2016 Costa Farms Late-Spring Top Performers

2016 Late-Spring Top Performers Costa Farms Trial Garden

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ere at Costa Farms, research and development is an important investment. We utilize it to ensure our retailer partners—and the home gardeners and decorators who buy our plants—enjoy as much success as possible.

We trial some 500 varieties every spring in our 2-acre Trial Garden in Miami, FL. In the following pages, you’ll find the top-performing plants from our late-spring trials.

Our R&D team collects plant-performance data and photography every two weeks. See this data at http://rd.costafarms.com Our climate simulates summer conditions in the North. If plants perform well in our spring trials, it’s a good indicator they should thrive in Northern summers.

We know there are many ways home gardeners and decorators use our plants. We’ve organized this report into four categories • Trendy Plants for Urban Settings • Traditional Plants for Urban Settings • Trendy Plants or Suburban Settings • Traditional Plants for Suburban Settings

More than 500 varieties evaluated!

Verbena ‘Meteor Showers’

Growing Information

Most plants were grown in 6-inch pots prior to transplant and started from an unrooted cutting or seed. They were transplanted into the Costa Farms Trial Garden between December 13, 2015 and January 8, 2016.

A timed-release fertilizer was used at planting time and a fertilizer/fungicide drench was applied the week of December 28, 2015.

Chemical controls for pests and diseases were applied only on an as-needed basis during the evaluation period. In addition to traditional pesticide applications, biological organisms, such as predatory mites, were used.

Assessment Information

To be considered a top performer in our trials, a variety needs to show abundance of bloom (if applicable), excellent uniformity across the crop, clean foliage and resistance to disease, little to no pest damage, and a pleasing habit.

The evaluation period for this report is April 1, 2016, to May 13, 2016. Environmental data is available via the charts to the left.

Number of Varieties Evaluated 500+

Urban Chic Trendy, modern plants add big, bold appeal in big cities.

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lmost two-thirds of Americans live in urban areas, yet these places are often overlooked when it comes to gardening.

Whether it’s a window box, hanging basket, or planter on a patio; a cute front yard design to add curb appeal; or a fun balcony/rooftop makeover to create a private green space, plants abound. In fact, some of the most creative gardens are in urban locales.

Hot plants for folks who want a trend-setting look feature the ability to thrive with little care, along with visual qualities such as eye-catching foliage, bold colors, and interesting or exotic flower shapes.

From begonias to longblooming gerbera daisies, here are some of our picks for creating a lush urban planting.

A: Alternanthera Purple Prince: It used to be that only

hardcore gardeners appreciated the beauty of fantastic foliage, but now consumers of all levels recognize the value of colorful leaves. Presented by PanAmerican Seed.

B: Begonia Sun Cities series: This line of boliviensis-type

begonias (San Francisco and Santa Cruz) feature exotic, eyecatching blooms. Their easy-care nature and ability to thrive in both sun and shade is certain to appeal to anyone that wants to add drama to their outdoor space. Presented by Benary.

C: Lobularia Yolo Top White: Attractive and elegant,

Lobularia Yolo Top White offers a sweet fragrance­—a subtle, but effective way of adding more appeal to any space. This variety has a creeping/trailing habit and is ideal for filling containers to create a lush look. Presented by Dummen Orange.

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D: Pelargonium Ice Queen: Simply striking, Ice Queen sets itself apart from the geranium pack with its fantastically variegated foliage. It looks as good in a window box in front of a brownstone home as it does on a patio, balcony, or rooftop garden. Presented by Vivero International.

E: Pavonia Ellen’s Legacy: Anyone looking for something a

little different than the typical geranium or petunia to decorate their favorite outdoor space is sure to take notice of this pavonia. A colorful selection of a tough, North American native wildflower, Ellen’s Legacy pavonia offers a long bloom season and fantastic tolerance to both heat and drought, so it’s great for spring and summer. Presented by EuroAmerican Propagators.

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F: Verbena Lanai Red Star: Gen Y-ers (or anyone, really, who

wants a bold plant to make a statement in their space) may consider this variety, which features reddish flowers decorated with a pretty white star pattern. Its floriferous nature makes Lanai Red Star verbena a stunner in baskets, window boxes, and other containers. Presented by Syngenta Flowers.

