ALCA MEMBER PROFILE CIVANO GROWERS
Joan Lionetti
Purple Rain
Pioneering Plants that Thrive in the Urban Southwest
San Antonio Rose
Orange Crush
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hat does it take to develop a cultivar that thrives in our harsh urban Southwest environment? To scratch the surface, it starts with trial and error, scrutiny, and research. At Civano Growers, we strive to breed and introduce cultivars that can handle our environmental extremes. Poor soil, reflective heat, intense sun, monsoonal rains, and freezing temperatures are just some of the hurdles that Civano Originals must overcome. After over 20 years of introducing, trialing, and breeding plants for Southwest urban landscapes, Civano is sharing these cultivars with fellow growers. This gives residential customers and landscapers access to specialty cultivars developed for the urban landscape. Growers will have the option to choose from several sizes that best suit their needs. Shrubs and perennials are available in 72-cell trays or the new six-pack Shrub Shifter™ tray. Trees are available in 28-cell Mini Shifter™ trays and 8-cell Tree ShifterⓇ trays. Propagated at the Tucson farm, these cultivars can be finished by growers at their facilities all over the Southwest - from Southern California to Austin and from Las Vegas to Albuquerque. In the last two years, Civano has introduced two new groundbreaking Leucophyllum (Texas Sage) cultivars that have exceeded all expectations. The first is ‘San Antonio Rose’, which is an improvement on the traditional ‘Compacta’. ‘San Antonio Rose’ touts a larger, more robust flower, a compact growth habit, and tolerates standing water. The second is ‘Purple Rain’, which is a blend of the Chihuahuan Rain Sage and ‘Heavenly Cloud’. ‘Purple Rain’ establishes much easier in the landscape than its parents but retains their best attributes. Civano Grower’s new Desert Willow selections have truly knocked it out of the park. The ‘Sweet Bubba’ Seedless has an upright, uniform growth habit with deep burgundy flowers that emerge from pearl white buds. ‘Bubba Jones’ has a vigorous growth habit and produces a large pink flower. It is by far the most floriferous of any Desert Willow. The Joan Lionetti Texas Live Oak (Quercus virginiana ‘Joan Lionetti’) is perfect for any urban streetscape in an arid environment. The original seed was sourced from Central Texas over 18 years ago. Each tree is cloned from the original, ensuring that every tree will maintain the same compact growth habit it was selected for. Its dense canopy is expected to reach a 30 ft expanse within 15 years. Asclepias are some of the best pollinator plants available but can be untidy looking in the landscape. Civano Growers has developed two cultivars to answer the challenge. Asclepias subulata ‘Butterfly Magic’ has velvet
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THE ALCA INFLUENCE
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March/April 2022
Sweet Bubba Seedless
Monarch Magnet 2.0
grey leaves and large white flowers. Asclepias linaria ‘Monarch Magnet 2.0’ has a compact shape, green feathery leaves, and prolific flowers. Both introductions are superior nectar and host plants for indigenous fauna and soften any landscape design. New for 2022, the ‘Orange Crush’ Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Orange Crush’) is one of Civano Grower’s best cultivars. Landscapers and residential customers alike will enjoy the extended bloom cycle and its superior compactness - only growing up to 1½ ft tall and 2½ ft wide. Growers can expect it to fill the container quickly with very little effort. Civano Growers isn’t stopping there. This year, keep an eye out for a Baja Fairy Duster hybrid and a new dwarf Leucophyllum; both are sure to impress. Civano Growers will continue to develop innovative plant cultivars that are attractive, functional, and tough as nails. For more information about Civano Growers or to become a customer, please contact us at: www.civanogrowers.com | (520)746-9205 wholesale@civanogrowers.com
