Plant news '84 - innovations and new varieties in flowers, roses, trees, shrubs, vegetables, etc

Flower & Garden Magazine, Jan, 1984

Flowers from seeds, perennial flowers of many types, vegetables, fruits, ornamental trees and shrubs, roses, and many kinds of indoor plants are represented in the abundant plant news reaching us this year.

In descriptions to folow, numbers in bold face refer to a picture of the item in one of the color pages spaced through this issue. Italics denote the name of introducer. As to sources, always what you most want to know, we have tried to provide you with at least a lead. Usually the ones credited as introducers of an item may be taken as sources of it, but not always. The breeders and wholesale developers are not set up to deal with individual customers. This is why they are not listed in our '84 Seed/Plant Source Finder, page 54. Addresses of the other introducers cited are given there, and altogether that Finder should help you locate nearly all of these new plants. THE NEW FLOWERS Marigolds

In new flowers from seeds, marigolds have the lead, as in several years past. Gardeners may flinct at the annual deluge of new marigold varieties. Every major seed breeder appears to be relentless with this flower, bringing out new kinds that to laymen seem little different from the old. To breeders, they are significant improvements. Challenges and rewards in marigolds are obviously enough to keep hybridizing going.

Best of the recent new hybrid marigolds are the Incas, which with this year's added 'Inca Gold' (57) will total three, plus a mixture. 'Inca Gold,' and its orange and yellow counterparts, are superior large flowered varieties with fully double profuse blooms on sturdy hedge type uniform plants, storm resistant and always looking fresh. Goldsmith of California was the developer; Geo. W. Park Seed Co. is an introducer of this lavish 'Inca Gold'; others including Thompson & Morgan also will have it.

Denholm adds to its Royal crested marigolds a Fleuroselect winner, 9th in the set, 'Royal Canary,' a dwarf French marigold 12 to 14 inches tall. The Royals have flowers especially freely produced in cooler areas. Also Denholm announces an addition to its Bonanza marigolds, 'Harmony,' a French bicolor cherry red and yellow with 12-inch compact uniform habit and many crested flowers, very early, larger than 'Boy' marigolds with which they may be compared. Then there is Denholm's Boy series. 'Sunny Boy,' (27) the newcomer, another Fleuroselect winner, is pure gold-yellow, a drawf French marigold 10 to 12 inches high, early, uniform, prolific, bringing this total series now to five separate colors plus a mixture.

Burpee has a really major development in its 'Super Star Orange,' (35) tetraploid hybrid marigold, doubtless the start of things to come. This is the first such tetra marigold in commerce. It culminates 10 years' work to find and stabilize good breeding parents among French and American tetra parents, between which it is a cross. Classed as French in type with flowers as big as American marigolds, on 16-inch plants, these bloom early (mid July) with brilliant orange double flowers on strong 5-inch stems. As it never sets seed, the plant keeps on blooming up to frost.

Burpee also introduces an odorless American carnation-flowered marigold, 'Sweet 'n Yellow' (42). Long stemmed bright yellow double flowers 3 to 4 inches across form on widely branched 24-inch plants. It is a companion to the similar, older, 'Sweet 'n Gold.'

Bodger has several marigolds. One F.Sub.1 hybrid group, the Belles, is made up of triploids 12 to 14 inches high with large single 2 1/2-inch flowers, all with girls' names. 'Little Nell' (new) is gold with red accents at petal bases; 'Moll Flanders' (4) (also new) has more dominant red markings; 'Suzie Wong' is clear yellow. All these are well adapted to Pacific Northwest conditions. Another new from Bodger is 'Honey Sophia,' a color twist to the older 'Queen Sophia,' turning yellow instead of gold with red touches under warm growing conditions. Then there is Bodger's 'Starfire' (11) Signata mix, a bright improvement on old Signet types, larger flowers than you would expect, on 8- to 10-inch plants favored for edgings. Gold-yellow, gold with red, and red are found this mix.

Yet another Queen type marigold to come from Ball Seeds will be 'Queen Victoria,' deep gold flowers speckled with red, 2-inch blooms on plants 10 to 12 inches high. Ball also has 'Bonnie,' a dwarf yellow triploid two weeks earlier than any other French type and flowering all summer.

Twilley announces adding a 1982 Fleuroselect winner marigold called 'Florence.' A strong plant, bushy, 20 inches high with narrow foliage, it has single to semi-double golden orange flowers averaging 2 1/2 inches across.

Thompson & Morgan have two new names in nonhybrid marigolds -- with seeds more affordable than hybrids -- 'Luxor' with a 3-inch "skirt" of petals and 'Joyful,' for cooler climates, a bicolored deep red and yellow. Finally, Ferry-Morse announces a dwarf triploid marigold 'Sundance,' 12 to 14 inches high covered with crested 2-inch orange flowers, spring to frost, doing well everywhere. Petunias