Australian Horticultural Trials Week 2023

During the first week of December, NGIV and Australia’s top breeders, growers, and allied businesses came together for Australian Horticultural Trials Week, presented by The Garden Gurus. The week was once again an opportunity to discover exciting new product lines, visit some of Australia’s finest propagators and growers and to enjoy networking with industry colleagues from all over the country and overseas.

With 2023 building on the successes of previous years to be the best Trials Week yet, there were plenty of exciting stories from the week.

The Garden Gurus

The Garden Gurus is Australia’s longest-running gardening television show on commercial-free-to-air TV. Last year marked their 21st on Channel 9, and recently, they have signed an agreement until the end of 2024. This commitment will result in time having produced 37 series, 600+ episodes, and 4800 stories. The Garden Gurus reaches over 500,000 people per episode in Australia and is telecast in 86 countries in seven languages. They will pass 70 million fact sheet downloads this year.

The Garden Gurus’ Trevor Cochrane says, “Innovation is the key to our future as an industry, and we will play a very important role moving forward in the conservation and sustainability sectors. The Garden Gurus is an important mouthpiece to help tell those stories to a massive audience.

“From March until the end of July 2024, 24 stories will feature in the TV series, telling the story of the industry’s innovative approach to superior genetics and we will drive consumers to seek out new release plants in their favourite garden centres.

“The Garden Gurus is dedicated to promoting the garden industry and wishes to thank the industry for its tremendous support of the series since it launched in February 2002.”

The Garden Gurus are proud to support NGIV with the naming sponsorship of the Australian Horticultural Trails Week and look forward to continuing to support the trials into the future.

Ball Australia: Innovation, education, and the spectacular trials garden

Amid the hustle and bustle of Trials Week, Ball Australia encouraged visitors to take in the splendour of their Trials Garden, a captivating and vibrant garden showcasing the new, the timeless and the experimental. Characterised by a mass of colourful in-ground plants, and meticulously turfed by Lilydale Instant Lawn, this garden was a labour of love, a culmination of the talents and efforts of Kate Grant, Gideon Cox, Emily Martin and Tony Collins.

The Trials Garden, a celebration of vibrant hues and boundless creativity, featured an impressive array of plants destined to hit the market in the coming year. In a sea of colour, new and experimental ranges stole the limelight, offering visitors a glimpse into the future of horticultural splendour. Among the many stars of the garden were:

» Salvia ‘Blue Chill’: A cool new addition to the Salvia family, 'Blue Chill' impressed with its enchanting blue foliage.

» The ‘Profusion’ range of Zinnias: The Profusion range stood tall with a vivid burst of colour.

» Wave Petunias: Displaying their signature easy-spreading prowess, Wave Petunias delighted with a tapestry of colours, effortless charm and radiant blooms.

In addition to the garden spectacle, Ball Australia took the opportunity of Trials Week to share the rich history of Ball Horticulture. Their recently installed display offered an insight into the story of the company and its profound impact on the world of horticulture. Through this educational exhibit, Ball Australia highlighted its enduring commitment to innovation, harking back to its roots, while commemorating the pioneering spirit that has shaped the company and the broader industry over generations.

With its stunning trials garden and its focus on the Ball Horticulture story, Ball Australia’s Trials Week exhibit painted a vivid picture of the past, present and future of the company, and was once again a terrific success.

Fleming’s Nurseries’ Innovation Showcase sets eyes on the future

With over a century of expertise in cultivating quality trees, Fleming’s Nurseries’ exhibit was a blend of tradition and innovation, with a focus on products bred for the future. Fleming’s invited industry professionals to explore their arboretum, fostering discussions around new products while providing a tranquil setting for networking. Fleming’s commitment to introducing new varieties for both commercial and residential landscapes was evident, with an emphasis on climate resilience and future-proofing against diseases.

Among their standout offerings were trial trees meticulously curated for future climates, showcasing Fleming’s dedication to sustainable and resilient horticultural practices. The display featured a diverse range of tree and shrub cultivars tailored for various applications, reflecting the nursery's commitment to incremental improvements over time.

The spotlight was also on their Endless Summer hydrangeas and the ‘Chastity’ ornamental pear – a sterile, hardy, and aesthetically pleasing cultivar suitable for streets, parks, and avenues. Not just a display of flora, Fleming’s Nurseries curated events, allowing visitors valuable opportunities for connection and discussion.

With their dedication to continuous trialling of their products, it’s no wonder that Fleming’s Nurseries Trials Week exhibit impressed and demonstrated, once again, Fleming’s’ foresight and commitment to a sustainable future.

Something for everyone at PlantFest, presented by Greenhills Propagation Nursery and Touch of Class Plants

Now celebrating its 12th year, PlantFest returned in 2023, hosted by Greenhills Propagation Nursery and Touch of Class Plants. Catering to growers, retailers, and media representatives, the event aimed to provide a valuable experience for every visitor.

