EHR 101 - 2024 New Varieties Annual Report

Welcome to the 2024 EHR 101 New Varieties Annual Report!

This year, we’re excited to continue our journey along the iconic Highway 101, bringing you the latest and greatest in new plant varieties from coast to coast. EHR 101 is more than just a name; it symbolizes our mission to guide you through the vibrant world of horticulture, from the sunny shores of California to the diverse regional trials across the nation.

Our team hit the road this spring, visiting the California Spring Trials (CAST) and beyond, capturing the essence of each new variety through our own lens. We’ll release a trial report at the end of the season with more photos and an overview of the plants chosen here, including insights from summer trials across the country.

In this year’s report, you’ll discover a curated selection of standout varieties that are set to make waves in the upcoming season. We’ve highlighted the gems that show promise to shine in seasons to come.

KITCHEN MINI™ BASIL BONSAI

Part of the Kitchen Minis™ collection, Kitchen Mini™ Basil Bonsai offers potted vegetable plants perfect for sunny windowsills or counters. This easy-togrow, compact Greek basil features small leaves that require no chopping for recipes, encouraging consumers to enjoy fresh, homegrown herbs. As the first herb addition to the Kitchen Minis™ line, Basil Bonsai diversifies the product assortment with its neat, bonsai-like shape, promising a fresh harvest over several weeks.

Canna Cannova® Gold Leopard stands out with its golden yellow petals adorned with unique red spots, resembling an animal print pattern. A bit taller than series companions, it has excellent garden performance with green foliage and continuous flowering. Gold Leopard thrives in heat and humidity as well as cold-tolerant. Ideal for combination pots and any space in the garden, this canna offers a striking addition to the Cannova series with its eye-catching flowers and robust growth.

CANNA CANNOVA® GOLD LEOPARD

PANAMERICAN SEED

TAKII SEED

B LD BR GHT BEG NIAS

BEGONIA BIG® WHITE BRONZE LEAF

Introducing the industry’s first interspecific bronze-leaf white begonia from seed, the Begonia BIG® White Bronze Leaf. This new addition rounds out the BIG® series with its impressive contrast between white flowers and bronze foliage. Designed for large containers and baskets, this begonia showcases a nice, full, rounded finished shape. Expect true interspecific garden performance with the renowned attributes of the BIG® series, ensuring robust growth and eye-catching appeal in any garden setting.

BENARY

BEGONIA NONSTOP JOY® MOCCA ROSE

The Begonia Nonstop Joy® Mocca Rose is a standout in the Nonstop Joy® series, designed for premium patio pots and baskets. This variety features extra-large double flowers in a harmonious rose color that contrasts beautifully with its dark leaves. With a semi-trailing, well-branched habit, Mocca Rose blooms all summer long, providing continuous color. Easy to produce and ship, this begonia is an excellent choice for growers looking for high-quality, visually stunning plants.

BENARY

BEGONIA NONSTOP® SERIES ADDITIONS

Continuing its legacy as the market leader in tuberous begonias, the Nonstop® series introduces two new colors: Flame and Lemon. Flame offers a darker flower pattern with more red, with a vigorous and well-branched plant habit. Lemon is a bright, cheerful addition with excellent flower quality, field performance, and early flowering. These varieties maintain the high standards of the Nonstop® series, ensuring reliability and vibrant displays.

BENARY

BEGONIA rex SPACE AGE™ SERIES

Introducing the Begonia rex Space Age™ Series, a groundbreaking line that has undergone rigorous trials for rooting performance, spring vigor, and summer garden performance! Featuring three exceptional cultivars, Europa™, Black Hole™, and Triton™, this series is designed to stand out with astronomically unique foliage. With foliage appeal all season, these begonias thrive in part shade to shade, reaching heights and spreads of 15-18 inches. Triton™, notable for its vigorous growth and dense, compact mound, adds to the series’ dynamic appeal. The Space Age™ series expands the list of shade offerings for gardeners seeking extraordinary foliage.

PROVEN WINNERS

SPACE AGE™ BLACK HOLE™

SPACE AGE™ TRITON™

SPACE AGE™ EUROPA™

CALIBRACHOA

CALILOCO® SERIES

The new Calibrachoa Caliloco® series brings the unique and distinct flowers of the Crazytunia® series to Calibrachoa. Featuring standout varieties like Spicey Honey, with its vivid orange, red, and yellow blooms, captivated attention at CAST. Other notable additions include Frankenberry, Graffiti, and Pink Squish. This new series promises exceptional garden performance and striking visual appeal.

