(Loxley)–Plant Development Services, Inc. (PDSI) is readying their capes for Cultivate ’22, July 16-19, 2022. PDSI’s new releases are headlined by the debut of a signature brand, Better Boxwood®, poised to transform the boxwood market. Alongside these super shrubs, PDSI announces 2022 trade releases from Southern Living® Plant Collection and Sunset® Plant Collection to save consumers from dull landscapes and answer the call for unique foundation plants and tenacious bloom power.
BETTER BOXWOOD® BLIGHT FIGHTER LINEUP
Better Boxwood® makes its debut as the first collection of boxwood scientifically bred for their ability to resist blight. Through Boxwood Solutions™ Inc. – a newly formed partnership between PDSI and Everde Growers – this diverse collection will be available to consumers nationwide in 2023. The collection’s four new cultivars offer unique growth habits to fill any landscape need:
- Buxus Skylight™: 6-8 ft. tall and 3-4 ft. wide, fast-growing with medium-green leaves. Suitable for topiary and medium hedges.
- Buxus Babylon Beauty™: 3 ft. tall and 4-5 ft. wide, light green leaves with low spreading growth. Suitable for groundcover or layering.
- Buxus Heritage™: 3-4 ft. tall and 2-3 ft. wide, dark green leaves. Similar to Buxus sempervirens but slightly more compact. Ideal as a hedge or pruning form.
- Buxus Renaissance™: 1-2 ft. tall and 1-2 ft. wide, low growing with dark green leaves. Ideal for low hedges.
The Better Boxwood® series results from over two decades of breeding and trials led by Belgium grower Didier Hermans and the Flemish Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research.
“These stellar new varieties are the superheroes the industry needs, providing a range of landscape needs and exceptional boxwood blight immunity,” says Kip McConnell, Business Development Director with PDSI. “Consumers are looking for plants that provide a solution. With our expertise in licensing and marketing, coupled with Everde Growers’ production engine and nationwide reach, Better Boxwood® is here to take the industry to new heights.”
SUPER INTRODUCTIONS FROM SOUTHERN LIVING® AND SUNSET® PLANT COLLECTIONS
As consumers pursue ambitious new possibilities in outdoor spaces, Southern Living® Plant Collection and Sunset® Plant Collection are providing introductions that resonate. Small space-suited landscape plants, dramatically colored foliage, and shrubs that wow with flower power are in particularly high demand.
The new Garden Clouds® collection of Lonicera offers effortless structure with evergreen color, cold hardiness, and easy-to-prune habits. Currently consisting of three varieties, Green Breeze offers bright, chartreuse foliage in a compact shape, Copper Glow has lush green leaves with bronze-tinted new growth, and Purple Storm offers rich burgundy foliage.
For consumers looking for a foundation plant with visual flair and deer resistance, Bohemian Beauty™ Leucothoe dazzles with pink, green, and white variegation. Tri-color foliage adds year-round interest, while delicate white bell-shaped blooms shine in spring.
Also making its debut from the Sunset® Plant Collection is Royal Hawaiian Colocasia ‘Waikiki.’ Adding a tropical flair to any landscape, Waikiki was chosen for its strong stems and stunning foliage. The deep-green, glossy leaves with white markings and pink veins are disease resistant and have a tidy clumping habit. Perfect for large containers or as a specimen in the landscape.
Super Shasta daisy Leucanthemum REALFLOR® Real Cream joins the Sunset® Plant Collection as a stellar selection for borders, containers, and ornamental plantings. Its buttery yellow blossoms bloom on the earlier side, brightening the garden with sunny hues that range from soft creams to true yellows. Not only is Real Cream a great foundational perennial, but its strong stems make it suitable as a cut flower.
More information on these new releases and the complete list of 2023 trade releases will be available at the Plant Development Services booth at the Cultivate ’22 Trade Show at booth 3059.
For more information on the plants listed or to become a licensed grower, contact: [email protected], 251-964-6778
About Plant Development Services Inc.
Plant Development Services Inc. was founded in 1996 by Greg Smith of the third generation, family-owned Flowerwood Nursery, Inc. Plant Development Services owns and/or licenses more than 200 patented plant properties and boasts three top-ranking plant brands: Encore® Azalea, the Southern Living® Plant Collection and the Sunset Plant Collection®.