2017 NEW VARIETIES
NEW VARIETIES 2017
This series for easy-to-produce quarts and color bowls now offers an even wider selection of solid colors and exciting kiss-type patterns to continue building momentum.
Early-flowering, medium-vigor series features vibrant colors for mixed containers, gallons and especially hanging baskets. Uniformity of habit across all colors makes it easy to produce.
Superior flower retention throughout growth, shipping and on the retail shelf. Thrives in heat; thrill home gardeners with this summer basket. Dark Red, Magenta, Pink.
COLEUS
Exciting lime green coleus has higher vigor and is similar in habit to Chili Pepper. Compact to medium coleus is perfect for quarts, mixed containers.
Whole new spec for salvia! Compact salvia is about 25-35% less vigorous than Mystic Spires. A perfect variety for mixes and quart production.
OSTEOSPERMUM
Early-spring basket opportunity! Breakthrough series grows and blooms with traditional osteos, but on a more trailing frame. Includes Purple, Pink and White Amethyst.
The first certified sterile lantana series on the market! Won’t go out of flower in the heat of Summer. Well-branched; nice appearance at retail.
The first eye-type calibrachoa with a star pattern! Wider star adds wow to the throat of the bloom. Perfect for larger baskets.
Improved for better Summer garden performance. Drops browning florets for fresh-looking blue flower spikes to color the garden all season long!
Trixi Combos brighten any space. Who Knew Orleans features MiniFamous® Neo Yellow+Red Vein Calibrachoa, Lascar Mango Orange
and
Colorful combo nicely complements Who Knew Orleans. Batting Eyes includes MiniFamous® Neo Orange+Red Eye, Yellow+Red Vein and Coral+Red Eye Calibrachoa.
Verbena
Headliner Red Petunia.
NEW Pink Sky shows a galaxy of white on shocking pink blooms. Part of the Headliner series with a perfect mounding habit for baskets.
Mysty
Easy to produce in small pots
That’s right—Mysty Salvia offers you an all-new spec! With a habit that’s 25 to 35% smaller than Mystic Spires, Mysty is easy to produce in quarts. But don’t be fooled by the small stature…Mysty performs big all season, making it an ideal component for mixed combos. Book yours now.
FROM THE EDITOR
DAVE HARRISON | @GreenHouseCan
The importance of new varieties
Here are two questions that would certainly generate spirited discussion wherever growers congregate.
“Why don’t more people buy plants?”
And just as perplexing…
“Why don’t people buy more plants?”
I’ve sat in on enough conference sessions to have heard the various theories, and my canvassing of family and friends has confirmed them, as recently as at a Fathers’ Day barbecue this year.
The answer to both questions, either from industry specialists or family/friends, is the same and can be summarized in three words.
“Fear of failure.”
People love plants.
They don’t like having them wither and die. I tell family and friends that plants are actually quite robust and relatively hardy. They just need regular attention with feedings of fertilizer and water. And I emphasize that “full sun” and “full shade” plants should be placed appropriately. And remind the grandkids that while it’s OK to play in and around the plants with their toy trucks and backhoes, anything that exposes the roots may not be a good thing.
(I had a Labrador retriever several years who watched me loosen garden soil for new plants early one spring, and who then proceeded to furiously dig up the plants as I was walking away. He obviously thought that if it was fun for me to want to toil in the soil, it would be just as much fun for him.)
Consumers can be confident plants will grow quite readily and easily in most gardens and containers. But what’s still needed is improved consumer education to keep them growing throughout the season, and to lessen that “fear of failure.”
Handing out plant care booklets – written with rookies in mind – would be a big help, as would incentives such as free fertilizer with each purchase over a certain level. It’s important to remind consumers that, just like us, plants need food, too –and fairly regularly.
Gardening clinics are big draws, especially when hoping to introduce new product lines or trends. Consumers appreciate the expertise (and encouragement) of their plant retailers.
It’s also effective to have display gardens wherever plants are sold. Consumers like to be inspired by how plants can be utilized, and how different they look in containers or ground displays, or the various combinations that can be replicated.
Signage is key. Don’t be shy on providing customers with as much information as possible to better ensure they will succeed.