WESTHOFF FLOWERS

CALIBRACHOA SUPERBELLS® DOUBLE SMITTEN PINK™

PW says gardeners will be smitten with Superbells® Double Smitten Pink™, a double-flowered calibrachoa with charming rosebud-like blossoms in two-tone shades of light and rose pink. This cultivar is a robust addition to the Superbells® Double line, known for its well-branched, mounded trailing habit and resistance to Thielaviopsis. Suitable for containers, hanging baskets, window boxes, and mixes, it grows 6-12 inches in height with a 12-24 inch spread. Blooming from spring to fall without deadheading, Double Smitten Pink™ offers continuous color and reliable performance.

PROVEN WINNERS

CALIBRACHOA LIA™ SERIES ADDITIONS

The Calibrachoa Lia™ series sees exciting new additions with Abstract Lemon Cherry, Chili Pepper, Spark Lavender, and Sky Blue. Designed as the best replacement for the Noa® series, the Lia™ series offers medium vigor, controlled habits, and tight internodes for more flowers. These new colors provide a novelty appeal and are perfect for basket production. Tested for pH sensitivity, the series ensures reliable blooming even in challenging conditions.

DANZIGER

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com

MINIFAMOUS® FUNTOPIA BLUE & PINK, MIXED

CALIBRACHOA CIELO® SERIES

Green Fuse introduces the Cielo® Series, noting it as having the largest flowers of any calibrachoa on the market. With excellent heat and pH tolerance, this series features 13 intense colors, with Firecracker and Pink Splash stealing our attention. The Cielo® series is known for its aggressive habit while maintaining tight internodes, making it perfect for one-plant-per-pot basket programs. Green Fuse notes that this will become the new standard.

GREEN FUSE BOTANICALS

CALIBRACHOA

MINIFAMOUS® UNO SERIES ADDITIONS

Selecta expands the MiniFamous® Uno series with three notable introductions: Funtopia Blue, Funtopia Pink, and Ember Eclipse. Funtopia Blue features double blue flowers, while Funtopia Pink showcases double pink and white blooms with yellow centers. Both feature a playful pattern on frilly double blooms and look stellar as a mix. Ember Eclipse adds a unique single bloom with vibrant orange and red hues. This series is known for its early-to-finish, medium-compact habit, uniform flower timing, and resistance to powdery mildew, making it ideal for sales in small pots and mixed containers.

SELECTA ONE

MINIFAMOUS® EMBER ECLIPSE

CALIBRACHOA RAINBOW® PINK PEPPERBERRY 2025

The Calibrachoa Rainbow® Pink Pepperberry 2025 offers vibrant blooms that change color based on temperature at bud set. This improved variety features denser branching, habit, and vigor uniformity, making it perfect for standalone hanging baskets or larger combinations. Alongside variety improvements of Tiger Tail and Iced Blueberry, Pink Pepperberry continues to impress with its dynamic color and robust garden performance.

DUMMEN ORANGE

VIRTUOUSO™ PINKERIFIC™

DAHLIA

VIRTUOUSO™

SERIES

The Dahlia Virtuoso™ Series from Proven Winners (PW) showcases some of the very best in garden dahlias, trialed and selected for outstanding vigor, powdery mildew tolerance, and all-season performance. Large, double flowers in top-selling colors such as Classy Carmine™, Dayglo Yellow™, Red Raz™, Vibrant Violet™, and Pinkerific™ bloom on proportional stems above densely mounded foliage. PW has given us a consumer and growerfriendly dahlia, growing 15-18 inches in height with a 12-18 inch spread. With a broad range of colors and a longer sales window, the Virtuoso™ Series is ideal for gardeners and retailers seeking reliable, vibrant dahlias.

PROVEN WINNERS

COLEUS TERRASCAPE SERIES

The Coleus TerraScape Series introduces eight varieties that thrive in full sun and shade with mildew resistance. Ideal for landscapes, patio pots, and baskets, this series showcases diverse textures and vibrant colors. Mojave Sunrise, a top pick, features wavy, copper-toned foliage that adds distinctive character. There are two basket-types that are within the TerraScapes, Paprika and All That Jazz, but all varieties will do well in the landscape.This series comes from the UF coleus breeding program, the same program behind popular series like Main Street and Stained Glassworks.

KIENTZLER

DAHLIA MISS MANDY

Dedicated in memory of Mandy Gerace, the Dahlia Miss Mandy boasts huge 3-4” peach-pink double flowers. This vigorous grower is ideal for large pots or landscape plantings, providing unmatched beauty throughout the late summer season. With well-branched, vigorous habits, Miss Mandy offers a spectacular display of color and form. At CAST, it displayed beautifully in a pot or as a cut flower.

