Create landscapes and relationships that

Transcription

1 Create landscapes and relationships that Thrive In this issue: Plants at work Best of the West Page 2 Northern Exposure Page 4 Playing it Cool Page 16 Go Green! Page 18 Landscape Color Magazine 2013

2 Trust It s the cornerstone of every great relationship, personal or professional. And it s the principle that runs throughout our Ball Seeds of Success philosophy. Your clients trust you to always do the right thing, just as you trust your growers and they trust us. Doing the right thing can be challenging but at Ball, we thrive on challenge, and I ll bet you do, too. The bigger the challenge, the sweeter the success! That s why we take your business as seriously as you do. We cultivate our relationships with growers and suppliers to make sure you get top-of-the-line varieties in vibrant, client-pleasing colors. Help wanted: plants at work You and your crew can spend hours days weeks creating a landscape that stops traffic. But if your plants don t work as hard as you do, the results will fall far short of your expectations and more important, your customer s. Just like finding the right tool for the job, you have to match the right plant to the right place. This issue of Thrive offers you innovative ideas and fresh varieties to make the most of any landscape, no matter where you re located or what challenges you re facing. The plants you ll find in the pages ahead are the ideal work force. They don t make unreasonable demands and they don t complain about working overtime. But they ll make you look good every day, all season long. And they ll bring satisfied clients back year after year. You can depend on Ball to provide only the best annuals, perennials and shrubs. You can count on our expertise and innovation. And you know we stand behind everything we do, 110%. Just like you. Whatever the coming year brings, big jobs or small, repeat business or new customers or all of the above! rest assured that you have a reliable partner in Ball. Jeff Gibson Business Manager Landscape jgibson@ballhort.com

3 Bookmark It! BallLandscape.com Best of the West Year-round color dazzles the West from Seattle to Sedona. Northern Exposure Light up the North with long-lasting plants and season-spanning blooms. Warm Winners Tough Southern performers can take the heat. Made for the Shade Bright looks for low light lots of options for the shade. Bright Ideas Sun-loving lineup offers endless options for season-long color. Limited Space, Unlimited Potential From containers to courtyards, big ideas for small spaces. View innovative landscape planting combos Browse top landscape performers Download professional photos to build client presentations Sign up for s on the latest varieties and landscape ideas Find a local supplier that offers Ball varieties Playing it Cool This colorful collection starts early and stays late. Go Green! These smart choices aren t just for eco-conscious clients. Homegrown Habitats Native plants are right at home in conservation-designed landscapes. Front Cover Salvia nemorosa: Drought-tolerant and color-packed! 18 BACK Cover What s New? A sneak peek at hot new varieties for

4 Best of the West Plants at work on the WEST COAST Year-Round Color 3D Osteospermum Like your favorite diner, these blooms stay open 24/7! The only double osteos on the market, 3D will attract plenty of attention, all day and all night. Talk about covering a lot of ground from the damp chill of the Pacific Northwest to the dry heat of the desert Southwest, western landscapers see just about everything. And with multiple change-outs, diverse micro-climates and demand for year-round color, it seems like you have to plant just about everything. No matter where you are, from Seattle to Sedona, Ball has you covered. These are just a few of our top coastal picks. 3D Purple 2

5 SILVER Anouk Lavender Compact lavender s dark violet flower spikes add an elegant touch to Coastal landscapes. Pair it with Anouk for even more impact. Matilda Chamelaucium (Wax Flower) The only dwarf wax flower! Heat and drought-tolerant, compact Matilda spruces up the landscape with white to magenta blooms from November through March. Voltage Yellow Osteospermum Pretty FLORA Petunia Pretty Flora Pink Pretty heat-tolerant, too. This compact petunia fills baskets, beds and landscapes, but keeps a nice, tidy appearance. The first osteo in bloom and the last one to quit, Voltage Yellow shouts, SPRING! It delivers electrifying color right when your clients crave it the most. Cousin Itt Acacia Go ahead and touch Itt! This irresistible acacia keeps its soft green foliage even in high heat and drought conditions, and stays a petite 3 ft. x 3 ft. 3

6 Northern Exposure Plants at work in the NORTHEAST and MIDWEST Color crunch time Redhead Coleus Who can resist a real redhead? This must-have color fires up any landscape looks awesome on its own or in large, vigorous combos. Don t look now, but your Spring just got shorter. Cost-conscious clients expect color installations to go into their landscapes even earlier and last until Fall! Not a problem. These off the bench starters can go the distance. 4