And all this is especially important with the emergence of millenials as the new dominant segment in plant purchasing. They just tend to have smaller spaces (balconies or small backyards) to
Plant care booklets – written for rookies – would be a big help.
work with than do baby boomers.
These same family and friends know that I’ve come a very, very, very long way in terms of my gardening prowess. Years ago, my keeping containers in full colour past June would have been a miracle. But I’ve done my homework, listened to the experts, persevered when perplexed, and can now enjoy most of my containers well into the fall season.
My tour of this year’s California Spring Trials confirmed that breeders are on the right track. “Low maintenance,” “disease-resistant” and “droughttolerant” varieties were everywhere.
Breeders are also extending the “low maintenance” philosophy to commercial growers, ensuring their new varieties are relatively easy to grow in the greenhouse.
And they also like to grow their own food. Breeders have responded with many varieties that do exceptionally well in containers and in combinations.
New varieties are the lifeblood of the industry. They’re a big reason why the greenhouse sector continues to grow.
And we have to help consumers, especially the newcomers, overcome their “fear of failure.”
COVER PHOTO: Vineland recently released a new winter hardy, easy-care and diseaseresistant rose called ‘Canadian Shield™,’ which was awarded “Plant Of The Year” at this year’s Canada Blooms show.
This improved cultivar delivers the same heat tolerance and all-season bloom, but with even greater flower power and stronger yellow coloration. 18-36” tall x 12-20” spread. Part sun to sun. USPPAF CanPBRAF
Hypoestes is getting a makeover starting with the new Hippo series. This group of super-sized, vegetative varieties does what Snow Princess did to seed alyssum. They’re big, bushy, and won’t bolt into flower soon after planting. 16-22” tall x 8-14” spread. Full sun to full shade. USPPAF CanPBRAF
Patterned petunias are back in style! Grow it in hanging baskets with other medium vigor varieties or create an outstanding monoculture specimen in an equally showy upright container. 6-12” tall x 18-24” spread. Part sun to sun. USPPAF CanPBRAF
Calendula broadens our collection of cold tolerant annuals for spring and fall sales. Its unique double, golden orange flowers have greatly reduced seed set which encourages the blooms to keep right on coming all season. 10-16” tall x 12-18” spread. Part sun to sun.
USPPAF CanPBRAF
This double-flowered selection is twice as nice with its white flowers and showy yellow centers. The center petals keep the flowers open all day, even in low light conditions and on cloudy days. 8-12” tall x 8-12” spread. USPPAF CanPBRAF
US Utility US8,759,646 and US9,040,792
Here’s the ideal heat tolerant plant for patriotic recipes. True red flowers are produced prolifically from early spring through fall on mid-sized plants that make perfect fillers in hanging baskets, upright containers and landscapes. 10-16” tall x 10-16” wide. Full sun. USPPAF CanPBRAF
Cool lavender blooms with a deep purple eye and black throat transition to silvery light purple as they age. Larger than typical, the flowers appear on cascading stems early in the season and continue to bloom into fall without deadheading. 6-12” tall x 12-24” spread. Part sun to sun.
USPPAF CanPBRAF
The bloom power of this new Supertunia Charm Petunia is remarkable, becoming completely covered in bright pink flowers from spring into fall without deadheading. It has picture perfect presentation in containers. 6-12” tall x 18-24” spread. Part sun to sun. USPPAF CanPBRAF
Easier to handle than most rambunctious Thunbergias, this more restrained selection has an increased shelf life and sales window for growers and retailers. It makes an excellent climbing component for combinations paired with other vigorous varieties and is beautiful in monoculture as well. 5-8’ tall x 1.5-2’ spread. Part sun to sun. USPPAF CanPBRAF
NEW VARIETIES 2017
We’ve amped up the flower size and improved the floral quality of this pure white Superbells with a yellow “yolk” center. Its flowers compare to the improved Superbells Grape Punch™ in size, which are notably larger than typical Calibrachoa. 6-12” tall x 12-24” spread. Part sun to sun. USPPAF CanPBRAF
Like a small-flowered version of the popular Supertunia Bordeaux, this heavy blooming petunia is completely covered in lavender pink flowers with a purple eye and veining. It blooms from spring into fall without deadheading. 6-12” tall x 18-24” spread. Part sun to sun. USPPAF CanPBRAF
Consumers love plants with bicolor blooms, and the soft lavender and white striped flowers of the new Superbena Stormburst are sure to be a hit. It boasts excellent resistance to powdery mildew and can really take the heat. 6-12” tall x 18-30” spread. Part sun to sun. USPPAF CanPBRAF
NEW VARIETIES 2017
Argyranthemum ‘Aramis’ Series is a pot-type selection of single and double argyranthemum in a unique selection of solid and bicolors of white, yellow and rose.
