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

Flower & Garden Magazine, Jan, 1984

After a slackening in petunia development, we again have many new kinds, nearly every one an F.sub.1 hybrid. The headliner petunia is the Ball introduction 'Crockett's Victory White,' (55) headlined both because the name honors the late public TV gardener James Crockett, and because it prefaces a series of colors yet to come of similar petunias bearing the name. A single grandiflora, it has exceptionally large 4-inch flowers which open early. For beds, baskets or pots, this variety will be found as started plants, already blooming, at garden stores this spring.

Ball Seed lists one unique new grandiflora petunia which is a double -- called 'Double Sure,' it has 3- to 4-inch red flowes, held upright well above foliage.

'Cherry Magic' is a new F.sub.1 hybrid in Pan-American's Magic series of large flowered all purpose petunias, time-proven and popular. This variety is good for bedding, tubs, window boxes; fast germinating, early to flower, compact, and a pretty cherry rose color. Another from Pan-American is 'Blush Cascade,' a new color in the now classic Cascade series widely used for baskets and other containers. "Blush" means pale pink, with a darker suffusion of color on the large substantial flowers which open early. Plants characteristically mound up and then cascade over, providing a billowing display.

Many local garden shops and mail-order outlets will offer the new Ultra petunias developed in California by Goldsmith. 'Ultra Blue,' 'Ultra Burgundy,' and 'Ultra Rose' are the 1984 colors added in these F.sub.1 hybrid grandifloras. Compact branching plants, disease tolerant growth, and early blooms are characteristics. 'Ultra Blue' is widely regarded as the best blue petunia so far in this class.

Another hybrid grandiflora petunia series launched by Bodger, is called Suburbans, aimed at Western U.S. urban conditions with smog. The leadoff colors are red and white. With upright habit, blooming in 80 days from seed, these have performed far better under air pollution than other varieties. They will probably be available from local nurseries on the West Coast.

Jos. Harris Co. has not been idle. Two recent petunias come from its breeders. The F.sub.1 hybrid multiflora 'Red Ribbon' (45) is extremely showy, bright red with a contrasting yellow throat on extra dwarf, spreading plants. 'Lacy Sails' (31) an F.sub.1 grandiflora, has large ruffled flowers, lavender-blue with wine-red veining.

The Japanese breeding firm of Sakata offers three new color forms in existing series of F.sub.1 hybrid grandifloras: 'Fulcon Mid Blue' (1) is an extra early good mid blue, an added color in Fulcons; 'Recoverer Salmon' joins the existing colors in this weather resistant group; and 'Rose Picotee' (21) joins the three other colors in this award-winning series which blooms continuously with bicolor flowers having stable wide white margins. This newcomer won as a Fleuroselect novelty in Europe. It holds its 3-inch rose flowers on upright compact plants 12 inches high. Base branching, it resists diseases and weather damage, giving a long bloom season. Geraniums from Seeds