Bee-friendly, color explosions and new series

The Dutch FlowerTrials drew its highest visitor numbers since 2018 during this year’s four-day event, despite geopolitical circumstances that kept a number of regular international visitors away. Attendees had the opportunity to discover hundreds of new varieties, exchange ideas, and hold the kind of face-to-face conversations that are characteristic of the horticultural sector. Our photo report from the event can be found here.

Beyond a broad range of new colours, several recurring themes stood out across this year’s highlights: compact habit, robust varieties with strong resilience, good disease resistance, uniform growth, and bee-friendliness. These are traits that add value at every level of the supply chain, from propagator and retailer to end consumer. This article focuses on a selection of these characteristics.

Pollinator friendly
Bees were very much in evidence at the FlowerTrials, and not by coincidence. Pollinator-friendly flowers and plants are growing in importance as consumers increasingly factor sustainability into their purchasing decisions and actively seek out plants that benefit bees and other pollinators.

© Martijn Haas | FloralDaily.com
Verbascum Walberton’s Beeline from Plants for Europe is a real attractor for bees thanks to its yellow flowers

© Martijn Haas | FloralDaily.com
Mandy Kornneef and Nico Boers of Grunewald enjoying themselves among the Lavendel Lamorosa Maxi Purple

Explosion of color
Alongside pollinator appeal, appearance and colour remain key purchase drivers for both consumers and pollinators alike. This year’s show featured a high number of multicolour flowers, striking combinations of flower and foliage, and varieties presenting what can only be described as entirely new colour expressions.

© Mirthe Walpot | FloralDaily.com
Fiducia from Anthura is completely ‘consumer approved’ with its bright green flowers on dark foliage

© Mirthe Walpot | FloralDaily.com
At Hendriks Young Plants, they are all set for the World Cup with these orange Señorita’s Osteospermum called Alexia

© Martijn Haas | FloralDaily.com
The winner of the FleuroStar Award, Dalina Maxi Noir Velvet, has striking dark foliage with bright pink flowers

© Mirthe Walpot | FloralDaily.com
Almost impossible to capture in the photo, but in real life this hydrangea from HOKO Breeding looks almost black

New series
An increasing number of breeders are choosing to launch complete series across multiple colors. Examples from this year’s event include the Petunia Tea series from Beekenkamp, the Celosia Twisted series from Floritec, and the Digitalis DiBella series from Hem Genetics, the latter having been previewed the previous year and now commercially available.

© Mirthe Walpot | FloralDaily.com
Melodiva is a complete series of potted gerberas from HilverdaFlorist in striking colors and even a two-tone pink

Pollen-free
Pollen is not universally welcomed: allergies are one reason, but pollen-free flowers also mean less mess in the growing environment and in the consumer’s home. Some pollen-free varieties also have an extended flowering period, as the absence of pollination slows the ageing process. KP Holland is in the process of introducing a pollen-free Spathiphyllum under the name Polzero, while PanAmerican Seed has launched Always Sunny, a pollen-free sunflower.