The first calocephalus from seed! The unique texture gives outrageous versatility for combos, vertical gardening, topiaries and fun fall containers.
For the best color and show, for maximum profits, try SUCCESS! ® Purple! This intense purple will stand out on the bench and at retail.
Argyranthemum Limero® is an early blooming “Butterfly” type with larger flowers, and superior garden performance. Blooms continuously all season!
Geranium ‘Grandeur® Dark’ is a dark-leafed geranium series with great heat tolerance and superior shippability.
Salvia Farina Series has huge, fragrant, flower spikes in 6 colors. Plants are self-cleaning so they always look great in patio pots or beds.
Perfect for mono-culture hanging baskets or in mixed containers. Huge flowers with strong sun/heat tolerance in lavender, rose or white.
Dahlia Lubega® Power is a vigorous dahlia series for pots with uniform, early blooms. Colors range from vivid solids to striking bi-colors sure to grab attention!
® Pink Star- a first in trailing petunias from seed! Incredible color, stable, early, uniform plant habit that fits perfectly into the SUCCESS!® series!
Begonia Nonstop™ Mocca Red is a delicious treat for the eyes. Huge, full flowers in striking deep red will fly off the shelves! Flowers Nonstop!
Color breakthrough in C. grandiflora – the brightest yellow with large blotch. Controlled, fast-finish plants need few to no PGRs. First-year-flowering with excellent heat tolerance.
Petunia SUCCESS! ® Yellow Chiffon is another SUCCESS! Story. Light yellow blooms don’t reflex or fade. Perfect for premium baskets and mixes.
SUCCESS!
Phone: 815.756.4546
info@benary.com
www.benary.com
¢ Earliest series in the industry – 7 days earlier than the competition!
¢ Most uniform series for timing and habit
¢ Outstanding germination and seed quality
¢ Now in 14 enchanting colors!
Pink Star
‘I WANT IT ALL,’ say today’s plant enthusiasts
In 2017, consumers want plants that are beautiful, different, easy to care for, fragrant, beneficial to the environment ... and so much more!
BY TREENA HEIN
Anyone who’s shopped for plants this year has no doubt noticed the changes. Simply put, it’s not your mother’s gardening centre anymore.
Today’s retailers offer a selection that would have been all but unimaginable a few short years ago. Move over geraniums and pansies, it’s a whole new ballgame.
Someone who knows a great deal about current consumer desires is Dr. Amy Bowen, consumer insights research program leader at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland, Ontario.
One big consumer trend – ethnic flowers – is currently being studied by Bowen and her colleagues in an effort to narrow down recommendations for commercialization. “This trend builds on the introduction of ethnic vegetables like okra and eggplant into the Canadian marketplace over the last few years,” Bowen explains. “It’s now spilling over into ethnic flowers.”
Although the team won’t be releasing any study results until the fall, Vineland has already taken part in bringing one ethnic flower to market.
In April, Vineland (working in collaboration with partners Longo’s grocery chain and Westbrook Floral Inc. of Grimsby, Ont.) launched Ontario-grown jasmine plants (Jasminum sambac) in time for Vaisakhi. A larger launch will occur in the fall to coincide with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
Indeed, the release was targeted at South Asian consumers, whom Vineland says spend approximately $60 million on cut and potted flowers in the Toronto area alone every year. A Vineland survey of new Canadians from South, East and Southeast Asia found that over 80 per cent of them are missing plants from their home country and wish they could purchase them here.
