Over 16,000 industry professionals and visitors attended the 34th annual Plantarium show, held in the Netherlands. Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs received four honors in the prestigious awards program. Nearly 100 new plants were judged by an expert committee from the Royal Boskoop Horticultural Society.
Yuki Cherry Blossom™ deutzia (pictured above) received a Silver Award for being the first-ever ‘Nikko’- type deutzia with pink flowers – over ten years in the making! This charming plant with a mounded habit offers pink, bell-like flowers in spring and burgundy-purple fall color. This tough, adaptable plant makes an excellent groundcover, especially on a sunny slope.
Invincibelle® Ruby hydrangea, Incrediball® Blush hydrangea and Yuki Snowflake™ deutzia each received a Bronze Award. Invincibelle® Ruby hydrangea boasts a two-toned combination of bright ruby red and silvery pink on strong stems. Incrediball® hydrangeas are beloved for their stout stems and massive blooms. Incrediball® Blush hydrangea adds a new color to the series. This beauty has big, bodacious, blush-pink blooms that change to an attractive green color as they age. Yuki Snowflake™ deutzia is noted for being extra floriferous with attractive white flowers and neat, mounded habit. These four varieties are being introduced to the European market by Valkplant BV.
All four plants are from the breeding of Dr. Tom Ranney, a professor and researcher at North Carolina State University. His research program focuses on the evaluation, selection, and development of new landscape plants and bioenergy crops.
Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Flowering Shrubs have received over 165 awards, making it the most decorated line of woody plants in the industry. For more information and photography, please email mark@springmeadownursery.com.
About Proven Winners® ColorChoice®
Proven Winners® ColorChoice® is the brand name of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc., a market leader in flowering shrubs, potted liners, and starter plants. Located in Grand Haven, Michigan, Spring Meadow Nursery has over 500 varieties in their catalog, including over 240 varieties marketed under the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® brand, including Incrediball® hydrangea, Lo & Behold® butterfly bush, Bloomerang® reblooming lilac, and ‘Sweet Summer Love’ clematis. For more information, visit www.ProvenWinners-Shrubs.com and www.SpringMeadowNursery.com.
About ValkPlant BV
Located in Boskoop, the Netherlands, an area known for its long history of growing trees and shrubs, and horticultural innovation. Founded in 1992 by Ria and Wim van der Poel, Valkplant was one of the pioneers in establishing plant breeder rights in Europe for woody plants. The company has extensive expertise in the world of plants, specializing in selecting and testing new plant varieties; protecting these new varieties with Plant Breeders Rights; Building a good network of growers; supporting this growers group in maximizing production and providing tailored advice how to grow the new plant; Introducing the new plant variety together with the growers using the needed marketing. ValkPlant has a wealth of knowledge in the area of establishing Plant Breeders Rights in Europe and the USA and has expertise in growing, breeding, exporting and marketing. They combine all these aspects to make new plant varieties successful. For more information, visit http://www.vipforplants.com.
Source: Proven Winners® ColorChoice®
