HilverdaKooij promotes growth at American Takii

Hard to miss at the American Takii stop was HilverdaKooij's new gigantic interspecific salvia that can grow to about six feet tall and bloom hundreds of flowers. The Dutch breeder has not yet named it but will in Week 24 in mid-June. The mystery series comes in six colors: Violet, Cherry Red, Lavender, Pink, Purple and Dark Blue, says Floris Tas, area manager at HilverdaKooij.

Rather than shipping the enormous salvia from the Netherlands to California, HilverdaKooij worked with American Takii to grow it at Takii’s Salinas, California, location.

Another partnership for HilverdaKooij was on display at Spring Trials: its recent merger with Florist. The gerbera daisy breeder showcased HilverdaKooij’s plants — such as MOOODZ echinacea and Rebel dahlia — at its display at GroLink in Oxnard, California, and vice versa — HilverdaKooij promoted gerberas up in Salinas.

In pot carnations, HilverdaKooij displayed its Dianthus Beauties series, which includes the single-colored Kahori and the bicolored Olivia, among other varieties, Tas says. Meanwhile, the breeder offers short carnations in Sunflor and tall selections in Odessa. The breeder is also marketing Sunflor Kaylee, known for its fragrant scent, using perfume-bottle branding.

Helleborus is used a holiday crop in Europe, but HilverdaKooij reminded U.S. growers and retailers that it can flower from for several months in the United States. JWLS is an interspecific species that HilverdaKooij displayed at Spring Trials, with varieties such as Winterbells, a 2017 award-winner at Colorado State University.

For more coverage from the 2019 California Spring Trials, click here.