Landscape Management, January 2012

PROGRESS 50 YEARS OF INDUSTRY TRENDS BY BETH GERACI Blossoming breakthroughs M any improvements have been made in plant breeding throughout the years and ornamentals are no exception Todays plant developers can select desired traits for ornamentals right in the lab They couldnt before says Jeff Gibson Landscape Business Manager for Ball Horticultural Company Were using a lot of advanced scientific methods today to accelerate the identification of plants we want to create he says According to Ryan Contreras an assistant professor at Oregon State University who deals in ornamental plant breeding and cultivar development molecular biology is beginning to be used in ornamentals Were still in the infancy of that he says The biggest opportunity is using it to identify plants that have genes for resistance resistance to Dutch Elm Disease anthracnose things like that Molecular genetics is the new line of plant breeding says Rick Schoellhorn Director of New Products for Proven Winners L L C Todays plant developers are using the lab to develop hybrids In horticulture theyre finding they can Genetics and breeding are at the core of advances in ornamentals make hybrids between things they didnt know they could before That to me is the future of ornamental floriculture breeding he continues Youre still creating a new hybrid but youre doing it in a laboratory now so everything can be perfect for those two parts to join That results in plants that are sterile so they dont produce any seed Therefore they will flower for as long as the season lasts The advancement in the genetics and breeding of ornamentals Schoellhorn asserts is the upshot of intensifying competition among seed and vegetative companies Thats how the industry progresses he says The progression comes from that competition Its fascinating to watch and its nowhere near done Traditionally there was very little advancement in the perennial market Schoellhorn says but something happened LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET JANUARY 2012 14 in the past five years Echniacea for example is suddenly yellow orange white pink and now there are hundreds of cultivars on the market Its in pursuit of a higher plant and also a higher profit for the market he says Trees and shrubs have begun to show breakthroughs too displaying better flowering and disease resistance Genetic attributes of trees and shrubs are being driven in part by the preferences of urban landscape customers Gibson says including their desire for compact shrubs that dont grow as high And as todays landscaping clients move toward smaller trees and shrubs they are turning away from pricey flowers says Gibson explaining that commercial clients and homeowner associations looking to cut their budgets often cut extras like flowers first But many customers are willing to go along when landscapers suggest multiseason trees and shrubs Customers generally perceive them to be cost effective he explains because their blooms last Take for example hydrangeas Gibson adds If youre planting in a subdivision and your homeowners association doesnt want to plant petunias they might be willing to plant a hydrangea that changes color over multiple seasons and gives them some color Its a compromise plant The idea of multiseason shrubs is very important The use of containers in the landscape also is becoming a trend in many markets Gibson says A client who is reluctant to plant big beds of colorful plants yet still desires color might opt for placing plants in containers Putting plants into containers up close and personal is not only a costeffective compromise Gibson says Its also consistent with a trend toward more compact environments Future trends in ornamentals will be determined by more genetic breakthroughs Schoellhorn asserts Heirloom varieties arent going anywhere he says but when you start to look at where the real genetics of breeding is moving its just fascinating To save money todays customers are turning toward trees and shrubs such as hydrangeas whose blossoms last multiple seasons PHOTO COURTESY PROVEN WINNERS