7 Whopper Rose with Bronze Leaf Whopper Begonia Big plants up to 3 ft.! with super-size flowers will exceed your clients expectations. This upright background plant comes in green or bronze leaf. Whopper Red with Green Leaf Flutterby Petite Buddleia Flutterby Petite Tutti Fruitti Pink Durable and drought-tolerant, this non-invasive variety maxes out at 3 ft. perfect for beds or containers. Fragrant flowers attract butterflies...and comments! Lacey Blue Perovskia One-of-a-kind compact habit fits well in borders and containers, holds its neat shape through the sizzle of summer. PowWow Echinacea Perennial PowWow packs lots of flower power for hot, dry areas. This cultivated native flowers uniformly and maintains an even height across large plantings. PowWow Wild Berry Sweet Summer Hydrangea Give your clients season-long, dense blooming with this hardy hydrangea. It flowers white in the Summer and pink in the Fall, on upright, 5-ft. plants. 5

8 Warm Winners Plants at work in the SOUTH and SOUTHEAST Plants that take the heat! Little Lucky TM Lantana Light up southern landscapes with Little Lucky. This compact, heat-loving lantana packs a colorful punch in border plantings and marquee beds. And it has a low berry set for a longer flowering period. Heat and drought may be fairly new challenges in the Midwest, but landscapers down South can take it on the chin. You seek out the toughest performers longblooming varieties that last, even with watering restrictions. Ball offers you a wide range of durable plants that love it Southern Hot! Take a look at some of our favorites for keeping Dixie and beyond blooming and beautiful! Little Lucky Peach Glow 6

9 Sombrero Echinacea Some like it hot and everyone will love this warm red coneflower. Brightens up borders on its own or with the other bold varieties in the Sombrero series. Sombrero Hot Coral Double Delights Wedding Gown Hydrangea When clients want white, give them this reblooming beauty the best white lacecap! It grows to a neat, mounded 3 ft. with big, double flowers Spring through Fall. Enduring Summer Lagerstroemia (Crepe Myrtle) One-of-a-kind reblooming series from Dr. Michael Dirr has a nice, tight habit and tons of warm-weather color and it s not on the menu for deer. Enduring Summer Red Landmark Lantana Vigorous variety fills in fast, but stays controlled in the landscape. Landmark is also bred to stand up to extreme heat, humidity and drought. Landmark Gold Limeade Silver Streak Peach Parfait Carnival Heuchera This heat-loving villosa heuchera series brings incredible color to shady southern spots. Beautifully mounding habits are great for containers or beds. 7

10 Shade Plants at work in SHADE Everybody s hands-down favorite for shade? Impatiens but if you need some alternatives, try some of the shade-loving plants in the next few pages. Divine Lavender Divine New Guinea Impatiens A great choice for early, seed-sown, pack-ready color, Divine fills shady landscapes fast with masses of bright flowers. And it s highly resistant to Impatiens Downy Mildew. Divine Orange 8

11 Shade Alternatives From Downy Mildew-resistant New Guineas to best-in-class begonias, coleus and more, we can help you fill any shady landscape with outstanding color! Suggested Seed Varieties for Shade Flowers Begonia boliviensis: Santa Cruz Sunset Begonia, Winged: Dragon Wing, BabyWing Begonia, Bronze-Leaf Fibrous-Rooted: Yin, Harmony Begonia, Green-Leaf Fibrous-Rooted: Yang, Prelude Begonia, Landscape Fibrous-Rooted: Whopper, BIG Begonia, Tuberous-Rooted: Bliss Cyclamen: Halios & Halios Select, Latinia & Latinia Select, Premium, Tianis, Metis & Metis Select Lobelia, Early Upright: Riviera Lobelia, Late Upright: Cambridge Blue, Crystal Palace, Rosamund, White Lady Lobelia, Trailing: Fountain, Regatta, Sapphire New Guinea Impatiens: Divine Nicotiana: Starmaker Torenia: Kauai Foliage Begonia, Foliage: Gryphon Coleus: Chocolate Covered Cherry, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Splash, Dark Chocolate, Emotions, Kong, Wizard, Versa Dichondra: Silver Falls, Emerald Falls Hypoestes: Splash Select Iresine: Purple Lady Milium: Flashlights Plectranthus: Emerald Lace Talinum: Limón, Verde Grasses & Grasslike Plants Corynephorous: Spiky Blue Festuca/Blue Fescue: Festina Isolepis/Fiber Optic: Live Wire Juncus: Blue Arrows, Blue Dart, Javelin, Starhead, Twisted Dart, Twister Koeleria: Coolio Luzula/Wood Rush: Lucius Stipa/Mexican Feather Grass: Pony Tails Suggested Vegetative Varieties for Shade: Flowers Begonia boliviensis: Million Kisses, Bon Bon Euphorbia: Breathless Blush & White, Cool Breeze Impatiens, New Guinea: Celebrette, Celebration Impatiens, Spreading: SunPatiens, Fanfare Lobelia: Hot Springs, Magadi Foliage Caladiums Coleus: Henna, Redhead, Electric Lime, Indian Summer, Wasabi, Sultana, Trusty Rusty, Mint Mocha, Lava Rose, Vino, Honey Crisp, Aurora Impatiens Downy Mildew got you down? Maybe you ve escaped the scourge of Impatiens Downy Mildew. Just in case, be on the lookout for early warning signs: Chlorotic or stippled leaves, leaves that turn downward from the leaf margin and white, downy-like growth on the underside of affected leaves. Advanced symptoms include premature leaf and flower drop and plant collapse. If you see these signs, Ball recommends: Note the site and location of infected beds. Promptly remove entire plants and leaf debris, bag it at the jobsite and remove it to the landfill, ideally before the plant collapse phase. If infection was noted, you have a strong risk of infection next year. Consider some of the shade alternatives shown here. If you do plan to use Impatiens walleriana, be sure to check that your grower has applied a preventative fungicide to maximize your chance for early-season planting success. For more information, see BallLandscape.com 9

