Just how is a grower to choose? With new varieties being selected, hybridized, packaged and marketed, how does a grower sift through the options, lay aside the personal bias and select the right plants to offer their customers? Well, by trial of course! We have our own beds, plots and containers where we try out new varieties (or old ones never tried in Zone 10 gardens before). But before those plants can even make it to our trial gardens, we like to see them performing out in the unique Florida environment. That’s where the FNGLA Floriculture Field Days come in – providing growers, landscapers and breeders the chance to observe plants in Florida ground. This year the event was held at Walt Disney World, timed to be included as part of the annual Epcot International Flower Festival. So your friends from Pinder’s headed out to see first hand what breeders are offering in the “New”, “Improved” and “Fascinating” categories. Not to mention several “Oh, wow. I just gotta have that . . .” selections to add to our fall line-up. So I am here to give you a preview of what you have in store! And there are some items we saw that we would like to hear your thoughts on. So keep following these posts to get the low down and give your feedback.To set this field trial, breeders provided cuttings which were rooted in by Riverview Farms and finished off by Knox Nursery. The plants were placed out in a orderly patchwork of beds and grown on for six weeks. During all of this time, the plants’ performance on a variety of criteria (vigor, disease/pest resistance, color, heat/sun tolerance, bloom quality & quantity to name a few). These evaluations were conducted by Disney Horticulturalist, Heather Will-Brown, and All American Selections judge. (To review the data collected in this and other Florida field trials, check out www.floridaflowertrial.org ). But the most critical assessment was the appraisal of industry professionals on May 12-13. While we were pleased with improvements we saw in Coleus, Caladium & Petunias. It was the truly innovative “New” Vegetables and the “Fascinating” garden plants that excited us most. Stay tuned as I tell you about these discoveries.
For a plant nerd, choosing from the patchwork of possible plants can be a challenge.explains to park guests why this site is not your typical "Magic-of-Disney" style planting