This year, they included their outdoor pop-up gardens, 12and 16-week trials and a range of display plants showcasing a variety of new release plants suitable for modern gardens and landscapes. Among the highlights was the Hedera canariensis ‘Snowfall’, a stunning new large-leaved Algerian ivy. With its unique highly variegated leaves featuring gold to pure white marbling fleck with shades of green, and its bright pink-red stems, this versatile plant is equally happy as a house plant, in a hanging basket or as ground cover. Other highlights included a range of three new Hydrangea paniculata varieties, Graffiti, Mojito and Hercules; all being sun hardy compact plants and boasting huge flowers the size of a dinner plates. Nandina ‘Twilight’ was also a crowd pleaser, creating attention with stunning varietaged foliage of green, cream and pink tones; this is a great option for a partly shaded area.

PlantFest garnered a positive response from attendees. There was widespread appreciation for the diverse range of new varieties, offering ‘something for everyone’.

Trials Week served as a platform to showcase the latest genetics from collaborating breeders. The impressive attendance from both interstate and international visitors once again highlighted the strength of the Victorian industry.

Haars Nursery’s Trials Week garden party

Haars Nursery captivated visitors during their vibrant Trials Week event, transforming their Lyndhurst site into a garden party celebration, showcasing innovative products, and hosting different food trucks each day for a multi-sensory experience.

Among the blooming colour, visitors enjoyed lunch and took the opportunity to network and chat – it was a festive and joyous atmosphere, drawing attendees from across the industry. But of course, at the heart of the Haars Showcase were their trial products, which highlighted Haars Nursery’s enduring commitment to innovation and quality. Some of the standouts included:

» The Shadow Dance Carlotta Fuchsia: This variety features a compact habit and early flowering prowess. As an excellent production crop, what sets it apart is its remarkable cultivation without the need for Plant Growth Regulators and the absence of a requirement for pinching.

» Flashlight Series Chrysanthemum: This series of bold, bright pot chrysanthemums, are remarkable for their compact and tight growing habits. These gems really have the “wow” factor in small pots, presenting a burst of colour and charm.

» Bella Compact Red Dipladenia: A stalwart in the climbing market, the Bella series is bred for continuous flowering through the summer.

» Dahlias: The Labella dahlias dazzled with their extensive palette of colours. Notably robust in growth and boasting a long flowering period, they epitomised the nursery’s knack for offering varieties that thrive and captivate.

With the buoyant atmosphere and the perfect weather helping the dazzling array of colour to pop, Haars’ Trials Week Showcase garnered interest from people from all parts of the industry while demonstrating their dedication to innovative breeding and high-quality products.

JD Propagation's 'Kaleidoscope of Colour' showcases unity and innovation at Trials Week

This Trials Week, JD Propagation swung open their doors to host for the dazzling ‘Kaleidoscope of Colour’ exhibit. Their exhibit, in partnership with Dummen Orange, not only showed off some of their latest ranges, but it also served as the unofficial party hub for the week, with music, networking, and an open bar. Welcoming fellow exhibitors to their site – TGA, Australian Growing Solutions, Helix Australia, Norwood, Garden City Plastics, and Anthony Tesselaar Plants – it became a celebration of collaboration in the industry.

JD Propagation displayed their innovative thinking by showcasing a treehouse that visitors might have recognised from the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. Originally built for a show garden, the treehouse now belongs to Norwood and was loaned to JD Propagation to be incorporated into the exhibit.

Speaking about their collaborative approach to Trials Week, Dan Patience, owner of JD Propagation, wants to create a hub where people can visit, have lunch, and “hang out and talk to industry”. When asked about some of the new products he was most excited by, Dan showed off a new lavender variety, Lavender La Diva ‘Big Night’, ready to hit the market this year, which is bred to stay full and compact and has great heat tolerance as it is an interspecific hybrid. It demonstrates JD Propagation’s commitment to looking for inspiration in the latest and greatest as well as the classics.

Dan said the event provides an additional outlet for nurseries to connect with growers and customers. He plans to invite other exhibitors next year to showcase and said the feedback has been “incredible” with most of their interstate customers attending throughout the week.

Matt Curtis, Business Development Manager at Dummen Orange, said, ”A brilliant festival vibe at JD Propagation this year and great to see more international visitors again this year. Customers were all abuzz around the Carnation Viva Magenta and Lavender La Diva Berry Beautiful. Trials week provides a great opportunity to showcase the Dummen Orange genetics to all the growers around Australia and New Zealand. We thank everyone for their efforts to travel and visit the event.”

Anthony Tesselaar Plants invites Trials Week visitors to stop and smell the roses

With a commitment to cultivating unique collections, the renowned Anthony Tesselaar Plants showcased an array of plants sourced from their network of global breeders.

