dark Pink, Selecta, Mast Young Plants
Heat loving plant that blooms from summer to fall. Upright habit on compact plants Ideal for beds and large containers Hardy to Zone 6.
This variety is the ‘Holy Grail’ of hibiscus breeding, with its dark, near-black foliage and 8-9-inch deep red flowers. This hardy hibiscus brings a tropical look to the garden but is hardy to Zone 4, but also thrives in the heat of summer! The rounded, polished habit and lime green calyxes make this plant even more desirable in the landscape. Hibiscus Summerific ‘Holy Grail’ is part of the Proven Winners perennial program.
West
Northwest
Lavandula stoechas Violeta Purple XL, Syngenta/ThinkPlants, Smith Gardens
Violeta Purple XL was the winner of Spanish Lavenders for us this year — when all of the others were done blooming, this one kept on going all summer. They’re pictured here in August, flowering with huge colorful flags atop strong upright stems. A real standout.
Larry Smart
Departments - Three Questions
The professor, geneticist and breeder at Cornell University discusses his hemp research, establishing a hemp seed bank and developing new hemp genetics.
Cornell University professor Larry Smart researches hemp breeding and genetics. From his perspective, it’s the type of research needed to enable hemp growers to succeed now that the crop is legal again in the United States.
Greenhouse Management: A hemp seed bank is coming to Cornell. What is the impetus for the seed bank and what purpose do you think it will hold?
Larry Smart: That will be established by the USDA Ag Research Service and based at Cornell AgriTech. We have two cooperative units of the USDA here on campus and [will have] a germplasm specialist once we hire one. It’s a critical need in the industry because there are no public available germplasm resources that have characterized and developed as we have for every other crop species. As plant breeders look to improve crops, they look for genetic diversity for lines that contain genes for pest and disease resistance, for novel color or shape or any other ideal trait. Every other crop has a free and public resource available to the public, but that resource for hemp was destroyed in the 1970s when hemp was put on the controlled substance list. The hope is to restore that germplasm collection so that hemp breeders have resources available.
GM: In the two-plus years you’ve been doing hemp research, what are some of the things you’ve learned about it?
LS: This crop is particularly fickle in its decisions to flower and what sex it should flower. There are a lot of environmental controls over flowering in hemp, which makes it a little bit tricky to work with, but we’d also like to develop a better understanding of the genetic controls. The thing that is most surprising to me is how unrestrained the industry is at selling products of very poor quality on the side of seeds and cultivars. And that’s because of pure greed, and they are willing to sell seeds to farmers that have not been tested at all. I think if that were to be done commercially in the field corn market, for instance, those companies would be put out of business. If states declared that the only seed that could be sold was certified seed, that situation would change virtually overnight, although there would be very little certified seed available.
GM: How do you approach designing hemp trials?
LS: We’ve done three years of trials for grain and fiber cultivars. This year, we’re testing 37 different cultivars and because they grow quite differently and have different flowering times, we’ve separated them out based on maturity date and height. We’re now in our second season of growing CBD hemp varieties. These days, we’re trying to learn how to propagate things from cuttings even after they’ve gone to flower. And both indoors and outdoors, we’ve learned that hemp is very nutrient-demanding, so just maintaining plants in the greenhouse compared to a willow plant, for example, hemp in the greenhouse requires extremely regular fertilization in order to get the optimal growth.
Handling rainwater runoff
Departments - Tech Solutions
Water from greenhouses and surrounding structures and surfaces must be managed properly to prevent serious situations downslope.
Retention ponds store and treat runoff water for use in irrigation. Aeration may be needed to prevent algae formation.
Photos courtesy of John W. Bartok, Jr.
As greenhouse businesses expand, handling runoff and drainage water becomes of more concern. Greenhouses create an impervious surface that collects rainwater. Auxiliary buildings and paved parking lots add to this area. The water from these areas can create serious situations downslope.
A 1-inch rainfall on an acre of impervious area will produce 27,154 gallons of water. As much as 95% of this water runs off. The rest will evaporate. In most parts of the country, a storm with an intensity of 3 inches per hour is used as the design standard. In a few areas, such as California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, the design rate is between 1 and 2 inches per hour. Where hurricanes occur — Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi — a 4-inch-per-hour rate is used.
Rainwater collection from a roof is reasonably clean and frequently used for irrigation. For small- to medium-sized operations, plastic or corrugated steel storage tanks are used for collection. Click here for more information.
In larger operations, a retention pond may be the best choice. Where water is not needed but runoff has to be controlled for protection of downslope development, a detention pond can be used.
Both types of ponds are designed to hold and filter water. They are usually located in the lowest area on the property where normal runoff occurs. The incoming water can come through swales or from piping from the greenhouse gutters. The pond helps to control the sudden influx of water downstream.
These ponds are usually designed by an engineer who considers the amount of area from which the water will be collected, the soil type in the area, the peak inflow rate and the allowed discharge rate. State and local wetlands regulations will also have to be complied with. An emergency spillway is included to handle storms that exceed design flow. A fence around the pond may be installed to keep animals out.
A detention pond provides a short-time controlled release of stormwater runoff. Fencing may be necessary to keep animals away.
Retention ponds
Retention ponds collect and store water for reuse. After filtering, many growers use the water for irrigation of indoor and outdoor crops. A forebay is usually added if the water comes from outdoor growing areas or from areas between hoophouses. This traps the larger particles and provides a structure that can be easily cleaned. Cattail, bulrush and phragmites are frequently planted in the water along the edge of the pond to remove nitrates and pesticide contamination. A drain at the bottom of the pond is included to allow for emptying when silt removal or other maintenance is needed. Adding a fire department dry hydrant should be considered if the pond is near the greenhouses. Ponds in areas with porous soil may require a vinyl or polyethylene liner.
Detention ponds
To prevent water from curtain drains, paved areas or the greenhouse roof from flooding neighboring property, a detention pond is frequently installed. You often see these adjacent to mall areas where there are acres of parking lot and roof areas that collect large amounts of rainwater. The detention pond is a control structure that collects this large volume of water and then slowly releases it over a day or two by limiting the flow through a small outlet pipe. It also allows sedimentation, organic matter and other pollutants to settle out before the water is released. The pond is dry between storms and usually has a grass bottom that is mowed during the summer.
Maintenance
The outlet and inlet to ponds need to be checked frequently for trash and debris.
Most ponds have vegetation on the sloped banks to prevent erosion. This needs to be maintained during the year.
Depending on the amount of particulate matter in the water source going into the pond, the sediment may have to be cleaned at 5- to 20-year intervals.
John is an agricultural engineer, an emeritus extension professor at the University of Connecticut and a regular contributor to Greenhouse Management. He is an author, consultant and certified technical service provider doing greenhouse energy audits for USDA grant programs in New England. jbartok@rcn.com
Chris Manning
John W. Bartok Jr.