“Not only does jasmine provide consumers with nostalgia and spiritual ties to their cultural heritage, but it reflects the desire for fragrance, a trend that’s also big right now,” Bowen explains.
Brian Minter agrees. “People are re-connecting to plants through fragrance, tactile qualities and fun edibles with new flavours,” says the owner of Minter Gardens in Chilliwack, B.C. Edible flowering plants include chives and lavender.
Sheridan Nurseries president Karl Stensson confirms that the edible trend is strong, and that “there are no signs this will slow down anytime soon.”
EASY AND ENVIRONMENTAL
Another 2017 consumer trend centres around plants that are easy on the Earth – and easy to look after. “Environmental values are very important,” Minter explains, “such as pollinatorfriendly, cleaning air in homes, and minimal care/drought tolerant.”
In terms of cultivation, trials at both Vineland (conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs greenhouse floriculture specialist Dr. Chevonne Carlow) and at Westbrook have shown that this jasmine variety does well in summer heat, making it a great option for greenhouses after the spring bedding plants are gone.
Mark Cullen (the spokesperson and horticultural consultant to Home Hardware Canada) agrees wholeheartedly that more and more consumers want to provide pollen-rich and nectar-rich flowering plants for attracting and supporting bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.
“People want to grow these things, not just because they look beautiful but because they add to our biodiversity,” he explains. “It has to do with an emerging consciousness about the importance of our pollinators. One-third of the food that we eat is pollinated by the natural world.”
He believes millennials are mostly driving this trend, and that their parents and grandparents have become concerned because of this interest by millennial family members.
Easy-care perennials are also in demand as they don’t require re-planting every year, and some of them get larger and fill in a flower bed over time in an easy, automatic manner.
“The perennial plant growers are really challenging the rest of the growers in the business to step up to the plate and it’s all
ABOVE AND ON THE COVER ‘Canadian Shield™’ was awarded “Plant Of The Year” at this year’s Canada Blooms show.
about performance,” Cullen says. “Just how long will it hold its blossom, for example?”
Vineland recently released a new winter hardy, easy-care and disease-resistant rose called ‘Canadian Shield™,’ which was awarded “Plant Of The Year” at this year’s Canada Blooms show.
Another easy care (and exotic) option is orchids. “We’ve seen a huge increase in the demand and popularity,” says Stensson. “Through social media, we are convincing people that orchids are not difficult to grow and that they last months instead of weeks compared to the more traditional and cheaper flowering pot plants.”
MILLENIALS ARE INCREASINGLY INFLUENTIAL
You’ve no doubt heard that millennials like to garden. They lead the charge in terms of wanting plants that provide multiple functions, but Minter says they also want novelty items and aren’t overly concerned about cost. “The older generation (55 plus) is starting to follow millennials in looking for new stuff,” he notes, “and many favourite ‘oldies’ are falling away such as pansies, mums, old traditional annuals like dusty miller.”
He adds that millennials also want to know how to care for plants.
Bowen agrees. “They want straightforward information on whether a plant is easy to care for or more difficult, does it need a lot of light or not, does it need deadheading, how to use it,” she explains.
“They don’t want cryptic symbols. Millennials use the Internet a lot, but we shouldn’t forget that labelling is important, along with good retail staff who help reinforce what millennial
consumers have learned from the Internet. If we give them a positive introduction to gardening, they will get hooked on it.”
Stensson notes that the Greater Toronto Area is seeing a large number of condominiums being constructed and there is a related retail boom to supply container gardens on balconies.
“This has been growing for a number of years,” he says. “The trend within container gardening is to use a mixture of annuals, perennials, greenhouse plants and home décor pieces. We used to only group annuals together or perennials together thinking ‘traditionally’ that these should be together.”
Sales of greenhouse foliage plants at Sheridan Nurseries have skyrocketed the last three years, easily growing at over 25 per cent each year. Some are being used in container gardening. More exotics are also in demand.
“Using $100 hibiscus, crotons and mandevillas as centre pieces does not scare off the guest who wants ‘unique and different’ in a small space,” he says.
Air plants are also receiving “huge” interest at Sheridan, which is allowing the firm to sell large numbers of glass containers. Succulents are another category of plants being used in containers both indoors and out.