G: Caladium Allure, Berries ‘N’ Burgundy, Flatter Me, Freckles, Posy Pink, Southern Charm, and Water’s Edge:

These seven caladium varieties put on a big show. Able to grow in sun or shade—as well as garden beds or borders, and containers (including hanging baskets)—caladiums are versatile enough to provide just the right look for any gardener or decorator who wants to personalize their outdoor space in a dramatic way. Presented by Classic Caladiums.

H: Calibrachoa Hula series: Three selections of this series

stood out—43275 Orange, 43374 Cranberry, and 13388 Pastel Pink. Colorful and floriferous, calibrachoas are no-brainers for decorative containers in any sunny spot. Because they put out such a big amount of color per plant, they’re ideal for tight urban spaces. Presented by Dummen Orange.

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I: Gerbera Garvinea series: Garvinea gerberas offer a

little something for everyone: fantastic weather tolerance, the ability to flower all summer, and good performance in garden beds, borders, and containers. The varieties we trialled—Classic Jasmina, Classic Layla, Classic Lydia, Classic Rachel, Classic Sylvanna, Sweet Memories, Sweet Ruby, Sweet Smile, and Sweet Spice—all performed admirably. Because the flowers last a long time when cut and attract butterflies and other pollinators, they’re easy to get excited about. Presented by Florist.

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J: Phlox Gisele series: Much like fashion model Gisele

Bßndchen, this series (Hot Pink, Light Pink, Light Violet, Pink, and White) is elegant and beautiful. Here in Miami, the plants practically smothered themselves in their colorful flowers. Because they have tight, compact habits, it’s so easy to add a ton of color to the small planting spaces you often find in urban areas. The Gisele series shows off great heat tolerance, and is particularly well suited to adding a soft, almost fluffy look to plantings. Presented by Selecta.

Urban Traditional Classic plants are perfect picks for urban spaces.

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ccording to Nielsen research, both Gen Y and Gen Z say they prefer the idea of urban living (54 percent for Gen Y and 52 percent for Gen Z).

As these generations move out on their own and into cities, it’s important to provide gorgeous plants they can use to outfit their outdoor spaces.

We’ve seen that nostalgia can be a powerful motivator—so new varieties of tried-and-true favorites can be especially attractive to younger shoppers.

If grandma grew it, so can they! We shouldn’t be afraid to promote the fact that there are old-school, proven plants.

Easy-care genera such as begonias, impatiens, and geraniums should appeal to consumers looking to personalize and beautify their balconies, patios, decks, and container gardens.

A: Impatiens Big Bounce series: Impatiens are beloved for their ability to add bold color to shaded spots. Two varieties in our trials—Big Bounce Pink and Violet 17—showed the same floriferous and easy-growing nature as their old-fashioned cousins in shaded and partly shaded sections of our Miami, Florida, Trial Garden. Because they’re bigger, beefier plants, they offer consumers a better value: It takes fewer plants to produce the same amount of color in the same space. Plus, these interspecific selections showed no signs of dreaded impatiens downy mildew. Presented by Selecta.

B: Pentas Falling Star series: The Falling Star pentas series

(which includes Pink Bicolor, Rose, and White) presents home decorators and gardeners with the fabulous heat tolerance of pentas, but in a smaller, tidier package. These low-growing plants are suitable as an annual groundcover for hot, dry spots, or in hanging baskets and containers as a filler or spiller design element. Like other varieties of pentas, the Falling Star selections proved especially popular with pollinators—bees and butterflies—in our Trial Garden. Presented by Syngenta Flowers.

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E C: Begonia Big series: The Big series of begonias (Big Pink

Green Leaf, Big Red Bronze Leaf, Big Red Green Leaf, Big Rose Bronze Leaf, and Big Rose Green Leaf) thrive in sun or shade.

What’s not to love? Presented by Benary.

D: Lantana Lucky Red: Anyone with a hot, dry spot can’t go wrong with lantana. Lucky Red was particularly outstanding, maintaining a tidy mound and lots and lots of flowers.

Presented by Ball FloraPlant.

E: Verbena Lindolena series: Two fabulous colors—Neon and Super Blue—looked great in the Trial Garden, bloomed their heads off, and resisted powdery mildew and other diseases to make the top performer rank. Presented by Dummen Orange.

