Costa Farms, the leading bedding and indoor plant grower in North America, launched a program to recognize plant variety series that stood apart from the rest. Varieties were evaluated on production performance, garden performance, retail longevity and consumer appeal.
Eli Mckinney, Trial Manager for Costa Farms, explains that garden performance is an essential part of the selection process next to plant width, plant height, stage of flowering and overall performance. Al these plant properties are recorded twice a month to track progress over several cultivation months. "The award takes garden performance selections to the next level by incorporating other factors that are equally important and need to be considered when selecting new products," says Kate Santos, Director of Research and Development.
The characteristics selected for production performance are uniformity, flowering consistency, reliable performance, disease and insect resistance on a large scale. These were all reasons why Petunia GlowTM Lavender Shades was recognized by Costa Farms in the trials. It is particularly characterized by a medium, semi-mounding growth habit and purple large flowers with a light shade. Fides Oro is the only one carrying this variety in North America.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Fides Oro