SYNGENTA FLOWERS

FL WER

DAHLIA BLACK FOREST RUBY

The Dahlia Black Forest Ruby is a new introduction with striking black foliage and intense red flowers. This compact, upright plant is perfect for containers and gardens of all sizes. Featuring semi-double to double flowers, Black Forest Ruby offers a bold contrast that enhances any landscape. Expect more colors to join this stunning variety, promising continued excitement and visual impact.

TAKAII SEED

HERE COMES

HELIANTHUS

SUNFINITY® DOUBLE YELLOW

“Double the sun and double the garden fun” with the Helianthus Sunfinity® Double Yellow. This innovative sunflower features double yellow flowers with less vigor than Sunfinity®, ensuring better suitability for 2.5 qt and larger containers. Resistant to powdery mildew and earlier to finish than seed varieties, Sunfinity® Double Yellow excels in garden performance and continuous flowering throughout the summer season. This stunner was our top-pick at CAST 2024, a unanimous must-have of the team!

SYNGENTA FLOWERS

Pot and bloom photos courtesy of Syngenta Flowers

CHERRIES

DURABELLA® COMBO FIRE QUEEN

The DuraBella® Fire Queen combination features a blend of Calibrachoa Lia Yellow, Petunia Amore Queen of Hearts, and Verbena Vanessa Red. This recipe has been trialed to ensure a harmonious blend all season. The DuraBella® mixes are known for colorful combinations that offer excellent garden performance and visual appeal, making it a top choice for vibrant, longlasting displays. This mix was just starting to show off at CAST, so we are interested to see its performance at trials throughout the summer!

DANZIGER

GERANIUM (PELARGONIUM) CUSTOM COMBINATIONS

Syngenta showcased over 25 geranium combinations at CAST this year. These inspiring geranium recipes are designed to make a statement at retail and delight consumers all summer long. While not pre-mixed in a tray like Syngenta’s Kwik Kombos™, these curated combinations offer exceptional visual appeal. Favorites include Pretty in Pink Mix, I Miss You Mix, Cherry on Top Mix, and Glad You’re Mine Mix, each providing unique color blends and robust growth.

SYNGENTA FLOWERS

GERANIUM (PELARGONIUM)

GLORY DAYS SERIES

The Geranium Glory Days Series introduces two new heat-tolerant, bicolored peltatum geraniums with single, self-cleaning flowers. Featuring a medium to vigorous trailing habit, these geraniums are perfect for hanging baskets. The series includes Pink Bicolor and Red Orange Bicolor, both with vibrant colors and edemafree foliage. Glory Days offers reliable garden performance and striking visual impact.

DUMMEN ORANGE

MANDEVILLA SUN PARASOL® FIREDUP ORANGE

The Sun Parasol® FiredUp Orange is an exciting new introduction from Suntory Flowers, featuring a new pinwheelshaped flower form. With slender foliage in an upright habit with vibrant orange blooms, FiredUp Orange creates a striking tropical look. Ideal for patios and gardens, this new series promises to “fire up” any outdoor space with its unique beauty and robust growth.

SUNTORY FLOWERS

MANDEVILLA SUN PARASOL® ORIGINAL XP BLUEPHORIA™

The Mandevilla Sun Parasol® Original XP series introduces Bluephoria™, featuring blue flowers that start with pink buds. Known for superior branching and flower power, this variety blooms earlier and starts with pink buds that open to mesmerizing shades of blue and purple. With a full, bushy habit, Bluephoria™ reaches 12 to 24 inches in height. Other new introductions in the series include Mauvelous and Double Pink Blush, continuing the tradition of extreme performance and vibrant displays.

SUNTORY FLOWERS

Photo courtesy of Suntory Flowers

IMPATIENS

BEACON® CHICAGO MIX, OTWAY MIX

The Impatiens Beacon® series introduces two new mixes! These threecolor mixes are named after lighthouses in areas affected by impatiens downy mildew. The Chicago Mix includes Beacon® Violet Shades, White, and a future introduction Blue Pearl, while the Otway Mix features Lipstick, Rose, and Light Pink. Both mixes offer high resistance to downy mildew, vibrant colors, and uniform plant habits, making them suitable for packs, pots, hanging baskets, and in-ground beds.

