The third day of California Spring Trials 2025 is complete. Here are five plant varieties and series that caught my eye when we visited Dümmen Orange and a host of companies in Santa Barbara on the third day of CAST 2025. Other featured breeders include Green Trade Horticulture, Pacific Plug & Liner, Plant Development Services, Inc., and PlantHaven.
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Anisodontea ‘Dayo’ (Pacific Plug & Liner)
An excellent annual, very much underused, Anisodontea simply needs more love. It is in the mallow family (Hibiscus, etc.) thus, it is tolerant of moist conditions and poor soils.
Plants can be too tall for some programs, and retailers may have a problem moving an unknown plant like this. But it is tough and flowers well much of the season. It certainly caught my eye.
Euphorbia ‘Sahara Tiny Treasure’ (PlantHaven)
Wow! I have seen dozens of euphorbs in my travels, but I am not sure I have seen such a prolific flowering one. This simply looks like a great big bubble of bright yellow flowers.
This could easily be the next ‘Ascot Rainbow’ in the euphorbia market, a plant that has good habits but with a bazillion flowers all at once.
Geum ‘Tropical Tempest’ (Green Trade Horticulture)
The genus Geum is not in vogue right now, but with some decent breeding, that could change quickly. I thought this newest iteration called ‘Tropical Tempest’ might be a good start.
The fact we don’t see a lot of Geum is because there are so few compact, long–flowering choices out there. I was so pleased to see this introduction, and I hope perennial growers will see its potential.
Lavandula ‘La Diva Berry Rosa’ (Dümmen Orange)
We have seen many lavenders during the trip, and they always seem to be getting better. Spanish lavender (L. stoechas) has wonderful large rabbit ears, most of which are lavender to blue. I was taken by the dusty pink rabbit ears of this introduction. It may not be as bright as other lavenders, but its unique color will attract many buyers.
Mahonia ‘Silver Caress’ (Plant Development Services, Inc., Southern Living Plant Collection)
The fact Mahonia is even in an ornamental plant discussion is because of an introduction called ‘Soft Caress’. No one thought any mahonia would be successful, but ‘Soft Caress’ blew up the market.
‘Silver Caress’ is new genetics, not a sport of ‘Soft Caress’, but similar in foliar feel and form. This plant has similar potential. The foliage is soft, and the silvery color is useful in many landscape designs.