12 Made for the Shade Versa Coleus Multi-patterned foliage stays the center of attention all season. Later to flower than other seed-sown coleus, Versa lives up to its name it performs just as well in sunny spots! Blazin Rose Iresine Striking, multi-color leaves and bright magenta stems make this foliage plant stand out in large mixed plantings and landscapes in deep shade. Bright looks for low light Yang White Versa Crimson Gold Yin and Yang Begonias Opposites attract attention! Bronze-leafed Yin and green-leafed Yang tolerate heat, sun and shade, putting out high-impact color from Spring to the end of Fall. 10

13 Kong Coleus You can t go wrong with Kong these big-leafed beauties boast the most unusual color combinations that grow even more stunning in the shade. Kong Salmon Pink Trusty Rusty Coleus This vigorous variety boasts large, copper-colored leaves edged in golden yellow it really shines in the shade. Wasabi Coleus Durable, rugged Wasabi adds a spicy dash of hot chartreuse to shaded landscapes. It s also a great stand-alone variety in containers. 11

14 Bright Ideas Plants at work in SUN When it comes to sun, you ve got practically endless options. The problem is: how do you narrow down such a broad field of star performers? These sun-loving varieties are a great place to start. No shade no fade! Vino Coleus A new dark accent color for sun or shade! This premium variety is very late to never-flowering and makes a big impact with little maintenance. Wave Petunia Low-growing, wide-spreading Wave is a natural for sunny beds. It blooms like crazy all season without being cut back. Check out the whole Wave petunia family. Wave Purple Improved 12

15 Serena Angelonia Durable Serena puts on a spectacular display of continuous color from the moment of planting through late Summer. Your clients will love it deer and rabbits, not so much. Serena Lavender Dragon Wing Begonia The Amazing Blazing Begonia gets big fast! It s vigorous in the heat of the south and north ideal for landscaping in pots or beds. Double Zahara Fire Double Zahara Zinnia Double the color impact of traditional zinnia, with much better mildew resistance. This truly tough flower for sun requires no deadheading. Dragon Wing Pink 13

16 Limited space, unlimited potential Growing trends: less is more Gryphon Begonia Serenita Raspberry Big, showy, silver foliage for the shade great as a large specimen plant for containers. Gryphon s tropical good looks are surprisingly low maintenance and water efficient. Serenita Angelonia The compact kid sister to Serena, growing 6 to 8 in. high, Serenita is just as elegant and tough! It s an excellent choice for border, marquee sign and container plantings. 14

17 Plants at work in SMALL SPACES Archangel Raspberry Angelonia Small spaces can be just as challenging to fill as large ones maybe more! But with the right combination of plants and a little ingenuity, the impact can be just as big. AngelMist White Spreading Angelonia Shock Wave Denim Spreading Petunia Little Lucky Hot Pink Lantana Hot Springs White Lobelia Rhythm and Blues Petunia 15

18 Playing it Cool Plants at work when it s COOL Why should Summer get all the fun? Early and late-season stunners will keep your landscapes looking great longer. Cool Wave Yellow Cool Wave Pansy Easy spreading color extends the season on both ends. And this hardy, high-impact groundcover overwinters to return early in the Spring. Space them 12 in. apart and watch them fill in, fast and lush! Extend your color season 16

