At the "Flowers 2005" from September 1-5, 2005 Benary was awarded a gold medal for its display of novelties. Benary was one of fourteen winners among 600 companies, most of which had submitted plant novelties to the international competition. The gold medal was awarded to colorful, especially durable novelties. Benary's Celosia 'Fresh Look Orange' aroused great interest with its bushy habit and good basal branching with many brilliant colored flower plumes. Just like its sister colors, 'Fresh Look Orange' is ideal for landscape plantings in warm summer continental climates because of its durable flowers. The new colors from the Impatiens series 'Candy'®, 'Lavender' and 'Appleblossom', with their compact habit, prolific flowering, and great versatility obviously made a gib impression on the judges.
The new pollen-free pot sunflower 'Solita' won the judges over with its long-lived flowers and good habit quality. An AAS Gold Medal winner in the USA, Salvia 'Evolution' collected a gold medal in Russia, too, for its unique deep violet flower color and compact profusely branching habit.
At the Four Oaks Show in Macclesfield, UK, from September 6-7, 2005, 'Evolution' was the star among the new introductions. The stunning color effect of this exceptional sage aroused interest not only at the Benary booth, but also in the presentation of novelties for this year's Horticulture Week Award.
There was also great interest at the Four Oaks Show in Benary's new specialties that do particularly well in the temperate UK climate. These include Rudbeckia 'Prairie Sun', which can be produced profitably as a compact plant. Benary's FastraX Program of fast vernalization-free perennials was met with wide acclaim. Just like the other colors from the Lobelia 'Fan'® series, 'Deep Rose', 'Burgundy', 'Scarlet', and 'Blue', the new addition Lobelia 'Fan® Salmon' makes an attractive summer-flowering pot that is fast to produce. In-house cultivation trials that were run at Benary established that the FastraX novelty Scabiosa 'Ritz Blue' can be produced in spring along with pansies. It was no surprise that growers, who are always looking for alternatives to the classic spring crops, were keenly interested in the crop schedules used in these trials.
"Both shows have demonstrated once again that it is increasingly important for us as breeders to stay in contact with producers for an exchange of experience related to our varieties and the cultural information we provide. The Four Oaks Show and the Flowers are optimal door openers to expand the market for Benary varieties without closing the traditional distribution channels," says Pim Westerman in a positive stock-taking of these two major trade shows of international floriculture.
