Pansy Joker series
When I started with GMPRO in 1985, one of the first plant series that I remember learning about was Benary’s Joker series. I think the series stuck in my mind for two reasons: pansies are instantly recognizable to almost anyone and the name Joker Poker Face is a classic. The series contains multiple award winners and has stood the test of time.
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Colors include Light Blue, Red-Gold, Mahogany-Gold and Violet-Gold.
Sow one to three seeds per plug cell or peat pot. Germination occurs in 14-21 days at 59°F-64°F and requires light. Seed should not be allowed to dry out.
Low fertilization levels are required. Use a 100 parts per million nitrogen slow-release fertilizer that’s potassium balanced. Avoid high ammonium and nitrogen levels. Watch for magnesium and iron deficiency.
For planting at frost, the roots should be developed for winter and the plants should not be too small.
For more: Benary Seeds, (815) 895-6705; www.benary.com.
Euphorbia Diamond Frost
Euphorbia Diamond Frost is a plant you either love or hate. I love it. It’s truly a plant that makes the other plants around it look better. And, by itself, it’s still a knockout. I’ve seen it surrounding geraniums and poinsettias and shaped to form a snowman. Talk to growers who produce Diamond Frost and chances are high that you’ll get a unique success story or use.
Plants are self-cleaning, so deadheading isn’t necessary. They are heat and drought tolerant as well.
Plants root out best at 65°F-72°F and grow on at 60°F-70°F. They prefer high light levels and high temperatures for fastest growth. The growing medium should be kept moderate to moist. No vernalization is necessary.
Plants are fuller with a shearing. A pinch shouldn't be needed. Plants at salable sizes can be held using low temperatures.
A 4- to 5-inch pot will finish in six to eight weeks. Finish times for a 1-gallon is eight to 10 weeks.
Plants will flower year-round in a greenhouse, but they will not survive outside in winter, except in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 and higher.
Plants that are allowed to bulk up over the winter will flower in spring of the first season. Plants brought in for spring production without vernalization will not flower uniformly until the next season. Plants flower naturally through January.
For more: Proven Winners, (877) 865-5818; www.provenwinners.com.
Lavandula Ellagance series
Kieft Seeds’ Lavandula angustifolia Ellagance series contains two Fleuroselect winners, Purple and Sky, and White Blush. Both are first-year-flowering perennials that produce large flower spikes on well-branched, full plants. Flowers appear from June to October.
Sky has light, violet-blue flowers that are a first for the species. Purple’s flowers are intense purple-blue. Purple flowers two weeks earlier than the other two and is the earliest flowering purple on the market.
Foliage on both consists of oblong leaves that are bushy and gray-green. Plants reach 12-14 inches tall.
Sow seed in mid-February by lightly covering it in vermiculite. Sow in a 264-tray and transplant plugs into a 4 1/2-inch pot. In week one, maintain a temperature of 50°F. For the next three weeks, keep temperatures at 68°F. Kieft recommends temperatures of 59°F-64°F for the rest of propagation.
Plants finish in 15-16 weeks.
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For more: Kieft Seeds, (360) 445-2031; www.kieftseeds.com.
- Jyme Mariani