Plantpeddler releases results for 2018 Variety Day

Plantpeddler in Cresco, Iowa held its annual Variety Day, Friday, Aug. 3. The event showcased nearly 1,200 varieties of vegetative annuals in large containers, baskets, planters and beds from a global array of breeders.

Growers, breeders, brokers, and retailers spent the day touring the greenhouses and in seminars by industry professionals. Dr. Raymond Cloyd of Kansas State University discussed strategies for dealing with whitefly and broad mites. Christine Nowicki from Selecta One, Scott Valentine, Amy Briggs-Macha, and Ryan Hall of Syngenta Flowers, and Mike Fernandez of Danziger talked about their respective companies and recent variety releases. Gary Fay of H. E. Anderson explained the benefits of chemical injectors for control of pH and fertility. Participants had the opportunity to view the trial gardens and vote on their three favorite varieties. The top 25 favorites were:

#	Genus	Variety	Breeder
1	Begonia	Solenia Yellow	Benary+
2	Begonia	Hiemalis Vermillion	Beekenkamp
3	Begonia	Fragrant Falls Peach	Beekenkamp
4	Begonia	Solenia Apricot	Benary+
5	Salvia	Skyscraper Pink	Selecta One
6	Begonia	Fragrant Falls Lemon	Beekenkamp
7	Petunia	Headliner Night Sky	Selecta One
8	Begonia	Waterfalls Encanto Red	Beekenkamp
9	Coleus	Stained Glassworks Golden Gate	Dummen Orange
10	Begonia	PedSemps Cherry Blossom	Plantpeddler
11	Verbena	Temari Patio Blue	Suntory
12	Begonia	Hiemalis Valentino Pink	Koppe
13	Begonia	Hiemalis Evi Bright Pink	Beekenkamp
14	Verbena	Lanai Premium Twister Watercolor	Syngenta
15	Geranium, Interspecific	Calliope Large Rose Mega Splash	Syngenta
16	Begonia	Waterfalls Angel Falls Champagne	Beekenkamp
17	Verbena	Lanai Red Star	Syngenta
18	Salvia	Sallyfun Deep Ocean	Danziger
19	Begonia	Summerwings Dark Elegance	Kientzler
20	Verbena	Lascar Hot Rose	Selecta One X
21	Lantana	Bandana Cherry Imp.	Syngenta
22	Angelonia	Alonia Big Snow Ball	Danziger
23	Lobelia	Techno Heat Upright Cobalt Blue	Syngenta
24	Begonia	Hiemalis Eva	BBA
25	Begonia	Solenia Orange	Benary+

The event was made even more enjoyable by the perfect weather and a cookout under the big tent, featuring locally grown food including Aronia Berry bratwurst.

Mark your calendars for Poinsettia Variety Day Dec. 6, 2018, and the next Variety Day, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019, which will be a celebration of Plantpeddler’s 40th Anniversary. Please make plans to attend both events.