Indeed, a growing demand for indoor plants is another strong trend in itself. Stensson notes that interest in indoor flowering plants has grown, as has interest in growing herbs indoors over the winter.
“Living walls are also very popular,” he adds, “and offer a new twist.”
Treena Hein is a freelance writer in Ontario.
ABOVE (CLOCKWISE) Infiniti® Magenta Crapemyrtle is one of the new plants generating a lot of attention among Sheridan Nurseries customers. A display of houseplants at the Mississauga location of Sheridan Nurseries. Jasmine has considerable market potential, according to research at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.
NEW VARIETIES
Bred for the fastest follow-up blooming of any pentas on the market – one-week bloom window. Promises continuous, showstopping color on lush plants all season long.
All-new color class for this premium spreading series. Rich, velvety rosy-purple blooms have white around the center. Face shows more white in warm season production.
Dynamite red keeps perennial borders rocking for years, thanks to its vivid color, durable performance and reliable overwintering. Delivers lots of plant for the money!
F1 BEGONIA
Big flower power! Great timing benefits for earlier Spring sales, an important color and ultimate performance in gardens, baskets, big tubs and borders.
First star pattern in seed calibrachoa! Strawberry color may lighten under warm night conditions; star pattern stays consistent. Good vigor, uniform branching and controlled habit.
Snack pepper has unique, eye-catching variegated foliage plus elongated bell peppers that ripen from green striped to solid red. Sweet flavor, thin walls, crispy texture.
Tried and verified for easy, economical production. New mixes combine flowers and vegetables: Sweet Heat Pepper, Petunia Combo Blue and Bonanza Yellow French Marigold.
Electrifying color! Opens white, then light pink and matures to dark pink. The most heattolerant interspecific dianthus lights up landscapes, garden beds and premium containers.
Open habit with nearly no spines and less scarring. Improved disease resistance to Zucchini
Virus, Watermelon
Virus, Papaya Ring Spot Virus.
Easy to make and sell with recognized Wave branding. Easy Wave® Red Velour and Yellow petunias combine to make magic in one pot.
Seed series matches or surpasses any vegetative series for easy, nopinch production! First multicolor segregating mix includes yellow, magicians, rose-reds, purple, lavender, creams and whites.
Part of the Little Collection of dwarf determinate varieties. Fruit sets and ripens over a few weeks. Yields large amounts of flavor-filled, red cherry tomatoes.
Yellow Mosaic
Mosaic
LUCKY STAR
Put an end to stop-and-go flowers…Lucky Star explodes with constant, out-of-this-world color!
With the fastest follow-up blooming of any pentas, this game-changing series makes cyclic blooming a distant memory. Plus, the color-rich series has a tight, compact habit that keeps plants tidy with virtually no effort. All-new Lucky Star puts the power of the flower into your hands!
Discover the world where color abounds. Order your Lucky Star pentas seed and plugs today.
Enza Zaden
Agriculture requires a long-term vision. As a family business we tend to think in generations rather than in quarterly figures. Enza Zaden is your hands-on partner delivering innovative solutions through meticulous, non-GMO seed breeding.
Gialte is a strong, generative yellow blocky pepper variety with a very high quality throughout the season. Tm 0-3 resistant.
Orbit, a newly introduced orange blocky bell pepper with a vigorous plant habit and high yields. Excellent shelf-life. Tm 0-3 resistant.
Solstice is a fall-winter variety ideal for Ontario and British Columbia. Solstice is a generative variety that excels in low light conditions while providing a labor friendly plant.
Mavera is a large, red blocky pepper with TSWV-resistance. This variety is a nice balanced open variety with an average length. Tm:0-2 resistant.
Fairly is a greenhouse butterhead variety for the long day season. It is fast growing and heads have excellent weight.
Maxeza is the perfect truss tomato variety for growers who are aiming for early and sustained production. Uniform fruit sizes of 4.9-5.3 oz. (140150 gr).
NEW VARIETIES 2017
Developed by Dümmen Orange for a controlled trailing habit, Great Falls coleus is remarkably versatile in application with unbeatable performance in the all new Confetti Garden® Safari Series.
