Grower Comments: Developing Plant Durability

In our last blog post, we noted and admired the perseverance of our friends in the greenhouse, nursery and farming world during these uncertain times. As the massive wheel of economics in our great nation grinds and slows, these businesses are in the fight to keep it rolling. We commend the green industry and all the companies digging in to sustain the welfare of their people, their businesses and ultimately our livelihood. Next, we visit the importance of durability – for plants & greenhouses, especially in times like these.

In that spirit, we continue with our mission of shining a light on horticultural news, gardening concepts and sage insights from one who’s toiled in soil for over a half-century.

Connecting with local growers

So you want your flowers durable? Really? – You bet

Always in pursuit of updates from growers, we connected with Brian Weesies, General Manager of Mast Young Plants, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When asked of his thoughts on emerging trends, Brian sees an emphasis on selective breeding for genetic traits resulting in improved plant hardiness. Hardiness includes tolerance to heat, cold, drought, disease and overall durability. We recognize there will always be a strong, dominant push for developing color, fragrance and flower morphology, but the focus on hardiness is encouraging. None of us like our plants scorched by the sun, frost- burned, flopping over at maturity or flocked with Powdery Mildew. Brian commented on the recent developments in varieties of SunPatiens, Salvia, Dianthus ‘Constant Beauty’, Geranium ‘Big EEZE’, Succulents ‘Chick Charms’, Petunia ‘SuperCal’ and ‘Dahlightful Dahlias’ among others.

Dahlightful Dahlias and durability — *Dahlightful Dahlias*

Who comments on how sturdy your flowers look? – Maybe they should

I’ve always found trial gardens most useful in the selection of viable plants. It is one thing to read qualities touted by the breeder, but when the plant can be reviewed in a garden setting and exposed to the elements, it lends credibility to the selection. Reviewing the Mast Young Plant’s 2019 Trial Garden Results and after listening to Brian’s observations, I’m not surprised by the categories for the durability he emphasized.

The Best:

Drought-Tolerant Annual: Lantana ‘Hot Blooded’
Drought-Tolerant Perennial: Delosperma ‘Delmara’
Heat-Tolerant Annual: Coleus ‘Stained Glassworks Royalty’
Heat-Tolerant Perennial: Guara ‘Belleza Dark Pink’

These hardiness features should be included in our criteria when selecting bedding plants this spring. It goes without saying, we’ll always want the visible showy fluff, but there’s got to be consideration to making them tough.

-Rob McCartney, Horticulturist