Put to the test

Trials are critical to the success of the entire industry, including breeders, growers, retailers and landscape professionals.

Wherever you fall in the green industry supply chain, you must be confident that the plant you’re selecting to grow, sell to a consumer, spec for a job or install in a landscape has been thoroughly tested.

Selecting a winner from years of trials builds trust throughout the industry and ensures the end consumer will enjoy their selection and come back for more!

PlantHaven trials perennials, tropical and annual color lines. The PlantHaven annual trials consist of between 100 and 200 new candidates. Perennials are trialed for at least three to five years before the ultimate launch date.

PlantHaven spends years trialing plants before they’re introduced. “Before a product makes it to the retail bench, our team and industry partners have put those plants through their paces,” explains Robert Bett, CEO at PlantHaven.

Plants are tested for several attributes including:
• Heat and humidity tolerance
• Zone hardiness
• Ease of propagation and production
• Length of flowering and shelf life

In August, PlantHaven welcomed guests to its 2015 Fall Trials Open House, where nearly 400 cultivars were on display. The Open House Trials present a wide variety of genera grown under nursery conditions in both containers and in-ground beds.
“The trials offer an excellent opportunity to evaluate new varieties, on-the-market varieties and experimentals in a comparative setting,” Bett says.