POTUNIA® STARFISH
A favorite at California Spring Trials was Potunia® Starfish from Dümmen Orange, a very stable blue and white petunia with a distinctive pattern.
NANI SERIES
GARDEN®
The Confetti Garden® Safari series is headlined by the Great Falls coleus series lending structure, depth, and texture to six mixes: Evening Safari, Spring Safari, Outback Safari, Sahara Safari, Ivory Coast Safari and Still Water Safari.
I’CONIA™ SERIES
Three new Confetti Garden® Aloha Nani combos are bursting with blooms for the 2018 season. Aloha Nani is a series of seven compact Calibrachoa selections perfect for high-density production.
Empress™ Sun Verbena was developed to fill the landscape Verbena niche with its early flowering, near-perfect uniformity, a reduced cyclical blooming pattern, and impressive heat, humidity, and mildew tolerance.
With consumer-facing POP support for retail programs, I’Conia™ is a new brand featuring super-large flowering Begonias selected from the most advanced pipeline in the industry.
With the addition of ‘Aloha Kona Yellow’, Dümmen Orange now has the best Yellow Calibrachoa selections available on the market with versatile options spanning from compact to vigorous.
Pink Sky, Red Sky and Harvest Moon join the flagship Lantana line from Dümmen Orange featuring impressive drought tolerance, moderate vigor, low PGR requirements, and impressive branching.
Main Street Ruby Road joins the flagship coleus line from Dümmen Orange boasting reliable uniformity across the series and strong color retention under even the highest light conditions.
New for 2018, the Bloomtastic series was bred to be the most vigorous Calibrachoa offered by Dümmen Orange, making it a great option for quick turn production or irresistibly impressive planters and baskets.
Bred for extra-large flowers, increased density of foliage and earlier flowering, ‘XXL Tabasco’, joins the esteemed XXL series. These heattolerant dahlias are the undisputed top-choice for garden performance and retail positioning.
Havana
Wild Romance New Guinea Impatiens from Dümmen Orange are a true shade item with premium appeal. Both White and Pink Blush feature unique semidouble flowers that resemble a rose as the bud is opening, and a gardenia when fully open.
‘Where quality is growing’
Devan Greenhouses has been an industry leader in British Columbia for almost a quarter century.
BY DAVID SCHMIDT
After two good years, 2017 is looking to be more of an average year for Devan Greenhouses in Aldergrove, British Columbia. Pieter and Anita deBruin started their nursery in Chilliwack in 1993, moving to their current location on a busy local highway in 2000.
After their last expansion two years ago, Devan now has 1.5 hectares under glass, which includes both growing areas and a retail centre. Despite its limited size, Devan is a busy place, employing about 20 people in the winter and up to 90 in the spring when it does the bulk of its business.
“Our biggest challenge is staffing,” deBruin states. “We train and work with new staff every day. The challenge is to be ready with the people when the season hits.”
With climate change, that has become more and
TOP Pieter deBruin of Devan Greenhouses. ABOVE Busy season.
more unpredictable.
In 2015, the season came about two weeks earlier than normal here in B.C. In 2016, it was another two weeks earlier. Starting earlier is not necessarily a blessing. DeBruin notes that if a season starts earlier, it also finishes earlier, so plants not ready for the season remain unsold.
To counter that, Devan, like many nurseries in the province, adjusted its planting schedule to produce bedding plants and other products much earlier this year.
Unfortunately, 2017 did not repeat the pattern of the previous two years. The area was hit with a steady series of unusually large snowfalls from mid-December to early February. Almost incessant rain and unseasonably cool temperatures followed through the rest of February, March and April.
That is not conducive to home gardening, so plants expected to sell in March or April were still in the greenhouse, overgrowing their pots.
“A lot of us were caught by that,” deBruin says ruefully.
Devan sells about half of its production through its retail centre with the rest going to other growers and garden centres, primarily in B.C. and Washington state.
“Everything we retail, we wholesale,” deBruin says. “We used to sell to brokers but have been selling direct to growers for the past five years. We have about 500 customers throughout Western Canada.”
