Every year about this time I get bitten by the “I gotta have it” bug. Stacks of plant and seed catalogs clutter every table and I spend hours, even days, dreaming of the season to come. The sting of last summer has faded and while the garden is fast asleep it’s easy to get carried away making plans for the future. I knew this would happen! It always does. I had hoped this year might be different and that by placing my seed orders in November I might outsmart myself. Ha, fat chance! So here I am, scheming up ways to squeeze in a few hundred more of this and maybe a thousand of that into an already overflowing garden. Every square foot is already accounted for in my 2012 garden plan but I can’t help myself, there are a few more things I’ve just gotta have!

After sifting through towers of catalogs and endless seed websites, I’ve finally boiled down the most promising new varieties for the coming season.

Probably the most exciting news I’ve gotten this winter regarding new cut flower varieties is that Gloeckner has now become the exclusive broker for Kordes Freelander Roses. Over the years as interest and demand has grown for these wonderful outdoor cut rose varieties, growers have often struggled to obtain adequate plant stock and cultural information. Now that Kordes has enlisted Gloeckner to oversee the ordering and dispersal of plants, hopefully the headaches of the past will be a distant memory. Greenheart Roses in California will be custom propagating the plant stock, which will be available year-round, shortening the order lead time to 8-12 weeks. Plants are available in 4.5” pots and run $5.80 each. A minimum order of 54 plants is required, with just one per variety. This is great news for all of the smaller growers out there who have previously struggled to make the minimums but have longed for a chance to test these beauties. 

In addition to all of these changes at Kordes there have also been some very exciting new additions to the Freelander Rose Collection. Joining the Antique and Traditional Cut Flower Collections are three new multi -flowered series. The first is a beautiful, ruffled, partially streaked spray group called the Shakes. Second, the Orkans are an early blooming spray type with numerous buds per stem. Lastly and quite possibly the most exciting of all is the Pom Pon collection.  With clusters of vibrant, highly doubled blooms that resemble a fully flowered peony or antique cabbage rose, this series looks like it was pulled from a Dutch still life. I will be trialing multiple varieties from each of these new groups and sharing the results here later in the season.

I have been waiting years for ‘Green Ball’ dianthus, shown on the next page and on page 1, to become available. After spotting it on my wholesaler’s truck a few seasons back and then watching designers hungrily scoop up bunch after bunch, I knew we needed to grow it.  While not particularly flashy or beautiful, it is definitely different and interesting. I’m quite certain that it will be a strong seller as specialty filler. Plants are said to reach 28” in height with a 3” wide green flower head held atop a strong, healthy stem. Pinching to 3 sets of leaves roughly 2 weeks after planting is recommended. Crop time from planting to first flower can be as short as 16 weeks. While this variety is listed as being hardy down to zone 4 on the order form, the Ball rep I spoke with suggested growing it as an annual to be on the safe side. Ball is the exclusive broker on this variety, so plants must be ordered through them. Available as a 102 sized plug, plants run about .77 each, 1 tray min. per variety with 4 trays total required per order.

It seems 2012 is the year of the Hypericum (hooray!) with two new series available to growers. My local wholesalers all report that Hypericum is a good, steady seller and it’s easy to see why.  Each long, sturdy stem is loaded with colorful berries that do not crush, shrivel or stain. Regularly lasting well over two weeks, Hypericum has molded before wilting in a bouquet. The berried stems are great in mixed bouquets, wedding work, boutonnieres and corsages.

Green Leaf Plants has just introduced a beautiful collection of Hypericum called the Hypearl Series. Reportedly hardy down to zone 6 and not requiring vernalization to set fruit, this disease resistant group looks promising. There are four colors in the collection, all of which have good stem length (25”-36”) and pretty little feminine names. Jacqueline’s berries begin yellowish orange and mature into a deep red while Oliva’s start out yellow as well but become salmon over time. Jessica’s are a soft cream throughout the season while Renu’s start out cream but eventually darken, becoming a deep pink. All of the varieties are said to love heat, flower in July and fruit abundantly by early August. Pinching prior to July 1 is recommended to encourage branching and flowering. Plants are quite affordably priced and can be had as unrooted cuttings for just .18 or as plugs in either a 72 for .67 or a 128 for .47. These prices include the royalty. The minimum order is just one tray and can be sourced through brokers such as Ball, Gloeckner or Germania.

Ball has also released a new collection of Hypericum called the Spirit Pearl Series. This group comes in four colors as well: green, red, red-orange, and red-pink. Said to reach 28” in height and bloom 26 weeks after planting, this collection looks very interesting as well. Suitable for unheated greenhouses and field production, plants should be pinched four weeks after transplanting for maximum number of fruiting stems. Plants must be purchased through Ball and are available as 102 plugs for 2.40 each. One tray per variety is required with a minimum of four trays per order.

I spotted the ornamental oregano, Origanum ‘Amethyst Falls’ a few weeks back in the Bluebird Nurseries catalog and it took my breath away. Similar to ‘Kent Beauty’ which produces showy hop-like flower cones but with a larger overall plant habit (15”x24”), I believe this darling may just be a winner. I’ve grown Kent Beauty for a few seasons now and adore its unique flowers and spicy scented foliage but always struggle to get enough height on it to make a truly worthy cut. With some low netting and a sheltered spot in the garden I think ‘Amethyst Falls’ may get tall enough to wow our customers. Plants are said to flower for several months beginning in late summer and be hardy down to zone 5. Plugs are available through Blue Bird Nursery, with a flat of 32 costing $48.

I must admit when I flipped through the newest Gloeckner catalog, the Celosia Sunday Series were the first things to grab my attention. With such vibrant colors and beautiful flower spikes I almost squealed out loud! Similar to the Bombay series, Sunday Celosia has a short, programmable crop time and extremely high yield of top-quality stems. Plants are spaced 6 x 6” apart and like the Bombays are not pinched but left to grow a single flower stalk. There are 6 incredibly beautiful colors to choose from including three in shades of peach/orange, a favorite with our customers. Seed is available from both Gloeckner and Geo. Geo had the best price, $49.90 per thousand seeds.

 While we’re on the subject of Celosia, there are half a dozen new varieties that have just been added to the Bombay collection. While all six are to-die-for gorgeous, both Candy and Bordeaux have stolen my heart! Rounding out the Bombay collection perfectly, these new additions are bound to turn heads. Seed is available from Gloeckner, Ball and Geo from $68-84. Be sure to price check for the best deal.

Anyone who grows flowers knows how hard it is to have self-control. During the cold winter months when spring is still a fond vision off on the horizon, it is easy to get carried away plotting and planning for the year ahead. After a few seasons of overzealous ordering and massive over-commitment, you’d think I’d have learned my lesson by now but, sadly, this just isn’t the case. I bet you the year I stop getting that wild-eyed, gotta-have-it look while flipping through seed catalogs in January is the year I finally retire. Next to hard work and an optimistic spirit, I believe obsession and passion are the keys to surviving the wild and beautiful business of flower farming.

Erin Benzakein runs Floret, a small, organic flower farm in Washington’s beautiful Skagit Valley. www.floretflowers.com