PANAMERICAN SEED

LOBELIA MASTERPIECE BLUE WITH EYE

The Lobelia Masterpiece Blue with Eye is a FleuroSelect winner and the first F1 hybrid from seed. This variety features a more vigorous, mounding habit with abundant flowers. With excellent form and early flowering, it is perfect for small and large containers or baskets. Its heat tolerance and good branching make it a standout choice for both pot and landscape production, offering vibrant color and robust growth. Benary notes that “this changes the game for lobelia!”

BENARY

LOBELIA STRATUS BLUE

Westhoff’s Lobelia Stratus Blue is a new standalone variety that truly stands out with its unique bi-color flowers. Combining elements of the Hot series, this Lobelia offers extremely heavy flowering and excellent heat tolerance. Its ‘glowing’ flowers will absolutely grab attention in the garden and at garden centers, making it a valuable addition to any bench, pot, or graden!

WESTHOFF FLOWERS

CHICAGO MIX

OTWAY MIX

The Petchoa SuperCal® Premium Rose Star brings a vibrant, iridescent color to the SuperCal® Premium series. Accompanied by intros Pink Mist and Rose Pink, this variety matches traits of its companions: large, vibrant flowers with high heat, cold, and rain tolerance. The SuperCal® Premium series features a more mounding habit with larger flowers than SuperCal®. Easy to grow and early to flower, Rose Star promises exceptional garden performance and extended blooming seasons.

PETCHOA SUPERCAL® PREMIUM ROSE STAR SAKATA

OSTEOSPERMUM AKILA® HAWAII SUNSET MIXTURE

Another great PanAmerican Seed mix! The Osteospermum Akila® Hawaii Sunset Mixture offers a vibrant mix of bicolors, including yellow/gold with a pink center, orange/bronze with a pink/purple center, rose/mauve with a purple center, and bronze/scarlet with a purple center. Known for its compact habit, excellent branching, and drought tolerance, this series delivers top-selling colors and uniform flowering. Hawaii Sunset Mixture ensures stunning displays with minimal maintenance. PanAmerican Seed notes, “5% higher germination than competitors for higher yields – it’s the best seed-grown osteo for both habit and seed quality.”

PANAMERICAN SEED

COOL and

OSTEOSPERMUM 4D™ BLUE ICE

An addition to the 4D™ series, Osteospermum 4D™ Blue Ice features large, white and blue daisy-like flowers with extra-large centers that remain open 24/7. This variety offers excellent branching, masses of blooms, and superior uniformity. Ideal for early season displays, Blue Ice provides continuous color and robust performance in both containers and garden beds.

SELECTA ONE

PETUNIA CRAZYTUNIA® SERIES ADDITIONS

The Crazytunia® series continues to impress! Known for exceptional blooms, these new varieties offer unique patterns and vibrant colors much like their companions. Citrus Hill features eye-catching warm hues, while Secred Star provides striking contrast. Both varieties have great landscape performance and visual impact. Westhoff is selecting not only novelty colors and patterns for Crazytunia®, but also grower-friendly habits and great landscape performance.

WESTHOFF FLOWERS

PETUNIA BLUE DIAMOND™

Part of the Red Carpet Collection, Petunia Blue Diamond™ features a purple with white star pattern and a mounding habit. Slightly more compact than the Capella™ series, Blue Diamond™ is an early bloomer with large flowers. This stand-alone variety offers striking visual appeal and reliable performance, making it a valuable addition to any garden or container.

DANZIGER

PETUNIA

EASY WAVE® NAVY VELOUR

Easy Wave® Navy Velour features large, velvety dark blue-purple-black flowers on plants with a slightly more upright habit and controlled spreading than Burgundy Velour. Known for simplified production and maximized plug yields, the Easy Wave® series allows for versatile growing and specialty mixes. Navy Velour stands out with its robust cold durability and vibrant color, making it a reliable choice for early spring displays and extended blooming seasons.

PANAMERICAN SEED

Dynamic Display

PETUNIA PAINTED LOVE™ PURPLE

Petunia Painted Love™ Purple offers a unique purple and white bicolor flower with a mounding habit, perfect for hanging baskets and mono pots. The more light the plant receives, the darker the purple gets, creating a dramatic look in the garden. Tested for outstanding garden resilience and flower stability, Painted Love™ Purple ensures continuous performance and vibrant displays throughout the summer.

SYNGENTA FLOWERS

Royally Striking

PETUNIA SUPERTUNIA TIARA™ BLUE

Supertunia Tiara™ Blue features captivating vivid violet-blue flowers with a white luminescent glow emanating from the center. This unique color pattern, new to the Supertunia® line, made it a top pick for 2025. Known for its great vigor, this petunia is perfect for 4.25 Grande™ and 1.0 Royale™ containers, recipes, baskets, window boxes, monocultures, and landscapes. Tiara Blue blooms from spring to fall. Its impressive vigor, especially for a novelty patterned petunia, and striking flowers make it a standout choice. It debuts alongside Tiara Pink.

