We were all very excited earlier this week to learn our Australian bred Abutilon Lucky Lanterns have been selected by Delilah Onofrey, Editor of Greenhouse Grower Magazine as part of her Top 5 finalists for the Greenhouse Grower Magazine Editor’s Choice Award.

Our Lucky Lanterns were a total hit at California Spring Trials this year, impressing everyone with their natural compact habit & large outward facing clear bright blooms. The PH Team is looking forward to the award ceremony at OFA to find out if our Lucky Lanterns are successful.

EU Trends

The PlantHaven Plants Team had a super EU visit this month. The UK in particular put on a picture-perfect “Chocolate Box” English summer for us!!!  Hazy, mellow and “warm”. OK so we weren’t quite in shorts but we did get out our sun glasses!!! 

The Garden Centers were humming with customers purchasing colorful promotional crops by the cart load.  We did a quick stop off at Stewart Garden Center in the heart of the New Forest.  This store had just won the “Best Plants Area” in the UK for the second year running.  We were delighted to see a range of PlantHaven products in store including Euphorbia Ascot Rainbow with its nice early pink spring blush.

Strong trends from the UK are “Heritage Crops / Businesses”, “Home Grown”, “Sustainable”.  A key trend of the last few seasons has been self-sufficiency with production of home grown fruit and vegetables.  A more recent trend is “flowers for picking”. 

Top UK grocery stores are now carrying posies of scented Dianthus, whilst home gardeners are expanding their vegetable plots to include areas for growing flowers for picking: the new “Pickables”.

Picking Garden

Dianthus Rosy Cheeks (‘Valda Louise’)

One of the Devon Cottage series, Rosy Cheeks, is the perfect “Pickable” solution for customers wanting to grow their own blooms.  Rosy is one of my personal favorites with its old world Dianthus bloom and fragrance.  The fully double blooms are lavender pink in color carried on sturdy stems which do not flop. 

For a more contemporary feel cut the flower stems short and float them on water as we did at Spring Trials in 2010.  For the more traditional feel, a mixed posy Rosy Cheeks with small tight budded kissed pink roses and soft greenery of your choice gives that old world magic.

Top Tip: Dead head and feed regularly to encourage fast repeat blooming.  Half an Aspirin in the cut flowers water will also help extend the vase life of your blooms.

Dianthus Rosy Cheeks

Verbena ‘Little One’

‘Little One’ from US breeder John Andrew Maycen has impressed us for the last 8 weeks with its elegant hazy head of purple blooms in our trial garden.  Unlike your pot or annual Verbena, ‘Little One’ is a selection of Verbena bonariensis the South American Native Perennial. 

Unlike it’s big brother (Verbena Bonariensis) which can reach heights of over 5ft, ‘Little One’ stays the super petite 2ft spreading to 18” wide.  ‘Little One’ is ideal for planting in front of the perennial border, where the deep purple blooms help to create an elegant cottage garden feel.  No seed has been observed over the 3 years of trials making this selection well behaved and ideal for modern small garden spaces.

Verbenas are all great butterfly attractants and ‘Little One’ is no exception. So for those hoping to encourage butterflies into a Children’s garden this is the perfect choice. 

Top Tip: Trim hard back when young to encourage strong basal branching and a super full flowering gallon for impulse sales.  

Geranium Crystal Rose ('ABPP')

Crystal Rose is glowing away in the front garden.  A sport of Alan Bremner’s ‘Westray’, Crystal Rose just keeps growing on all who see it.  The iridescent blooms look as if they are made of glass.  The foliage is clean and green and has a super tight habit – which is excellent for the finished grower.  Crystal Rose is easy to produce from plugs or unrooted cuttings.

Top Tip: Grow over summer and fall to have super plants for early season impulse sales.

Geranium Crystal Rose

Trial Garden Update

The PlantHaven Trial garden is looking just amazing this month.  The growth rates have been out of this world with blooms, blooms and more blooms.  The misty “sea frets” Santa Barbara experiences in June has really helped our new garden settle in.  These sea frets are locally referred to as “June Gloom” by the Santa Barbarian population at large. 

A point and shoot image is attached here so you can see what we have all been up to.  We have also had some budding Photography type from the local Brooks Institute busy clicking away in the garden.

Over the summer we’ll be capturing lots of super new images to help you promote our PlantHaven selections in 2011.

Until our next issue, have a great month.

Kind regards
Geoff, Maureen & The PlantHaven Team