Why the 2024 Plant Trials Were a Huge Success at Welby Gardens

Note: Information for this trials report was provided by Dan Gerace, Trial Manager at Welby Gardens.

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  All photos: Welby Gardens

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Rudbeckia ‘Sunbeckia Luna’ (Bull Plant Genetics)

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Dahlia ‘Miss Mandy’ (Syngenta Flowers)

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Petchoa ‘SuperCal Premium Rose Star’ (Sakata Ornamentals)

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Rudbeckia ‘Rising Sun Chestnut Gold’ (Green Fuse Botanicals)

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Gaura ‘Belleza Early White’ (Selecta One)

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Osteospermum ‘Akila Hawaii Sunset Mix’ (PanAmerican Seed)

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Dahlia ‘Dahlegria Magenta Bicolor’ (Syngenta Flowers)

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Coleus ‘Talavera Pink Tricolor’ (Syngenta Flowers)

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Lobelia ‘Magadi Blue Bay Comp 25’ (Selecta One)

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Rudbeckia ‘Sunbeckia Graffiti Caramel’ (Bull Plant Genetics)

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Dahlia ‘Darlin’ Vintage Rose’ (Danziger)

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Delphinium ‘TD1071 F1 Exp Blue’ (American Takii)

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Rudbeckia ‘Sunbeckia Graffiti Scarlet’ (Bull Plant Genetics)

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Rudbeckia ‘Sunbeckia Marilyn’ (Bull Plant Genetics)

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Delphinium ‘Guardian Blue’ (PanAmerican Seed)

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Helianthus ‘Sunfinity Double Yellow’ (Syngenta Flowers)

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Angelonia ‘Guardian Angel Berry Sparkle’ (Ball Flora Plant)

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Delphinium F1 ‘Guardian Lavender’ (PanAmerican Seed)

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Echinacea ‘Sun Magic Vintage Electric Orange’ (Bull Plant Genetics)

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Petunia ‘Crazytunia Cosmic Violet’ (Westhoff)

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Salvia Tanami Rose (Westhoff)

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Salvia Tanami Purple (Westhoff)

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Peace Love & Flowers (Syngenta Flowers)

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Geranium ‘Glory Days Red Orange Bicolor’ (Dümmen Orange)

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Geranium ‘Glory Days Pink Bicolor’ Dümmen Orange)

For 33 years, Welby Gardens, the exclusive grower of Hardy Boy Plants, has undertaken extensive flower trials to evaluate the latest breeding of new products. This year, Welby Gardens held container trials with a record 500 attendees, evaluating more than 700 varieties with 365 votes from professionals in the industry.

Overall, we had a very sunny growing season from May through late July. Our biggest challenge was that everything was growing too fast. So about five weeks before our August open house, I spent a few days cutting back most of the items. For their final month, our growing staff stayed on top of pest management, managing fertility and moisture levels very well, resulting in hitting the mark on most plants. They were very well branched and full of fresh flowers for our evening event. Also of note this season, we had our best sell-through of trial plants, refreshing many of our garden center customers’ benches to help with the last push of summer before the change over to the autumn season.

Besides the outstanding top 20 varieties (listed below and featured in the slideshow above) which were voted on by 365 industry professionals, we were impressed with a few other plants that didn’t make the list. Plants that impressed us every time we saw them starting at the California Annual Spring Trials (CAST), then Colorado State University Trials (CSU) over a few visits this summer, and our own trial were the Salvia greggii hybrid Tanami six-color series by Westhoff and the two colors of Geranium ‘Interspecific Glory Days’ by Dümmen Orange. Both series provide something new and fun. Salvia greggii, a Zone 7 perennial that has incredible flower power in the first season, can easily fit into a great spring and summer annual program. With the incredible work by Darwin Perennials and Westhoff with the Mirage Series and Tanami Series respectively, this type of Salvia will be propelled into the mainstream. Dummen Orange’s ‘Geranium Glory Days’ unique flower color pattern is so striking that it doesn’t even look real.

The last item of note is our exclusive Kwik Kombo Peace Love & Flowers Mix, centered around Syngenta Flowers’ unique and new Petunia ‘Painted Love Purple’. It also includes Petunia ‘Itsy Magenta’ and Verbena ‘Lanai Bright Eyes’. This multi-species combo was so well balanced and eye catching that even my wife, who hates anything in any shades of pink, had to commend my sister Giovanna on pulling those beautiful items and colors together.

Welby takes pride in being at the forefront of the green industry, introducing new annual and perennial varieties to the market each year, all the while fostering connections and relationships with breeders worldwide.

Top 20 Winners:

1. Rudbeckia ‘SunBeckia Luna’ (Bull Plant Genetics)
2. Dahlia ‘Miss Mandy’ (Syngenta Flowers)
3. Petchoa ‘SuperCal Premium Rose Star’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
4. Rudbeckia ‘Rising Sun Chestnut Gold’ (Green Fuse Botanicals)
5. Gaura ‘Belleza Early White’ (Selecta One)
6. Osteospermum Akila Hawaii Sunset Mix (PanAmerican Seed)
7. Dahlia ‘Dahlegria Magenta Bicolor’ (Syngenta Flowers)
8. Coleus ‘Talavera Pink Tricolor’ (Syngenta Flowers)
9. Lobelia ‘Magda Blue Bay Comp 25’ (Selecta One)
10. Rudbeckia ‘SunBeckia Grff Caramel’ (Bull Plant Genetics)
11. Dahlia ‘Darlin’ Vintage Rose’ (Danziger)
12. Delphinium ‘TD1071 F1 Exp Blue’ (American Takii)
13. Rudbeckia ‘Sunbeckia Graffiti Scarlet’ (Bull Plant Genetics)
14. Rudbeckia Sunbeckia Marilyn’ (Bull Plant Genetics)
15. Delphinium ‘F1 Guardian Blue’ (PanAmerican Seed)
16. Helianthus ‘Sunfinity Double Yellow’ (Syngenta Flowers)
17. Angelonia ‘Guardian Angel Berry Sparkler’ (Ball FloraPlant)
18. Delphinium ‘F1 Guardian Lavender’ (PanAmerican Seed)
19. Echinacea ‘Sun Magic Vintage Electric Orange’ (Bull Plant Genetics)
20. Petunia ‘Crazytunia Cosmic Violet’ (Westhoff)