Although the weather severely curtailed early sales, they rebounded once the rains lifted and deBruin expects to end the spring season only about five per cent behind last year.
EXTENDING THE RETAIL SEASON
When Devan began its retail centre, it was only open for the spring bedding plant season. Now it remains open through the summer, selling “summer colour” for backyard events. To make that summer colour even more effective, Devan now grows its plants in matching colour pots. Pink flowers adorn pink pots, blue flowers top blue pots, yellow peppers are in yellow pots, while red peppers and strawberries populate red pots.
“You can put less flowers or smaller plants in a coloured pot to have the same effect,” deBruin notes.
He has also started using larger pots. “Consumers want the larger sizes. They would rather have their annuals in four-inch pots. They want something that looks good this weekend.”
That is just one thing he has learned from having a retail centre. “When we were only wholesale growers, we could never understand why certain things don’t sell.”
Although his customers remain predominantly 30- to 60-year-old females, deBruin is noticing more men among the young people frequenting his store. He is also noticing a shift in consumer demand.
“We are selling more fruit and vegetables. We are also selling more dwarf trees and less big trees. People also like plants that look tropical, like mandevilla and windmill palms. They will buy them again. There is also more of a blur between annuals and perennials. If it looks good and has colour, people will buy it.”
Devan’s retail sales manager, Kerry Lewendon, notes young consumers are also very conscious about GMOs and are asking more questions about pesticides and other growing practices.
After the store closes in October, the area is converted into a stockroom for parent stock for their propagation business.
The store is situated in a conventional Venlo greenhouse with shade curtains to keep both the plants and customers cool during hot summer days
but most of the rest of the greenhouse is an openroof greenhouse.
Although it costs about 50 per cent more, deBruin says its has many advantages. In summer, the greenhouse roof completely opens up.
“We treat our growing area like a field. It is a better environment for the bedding plants.”
DeBruin uses an ebb-and-flood sub-irrigation watering system for his floor plants and boomerang sprinklers for hanging baskets which blanket the
growing area. Rainwater is collected and all water is recycled after being filtered and treated with anolyte and chlorine dioxide. Heating pipes are located both in-floor and atop the plants.
DeBruin has automated as much of the planting and transplanting as possible. While it hasn’t saved much labour, he notes consistency and quality have improved dramatically.
David Schmidt is a freelance writer/photographer in British Columbia.
TOP Colour coordinated program.
ABOVE
Devan Greenhouses: “Where quality is growing.”
NEW VARIETIES 2017
Endless blooms, all season long. Introducing the next generation of sunflowers that offers endless blooms all season long.
Kick-start your spring with Caleo. Ease of production and can be grown cold alongside other cool season crops like Osteospermum.
Double the blooms, twice the color. Barbican shines bright with double the blooms and twice the color.
A cascade of color packed with value. The first ever trailing verbena series from seed.
New color family for late season extender and blackcloth combos. Shown to be tolerant of late season frosts. Will replace Barbie™ family.
The first compact series of Delphinium elatum to be introduced in the market. Excellent branching habit of both the vegetative growth and flower. Can be utilized in small pot production.
Beautifully Efficient. First flower up blooms in the center of the pot across all colors.
The hardest working Petunia around. Early flowering with exceptional cold and heat tolerance ensures year-round plant quality.
New opportunity for the end of the natural season. Full color family for the very end of the season. Shown to be tolerant of late season frosts.
First compact Spanish lavender series from seed. Very floriferous and uniform series of Spanish lavender. Allows for smaller container production of Spanish lavenders.
Extremely cold hardy alpine perennial. This alpine perennial ushers in a blanket of white flowers for spring season. In cooler climates it will continue to flower well into the summer months.
Earliest flowering Campanula carpatica series on the market. First year flowering F1 hybrid produces round, uniform plants laden with flowers and buds for a long-lasting color show.
Westbrook Greenhouse Systems has been an industry leader for decades, not only because of our innovative spirit and technologically advanced facilities, but because we’re growers ourselves. We understand what’s needed and we’ve developed our products from a grower’s perspective. Your perspective. Optimize
We begin by listening. Give us a call and learn how we can provide you with a custom growing environment: 1-800-263-0230.