PROVEN WINNERS

Photo

Photo

PETUNIA HELLS THE RED!

Addition to the Hells series, Petunia Hells The Red! is touted as the reddest petunia ever by Westhoff. This new variety sets a high standard for all future reds. With its intense color being just one standout feature, this strong-performing plant also features a flexible mounding habit. Ideal for small pots, hanging baskets, and combination planters, Hells The Red! offers unmatched visual impact and robust growth, making it a top choice for vibrant garden displays.

WESTHOFF FLOWERS

Another pink petunia in this class is a welcome addition! The Petunia Dekko™ Maxx™ Pink showcases some serious vigor, making it ideal for landscape coverage. Need an explosion of pink? This intro nails it. With the same vibrant color as weel-known industry favorites, it promises to perform just as well. Its smaller flower size and low spreading habit ensure outstanding durability in tough landscape conditions, providing continuous color and reliable performance throughout the season.

SYNGENTA FLOWERS

PETUNIA DEKKO™ MAXX™ PINK

Photo courtesy of Syngenta Flowers

VINCA NIRVANA® XDR SERIES

The new Vinca Nirvana® XDR series offers four novelty colors: Blackberry, Blue Halo, Blush Splash, and Cranberry Halo. With proven XDR level resistance to multiple strains of aerial Phytophthora, this vegetative series is built for summer heat and resilient garden performance. Medium vigor and mounding habits make Nirvana® XDR perfect for premium pots and mixed combinations. Blush Splash will be the replacement for Pink Splash Cascading. More colors to come! SYNGENTA FLOWERS

NIRVANA® XDR BLUSH SPLASH

NIRVANA® XDR BLUE HALO

NIRVANA® XDR CRANBERRY HALO

NIRVANA® XDR BLACKBERRY

Pot photos courtesy of Syngenta Flowers

SCAEVOLA STARDIVA™ SERIES

Meet the first-ever series of Scaevola aemula with star-shaped rather than fan-shaped flowers! Debuting in three colors, Blue, Pink, and White, these plants form compact, dense to semi-trailing mounds that are more compact than the Whirlwind® series. The star-shaped flowers are arranged in a star formation, creating a larger, fuller appearance. Pollinating bees are quick to find the tiny white bullseye that rims the throat of each flower. Extremely durable in sun, heat, humidity, rain, drought, and wind, Stardiva™ scaevola grows 4-8 inches in height with a 10-14 inch spread. PROVEN WINNERS

VINCA

TITAN-IUM™

SERIES

The Vinca Titan-ium™ series combines the best features of Vinca Titan™ with added high disease resistance to some strains of aerial Phytophthora. PanAmerican Seed notes that it is not immune to the disease; therefore, in some scenarios, preventative measures are still recommended. The series provides a range of vibrant colors and robust performance. Varieties include Apricot, Blush, Really Red, Polka Dot, Punch (a bit more red than Titan™ Punch), and White (most vigor of the series). A Mix option contains all series colors. Known for its early flowering, these plants offer a compact habit and excellent branching. Ideal for packs, pots, and garden beds, the Titan-ium™ series ensures reliable growth and stunning displays.

PANAMERICAN SEED

TITA PUNCH

TITAN-IUM™ BLUSH

TITAN-IUM™ MIX

Photo courtesy of Proven Winners - www.provenwinners.com

As we wrap up this year’s EHR 101 New Varieties Annual Report, we’re thrilled you joined us on this vibrant ride along the floral highway. We’ve spotlighted over 30 groovy new introductions that are sure to jazz up any garden.

KEEP COOL and

Our adventure is just getting started! We’ll be hitting the road, from the East Coast to the heartland of the Midwest and down to the sunny South, to see how these beauties are blooming. Stay tuned for updates as we track their progress and share our end-of-season report.

Join the fun! If you have photos or have discovered exceptional varieties we might have missed, send them our way at marketing@ehrnet.com. Your contributions could be featured in our next update.

EHR 101 is your ultimate guide, crafted by our dedicated staff and expert sales reps, designed to help you navigate the ever-evolving world of new plant varieties. As you plan your summer trials or gear up for the next production year, we hope this report serves as a valuable resource, inspiring you to make informed decisions and discover the perfect additions for your season and flourishing gardens.