F: Pelargonium Everlast series: Everlast geraniums

(Appleblossom, Orange, Red, Salmon, Scarlet, and White) lived up to their name, with better-than-average performance and lots of flowers. Presented by Takii.

G: Petunia Pink Star: Pretty as a picture, this adorable

petunia shows off lots of pink blooms accented by white stars.

It fits well with the vintage look that’s popular with today’s consumers. Presented by Sakata.

H: Scaevola Surdiva Light Blue: Bearing lots of flowers in a color everyone loves, this scaevola impressed us with bloom power and performance. Presented by Suntory.

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Suburban Chic

No-fuss plants add instant curb appeal (and value) to every home!

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ersonalization is important to consumers, particularly Gen Y. In fact, a recent Better Homes and Gardens study revealed that nearly two thirds of women under 35 say customizing their homes to their tastes is a top priority. Improving their home’s curb appeal is one easy way to do this.

Nearly 50 percent of Gen Y says that landscaping is their top priority for increasing curb appeal—a stat well ahead of other makeover options like painting or changing the front door or home’s exterior lighting.

The desire to customize extends to outdoor living spaces, too. Half of Gen Y reports that they want to decorate their outdoor spaces the same way they do an indoor dining or living room. And three quarters want their outdoor spaces to feel like a “relaxing retreat.” Plants are perfect for this!

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A: Ipomoea Spotlight series: Sweet potato

vines are stunners as annual groundcovers and container plants. Unlike older varieties, the Spotlight series (Black, Lime, and Red) held their color and didn’t grow out of control. The potential uses are practically endless: around mailboxes, spilling over retaining walls, filling hanging baskets—anywhere consumers want color. Presented by Ball FloraPlant.

B: Colocasia Royal Hawaiian Aloha Oe:

Planted en mass or on its own, this variety (like most of the other selections in the Royal Hawaiian series) is incredibly bold and dramatic, showing off shiny dark green leaves flushed with dark purple. Able to handle wet spots like water gardens, as well as regular garden soil, it’s as versatile as it is eyecatching. Presented by PlantHaven.

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C: Impatiens SunPatiens series: The

SunPatiens we tested—Compact Coral Pink, Compact Fire Red, Compact Red, Compact Orchid, Compact Royal Magenta, Compact Tropical Rose, Compact White, Exp. Compact Fire Red, Exp. Mini Compact White, Spreading Red, and Spreading Pink Kiss—all did well.

Able to thrive in both sunny and shaded spots, the range of SunPatiens colors and sizes offers a solution for practically every outdoor space. Presented by Sakata.

D: Calibrachoa Superbells Garden Rose: Outstanding in mixed containers, window boxes, and hanging baskets, this selection bloomed profusely, creating high-impact color. Presented by Proven Winners.

E: Petunia Supertunia Pink Star Charm:

Charming and adorable, this small-flowering petunia had big flower power. It held up to all sorts of weather and bloomed nonstop through the evaluation period with a profusion of pure white blossoms accented by a delicate soft pink star. It’s fabulous on its own, but makes a gorgeous accent to brighter flowers. Or, use Supertunia Pink Star Charm to infuse a subtle bit of color to an allwhite planting. Presented by Proven Winners.

F: Verbena Hurricane series: The three

Hurricane verbenas we tested—Blue, Pink, and Red—showed off outstanding performance and bold, eye-catching flowers.

The bicolor flower pattern is sure to be a favorite of anyone who wants to make a statement with easy-care plants. Because we’ve learned from research that gardeners find bicolored blooms like this a better value, the Hurricane series represents a good deal to consumers. Presented by Westflowers.

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G: Petunia SuperCal series: The SuperCal series—Cherry

Improved, Pink, and Yellow—have intriguing, saturated colors and thrive in garden beds and borders. Presented by Sakata.

H: Begonia Megawatt series: Pink Bronze Leaf, Red Green Leaf, Rose Bronze Leaf, and Rose Green Leaf are no-fuss showstoppers that work well in practically any suburban space. Presented by PanAmerican Seed.

I: Hibiscus Honeymoon series: Ideal for folks who love the

look of tropical hibiscus but want a reliably hardy perennial, Honeymoon Red and Rose offer huge flowers, excellent weather tolerance, and months of bloom. Presented by Floranova.