The focus of the exhibit was on the renowned Flower Carpet® ground cover rose, a standout performer in landscape roses since its groundbreaking release years ago. However, the exhibit didn't stop at nostalgia; it revealed new and exciting additions to their product range.

The exhibit introduced the Showpiece Fragrant Shrub Roses, featuring strong fragrance, masses of full, large, double flowers, and the promise of continuous blooming with proper care. Whether you’re a novice or an expert, these roses prove easy to grow, making them perfect for gardens, pots, decks, or patios.

Anthony Tesselaar Plants also unveiled new colors to their collection, including the elegant ‘Champagne’, the rich ‘Berry’, the vibrant ‘Lipstick’, the bold ‘Orange’, and the subtle ‘Blush’.

Each Anthony Tesselaar plant is not just a visual delight but a testament to their dedication to simplicity and ease of cultivation. Rigorous testing in trial gardens worldwide ensures that these plants not only captivate with their beauty but also stand the test of time, thriving without fuss or complexity. Environmental friendliness is a key consideration, with plants undergoing thorough trials over several years.

Mansfield's Propagation Nursery unveil new technology at Landscape Safari

Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery’s Landscape Safari exhibit set Trials Week abuzz with the unveiling of the cutting-edge FlexiSorter grader. This revolutionary technology from TTA marks a significant leap in the nursery’s plant grading and sorting methodologies and capabilities.

The FlexiSorter represents a seismic shift in the realm of plant selection, seamlessly integrating transplanting and multifaceted class sorting into a singular, streamlined process. An exciting piece of machinery, it stands to increase the volume of the nursery’s output and the efficiency of its practices.

Indeed, it’s the FlexiSorter’s efficiency that sets it apart –astoundingly, it handles plant plugs only once. This feat is made possible through the combination of TTA’s in-house developed plant grippers and a state-of-the-art pusher pin system. These mechanisms delicately extract plants from the donor trays, affording them the space for a comprehensive quality evaluation.

The FlexiSorter deftly sifts through the plants, employing its visionary grading machine to categorise plants into up to four distinct grades. It operates with precision, transferring approved plants onto designated destination belts, class by class, while consigning discarded plants and empty plugs to a waste belt. This meticulous process ensures a consolidation of selected trays, organised with meticulous attention to detail while minimising the risk of plant damage by double handling.

And while the Flexisorter might have had people talking, it wasn’t the only thing on show at the Landscape Safari. Key highlights were the Lomandra filiformis, a captivating blue variety that is grown exclusively at Tissue Culture Australia and which grabbed the attention of Mansfield’s Victorian customer base, in particular. This unique filiformis, set to be available later in 2024, addresses a gap in the landscape market for this hard-to-find species. Additionally, they featured a distinctive pink flowering variegated Trachelospermum asiaticum, bred in the cool climate of Japan, as well as an extensive display of Ozbreed lines, including both established favorites and new additions like Lady Tanika, which is poised to follow in the success of Ozbreed’s popular Lomandra Tanika.

With three fantastic days of weather during the busiest period of trials (Tuesday through Thursday), it set the tone for great vibes at Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery. The facility was looking superb, the display popping, and the music, along with drinks and food, was flowing.

Reflecting on the week, Will McIntosh says, “For us, Trials Week is a fantastic opportunity to get our customers out face to face, chat, laugh, and talk everything plants and business. And if we get more opportunity from them as a result of our display, then it’s a job well done.”

Sprint Horticulture takes winning strides at Trials Week

Sprint Horticulture, hailing from NSW, made their return to Australian Horticultural Trials Week with a colourful exhibit hosted at Stumpy Gully winery. Being long-time participants in the event in its earlier iterations, they brought their unique products and approach to the Victorian landscape.

Expressing the importance of Trials Week as an opportunity to connect with Victorian customers and strengthen relationships, Sprint Horticulture found the experience ‘reinvigorating’. Their exhibit aimed to showcase a distinct point of difference, capturing the attention of both loyal and potential customers. The picturesque Stumpy Gully winery served as the perfect backdrop for Sprint’s offerings, notably their captivating range of Calla and vibrant hydrangeas. As firm believers in Trials Week’s potential to introduce products to new customers, Sprint Horticulture was a fantastic addition to 2024 Trials Week.

2024 Allied Exhibitors

Beyond our plant exhibitors, allied exhibitors such as Garden City Plastics, ICL, Norwood, Super Starters, and Transplant Systems also played a pivotal role during Trials Week. This event is more than just a showcase of plants; it’s a platform for unveiling the latest innovations and technologies within the horticultural and allied industries. The week featured insightful demonstrations and displays from these key contributors, highlighting their integral role in world of horticulture. Trials Week once again was the perfect showcase for this thriving and dynamic industry.