West Grove, PA — A white landscape shrub rose representing the first collaboration between Will Radler, creator of the breakthrough Knock Out® Rose, and the legendary breeding of Meilland International, headlines Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle’s 2015 new introductions. It is joined by four other roses, and two woody plants, all of which will be available to consumers at garden retailers in 2015.
“Our introductions this year are especially exciting because they offer something that can appeal to the taste of every gardener,” says Steve Hutton, president and CEO of Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle. “From the climbing Pretty in Pink Eden® rose to the stunning purple weeping foliage of Albizia Chocolate Fountain™, gardeners of every ability will have success with these plants.”
Icecap™, the first introduction created from the collaborative breeding efforts of Will Radler and Meilland International, displays a dense flush of pure white flowers on a compact, rounded shrub. It has been one of the most consistent performers at independent trials conducted at sites nationwide, and has displayed excellent repeat-blooming and resistance to many common rose diseases such as black spot, mildew and rust.
Look-A-Likes® Apple Dapple is the latest addition to the Look-A-Likes® series of roses which is home to varieties that fool the eye. Selected because they look like other blooms and flowers, these break the mold of what we expect roses to look like. Apple Dapple is a large groundcover rose with white, apple blossom-like flowers that appear in early spring and continue to bloom throughout the season. It grows well on its own roots and is tolerant to high soil pH. It is very resistant to rust and mildews, and well-suited for placement towards the front of beds and borders, or planted en masse.
Pretty in Pink Eden® exhibits all the same great qualities of the Eden® Rose, and is just as vigorous and resistant to disease as its parent, but is deep pink in color. A new addition to the Romantica® series of roses, it has old-fashioned blooms with slightly more petals and fragrance than Eden®. Performs well on its own roots.
Peachy Keen™ is so exceptional that it almost became the newest member of The Knock Out® Family of Roses. Flowers open shell pink with a yellow center, then fade to pastel pink, and bloom consistently from spring through frost. This was the top scorer for aesthetics and disease resistance from independent trials conducted across the country over the period of two years.
The Best Kept Secret™ is a limited release to the West Coast only. It displays an exhibition type flower on a very compact plant. It has dark green, glossy foliage, a strong citrus fragrance and excellent disease resistance for rust and mildew.
Albizia Chocolate Fountain™ is the only purple foliage weeping Silk Tree on the market. It is a small tree, well adapted to smaller spaces or containers. The attractive, fern-like deep purple foliage combined with the pendulous, weeping habit make it a very special and unique plant. An added bonus is the delicate, ethereal pink flowers that form in summer. Chocolate Fountain™ is also well-suited for the landscape as it has good disease and insect-resistance.
Clethra Einstein™ features long white racemes of fragrant flowers reaching up to 12” long – an unprecedented length for a Summersweet shrub. The blooming stems are often twisted and curled, reminiscent of Albert Einstein’s wild coiffeur. This shrub is native throughout the eastern US, tolerant of a wide variety of growing conditions and extremely hardy.
About Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle:
From the Peace rose to the revolutionary Knock Out® and Drift® roses, Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle has been a pioneer in the field of plant development and introduction for more than 100 years. Founded in 1897 as a retail mail order firm specializing in roses, the company has evolved from a wholesale container nursery to a leading genetics company involved directly in breeding roses, perennials and woody plants, and introducing plants from other breeders around the world. To learn more about Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle, please visit: http://www.starrosesandplants.com.
Source: Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle
