As I look at grower perennial programs and plants at retail, I can’t help but be excited about the opportunities for our industry. It seems like everyone agrees that perennials are a place of growth and increased consumer interest. With added efforts in breeding, supply chain, and a focus on marketing, there is a lot to look forward to. Big breeding houses as well as smaller breeders are continually feeding new varieties into the market. This diversity is a big part of what makes this business a growing category and gives tremendous genetic choices to growers and consumers. Breeding Advancements Open Up Opportunities Plant breeders have worked hard to expand their work into these varieties and are introducing improvements into the market. Examples would be plants with a longer bloom time, which increases the buying window at retail and provides an added bonus for the end consumer. Companies are also focused on launching massive advancements into an already established category. Examples of this would be plants with increased flower size, better colors, and flower orientation. Flowers that used to face down are now oriented upward with a much showier appearance. Breeding improvements with perennials, such as changing the way a bloom is facing, have resulted in showier plants for consumers. Photo courtesy of Syngenta/ThinkPlants There is also breeding work being done to decrease or eliminate the need for bulking and vernalization . This annualization of perennials means plants can be programmed like annuals. Larger annuals growers can now add perennial genetics into their annual mix and growing environment, without the need to find space to overwinter plants. Traditional perennial growers can still fall plant, bulk, and vernalize these varieties for early-to-market color as well as continue to program these varieties well into spring. All this helps give perennials an increased ability to have long-term color and a diverse selection available for retail. Growers can fall plant, bulk, and vernalize perennials for early-to-market color as well as continue to program these varieties well into the spring. Photo courtesy of Syngenta/ThinkPlants Attract a New Market Segment Perennial plants are also a […]
Source: www.greenhousegrower.com
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