19 Sorbet Viola Sweet and cool, just like its name! Earlyblooming Sorbet is an outstanding multiseason performer, with more colors than any other viola series. Sorbet Blue Blotch XP & Sorbet Yellow Blotch XP Panola True Blue Panola Pansy THE landscape pansy! The best choice for early-blooming, guaranteed-overwintering cool-season color. Medium-sized flowers available in a range of clear colors, and designer mixes. Spring Matrix Clear Mix Matrix Tricolour Mix Matrix Pansy More flowers per plant means lots more color in the landscape! Lowmaintenance Matrix can stand a little frost and blooms early Spring right through Fall. Spring Matrix Pansy Earlier to bloom in the Spring, with a full range of clear colors, Spring Matrix delivers uniform flowering across all colors in the landscape. 17

20 SUSTAINABLE plants at work Go Green! Water-wise varieties let you conserve water, cut costs and be kind to the environment without sacrificing color. Drink Responsibly! Tidal Wave Silver With so many clients and communities now under pressure to use less water for landscaping, contractors are increasingly looking for water-wise, long-lasting plants to install. Visit BallLandscape.com for a complete selection of water-sipping varieties, including Ball Circle of Life EcoIndex varieties. These plants have been tested to use less water, less chemicals and/or less energy in their production and maintenance. Fireworks Gomphrena Exploding with color, this low-maintenance variety tolerates heat and drought, lending brilliant flower power to landscapes all Summer long. Landmark Sunrise Rose 18

21 Titan Vinca Remember the Titans when you want a fast-flowering vinca with gigantic blooms! Titan rolls out a vibrant carpet of color in hot, dry conditions. Titan Rose Halo Dakota Gold Helenium This tough annual brightens any sunny landscape with golden yellow blooms. Easycare and compact, Dakota Gold grows strong even in hot, dry conditions. Tidal Wave Petunia Get a tsunami of blooms using very little water. Tidal Wave s dense, mounded habit creates a full, shrub-like plant that s perfect for landscapes and large containers. Landmark Lantana The hottest Summer is no match for Landmark. Its vivid color stands up to extreme heat and drought, livening landscapes where lesser varieties wither! Silver Falls Dichondra Striking when it cascades out of baskets and mixed containers also performs beautifully as a groundcover in well-drained soil, hot and dry climates. 19

22 NATIVE plants at work Homegrown habitats The New American Landscape Saving and controlling water is a big part of sustainable landscaping. As a result, both natives and native cultivars are increasingly used in conservationdesigned landscapes. The rise of LEED certification and its landscape equivalent, the SITES program, is driving this interest. Native means different things to different people. However you define it, finding plants that function better in the environment, or provide function for the environment, is not only the right thing to do, but gives you an opportunity to provide additional products and services for your clients. Liatris spicata Kobold Conservation Designed Landscape,

23 Natives are right at home. Plants perform best when they re comfortable in their ecosystem. North American natives and native cultivars can better withstand climate and water extremes, increase species biodiversity and serve as food sources for pollinators. The New Natives. It can be challenging to provide natives for clients who prefer more traditionally designed landscapes. Ball is committed to offering both natives and new natives native cultivars that provide the functional appeal of a native, with tidy, longblooming, colorful habits for the landscape. Natives by the numbers. 61% 33% of perennial growers offering native plant species say customers request natives because of sustainable design. of respondents in the Ball 2012 Landscape Contractor Survey say native plants are the most-askedabout topic in terms of landscape sustainability. Mesa Yellow No Seed, more bloom. Ball is working hard to develop ecologically responsible plant choices: plants that won t creep out of your landscape and into the environment. As a bonus, less seed means more blooms and better show. Mesa Gaillardia Bold, non-fading blooms last all season very drought tolerant. Cheyenne Spirit Echinacea Turn any landscape into an instant prairie, full of vibrant color. Flutterby Grande Peach Cobbler Flutterby Grande BUDDLEIA The world s only complete series of sterile buddleia, approved for transport, propagation and sale by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Ball provides hundreds of native species perennials and thousands of native cultivars to growers nationwide. For a complete listing of native and native cultivar suppliers at Ball, visit Additional Information:

24 Cool Wave Pansy 3D Osteospermum Top Picks for 2013 Chocolate Covered Cherry Coleus Little Lucky Lantana Vino Coleus Serenita Angelonia Sombrero Echinacea Pretty Grand Petunia Whopper Begonia Divine New Guinea Impatiens PREORDER NOW Contact your local grower for the best of the upcoming season. Visit BallLandscape.com to find a supplier today Ball Horticultural Company 12466