J: Petunia Saguna Patio Blue Morn: Here’s fun twist—a

trendy color—on a tried-and-favorite (petunia). Saguna Patio Blue Morn mixes well with just about everything and looks smashing on its own to dress up garden beds, borders, and containers. Presented by Syngenta Flowers.

K: Verbena Meteor Showers: A perfect flower for attracting bees and butterflies, this variety exudes the kind of cottagestyle charm that’s oh-so-popular with consumers of all ages.

Meteor Showers is stunning in big drifts to create an island of color and texture. Presented by Proven Winners.

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Suburban Classics Perfect plants to add color everywhere.

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hough we hear a lot about Gen Y wanting to live in urban areas, reality shows they’re settling in the suburbs.

A 2016 National Association of Realtors (NAR) report shows that 52 percent of home sales are in the suburbs—and more than half of Gen Y home buyers are buying there (compared to only 17 percent in urban areas). In fact, nearly 85 percent of homes purchased by Gen Y buyers were detached, single-family homes Happily, the NAR reports that one in five Gen Y-ers say a larger yard was a major influence on their neighborhood choice, and almost half buying homes had children under the age of 18 living with them.

With more than two thirds of Gen Y home buyers being firsttime home buyers, there’s clearly a need for information—and easy-care plant varieties.

A: Begonia Whopper series: Experienced gardeners

might not notice begonias because they think they’re blasé, but they should pay attention to the next generation of begonias. Brand new selections like the Whopper series offer outstanding performance on big, bold plants that hold up in sun and shade, as well as drought. Who wouldn’t want a plant like that? Presented by Benary.

B: Impatiens Sun Standing series: Like the SunPatiens

varieties, Sun Standing selections—Cherry, Coral Aurora, Fire Red, Glowing Scarlet, Hot Pink, Lavender, Neon, Purple, Salmon, and White Cloud—are dramatic plants that thrive in sun or shade. They’re ideal for first-time gardeners who want to decorate their outdoor space with bold color from spring to fall. Presented by Dummen Orange.

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C: Calendula Cheers Orange: A cheery way to start spring, this calendula continues to extend the show into summer.

Ideal for garden beds and borders, it adds color and attracts butterflies. Presented by Danziger.

D: Calibrachoa Bloomtastic Pink 05 43683: This

calibrachoa is ideal for filling containers around fire pit, patio, porch, or deck with bold color. Presented by Dummen Orange.

E: Calibrachoa Noa series: Delightful and charming,

Calibrachoa Noa Lemon and Purple Lace present the double threat of pretty colors (that blend well with everything) and outstanding performance. Presented by Danziger.

F: Lantana Bandana Landscape Lemon Zest: Consumers

know they can’t go wrong with lantana, and this selection is especially good for planting in beds and borders because of its beefy, vigorous habit and profusion of butterfly-attracting blooms. Presented by Syngenta flowers.

G: Coreopsis Uptick Gold and Bronze: Another variety

butterflies can’t resist, home gardeners won’t be able to resist this coreopsis either! This selection of a North American native has it all—lots of flowers, bright color, and great drought tolerance. Presented by Darwin Perennials.

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H: Oenothera TX-12-5: Wow! That’s what we had to say

about this easy-care perennial. It quickly became established, forming a carpet of color in our Trial Garden and presenting scores of gorgeous, cup-shaped lemon-yellow blooms.

Its creeping stems grew to form a weed-smothering mat!

Presented by EuroAmerican Propagators.

I: Petunia Littletunia Indigo 14-8412: Despite its smaller

flower size, the Littletunia series has a leg up over many other petunias because the blooms bounce back faster after severe weather. This selection showed off an abundance of blooms in an always-popular color. Presented by Danziger.

J: Verbena Endurascape Magenta: Whether it’s grown as

an annual or perennial, this quick growing, profuse-flowering selection looks great in garden beds and landscape borders, as well as containers such as window boxes and hanging baskets.

Presented by Ball FloraPlant.

K: Argyranthemum Grandessa series: The three

interspecific argyranthemums (Pink, White, and Yellow) grew like small hedges in our Trial Garden, showing off more of their cheery, daisy-shaped blooms than we cared to count.

Argyranthemums are ideal for cottage gardens, where their big, blousy look is perfect for beds, borders, and oversized containers. Presented by Ball FloraPlant.

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