We polled a few breeding companies to learn about their 2024 successes and what drove their breeding efforts this past year. Despite some unpredictable weather, supply chain issues, and changing consumer demands across the U.S., several nursery operations’ native and new ornamental introductions continue to help consumers beautify their spaces. The results are a resounding year-end success.
1 of 12
2 of 12
3 of 12
4 of 12
5 of 12
6 of 12
7 of 12
8 of 12
9 of 12
10 of 12
11 of 12
12 of 12
A Passion for Production
“Ownership of our own production farm, InnovaPlant in Costa Rica, enables us to ramp up and control production as consumer trends alter industry demands. At Kientzler, we strive to meet new industry demands while maintaining the highest level of clean stock standards and unsurpassed supply chain reliability.”
“A few emerging, or expanding, plant categories include Bidens, Begonia, Gomphrena, Heliopsis, and Bracteantha.” – Dane Rinehart, Marketing Support for Kientzler
Keeping it Fresh
“One of our biggest successes this year was the Sow Fast, Grow Fast program — a list of flowers and vegetables that can be sown, grown, and ready to ship in 10 weeks or less. This helps greenhouses make more efficient use of empty bench space or meet the needs of retail in spring when more combos or color is needed in stores.”
“We focused our breeding on the colors, textures, and performance attributes that make shoppers want to come back each year and try something new, and we expanded on existing lines of plant classes to breathe new life into go-to choices at retail.”
“A category on the rise is fresh floral — bouquets, bud vases, tablescapes, dried flower wreaths, general floral décor, and plants with a long vase life. Our Cut Flower division is evaluating our assortment and supplying seed to industry distributors, and they’re seeing many new customers in this category alone. New flower farmers are still on the rise.” – Sarah Makiejus, Global Marketing Manager for PanAmerican Seed
Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges
“Increasing restrictions from both North American and international agriculture have made it hard to move exciting plants around the world, get them to propagators’ trial locations, and to be able to establish a supply chain. We can still do it, but it is much more expensive, and there is a lot of red tape and testing before we can begin.”
“Traveling to visit breeders and growers all over North America has shown us that people want plants in their yards, but they do not want to spend a ton of time taking care of them, and many new houses come with such small properties that the trend of smaller plants and skinny trees is, now more than ever, a growing category.” – Angela Treadwell-Palmer, Plants Nouveau Founder and Co-owner
Partnerships Equal Success
“This spring, we introduced more than 75 annuals, perennials, shrubs, and more. The new heat- and drought-tolerant ‘Art & Sol Manfreda x Agave’ (Mangave) hybrids and Hollywood Hibiscus brand were big successes for us this year. Mangave require less water than many other genera, offering solutions for sustainable gardening and water conservation. And the Hollywood Hibiscus brand is bred to withstand the high-intensity heat and sunlight of the Southern region but will also thrive in patio containers in colder climates.”
“Responding to the market demand for plants that can stand up to harsh weather conditions, we also collaborated with Suntory Flowers to launch the heat- and drought-tolerant Stardiva series of Scaevola aemula to the North American market. The launch not only strengthened our long-standing partnership with Suntory but also evoked the spirit of our early collaboration.” – Kate Spirgen, B2B Marketing Specialist for Proven Winners
Stay tuned for Part 3 of our look at 2024 trends in varieties from plant breeding companies, and take a look at Part 1 if you missed it.
