The judges pick …

Japanese painted fern ‘Crested Surf’ wins New Varieties Showcase Best of Show award from judges

Judges at the 2019 Farwest Show have chosen Japanese painted fern ‘Crested Surf’ (Athyrium niponicum ‘Crested Surf’ PPAF CPBRAF) as the Best in Show winner in the show’s New Varieties Showcase.

‘Crested Surf’ was one of 83 outstanding new selections on display at the 2019 Farwest Show and available from at least one show exhibitor. The show opened August 21 and continues through August 23 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. People’s Choice awards, chosen by attendees, will be announced on the final day. Until then, voting continues on the show floor.

“Year after year, the New Varieties Showcase has interesting and often surprising new plant introductions on display,” show director Allan Niemi of the Oregon Association of Nurseries said. “It’s our goal to showcase these plants before industry professionals and be the place where they can see these great introductions first.”

‘Crested Surf’ was hybridized by Hans Hansen at Walters Gardens Inc. in Zeeland, Michigan and introduced by Walters Gardens Inc. It is available from Farwest Show exhibitors Proven Winners (Booth #3049). It looks similar to a traditional Japanese painted fern, but the tips of the fronds are double crested. It is a vigorous, taller variety that can fit the middle of the border, perfect for adding unusual texture and color to moist, shady areas of the garden.

In addition of the Best of Show award, judges gave Awards of Merit as follows:

Golden Falls™ Redbud (Cercis Golden Falls™ ‘NC2015-12’ PPAF) — Bred by Dr. Denny Werner in North Carolina and introduced by Star Roses and Plants. Available at Farwest from Star Roses and Plants (Booth 16007). Its gold leaf weeping form is a new color for Cercis. Derived from ‘Hearts of Gold’, this Cercis has little to no leaf scorch and is low maintenance. New growth is tinged with orange that eventually turns golden yellow to lime green. Great for small yards and spaces. Pink flowers in spring.

Manzanita ‘Panchito’ (Arctostaphylos x coloradensis ‘Panchito’) — Selected by Dermod Downs in the Uncompahgre Plateau of Colorado and introduced by Plant Select®. Available at Farwest from Van Essen Nursery (Booth 16048). Outstanding selection of a Colorado native, broadleaf evergreen. Tiny, waxy, white, urn-shaped flowers are very appealing. Small red berries can be produced on established plants. Hardy to zone 4b, can withstand many freeze-thaw cycles in a winter with vigorous growth habit.

GROUND HOG™ Aronia (Aronia melanocarpa‘UCONNAM012’ USPPAF) — Hybridized at the University Conneticut by Dr. Mark Brand. Introduced by Spring Meadow Nursery andProven Winners® ColorChoice®, and available at Farwest from Proven Winners (Booth 3049). The breeder describes it as an ideal landscape groundcover for filling in difficult spaces such as parking lot beds, slopes, or anywhere mowing would be difficult or undesirable. It naturally grows as a thick, dense mat, eliminating the need for weeding and mulching as well. Glossy foliage, white spring flowers, dark purple berries in late summer, and autumn foliage in hues of brilliant orange-red make this native plant as showy as it is adaptable.

Peoples choice …

Flame Thrower™ Redbud wins People’s Choice in Farwest Show’s New Varieties Showcase

Nursery professionals attending the 2019 Farwest Show chose Flame Thrower™ Redbud (Cercis ‘NC2016-2’ PPTBS) as their People’s Choice Best in Show award winner in the New Varieties Showcase. The show was held August 21–23 in Portland, Oregon.

Flame Thrower was bred by Dr. Denny Werner in North Carolina and introduced by Farwest Show exhibitor Star Roses and Plants, which had it available for ordering at the show as a bare root tree. According to Star, this breakthrough small tree variety has extremely unique foliage color, with four to five different foliage colors (burgundy, red, orange, yellow, lime) on just one branch. New growth is burgundy/red and ages to bright yellow, then green. Leaf scorch is very minimal, and the tree itself is low maintenance. It has a semi-pendulous habit, growing to 15–20 feet high and 15 feet wide.

Farwest Show attendees were able to experience a remarkable 83 different new plant introductions at the New Varieties Showcase, where they could then vote for their favorites. In addition to Flame Thrower, the voters chose three other selections to receive Awards of Merit. They were as follows:

Seaside Serenade® Cape Hatteras Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘HORTHART’ PPAF) — This hydrangea was hybridized by Kolster BV in The Netherlands and introduced by Farwest Show exhibitor Monrovia, which had it available for ordering at the show in #2 and #5 containers. According to Monrovia, the deep burgundy red of this bloom is hard to believe, and photos don’t seem to do it justice. The blooms are offset with fantastic deep-green foliage and the stems are very strong to hold up the 10-inch blooms. As a tetraploid, this plant is stronger and tougher with thick stems and strong, deeply colored, leathery foliage and long-lasting blooms. The shrub flowers in spring and summer, with an ultimate size of 3½ feet tall and 3 feet wide. It makes a statement in the garden or as an entryway accent in a container. The blooms hold their color for an extended period of time and make excellent dried flowers. The compact habit without the use of plant growth regulators fits usefully into a variety of smaller spaces in the landscape.

ROCK N’ GROW® ‘Pride and Joy’ Stonecrop (Sedum ‘Pride and Joy’ PPAF CPBRAF) — This sedum was discovered by Hans Hansen of Walters Gardens Inc. in Zeeland, Michigan, and introduced by Walters Gardens Inc. It was made available for ordering in 72-count plugs and G1 bare root plants from exhibitor Proven Winners at the Farwest Show. According to them, the dark pink ‘Pride and Joy’ joins the light pink ‘Pure Joy’ and the white-flowering sport `Bundle of Joy’. This sport of ‘Pure Joy’ shares the same impeccable habit, excellent flower coverage, serrated leaves, and early bloom time as its parent, but with darker leaves and darker pink flowers. It makes a durable, low maintenance, low water requirement garden plant.

Heartleaf Brunnera ‘Queen of Hearts’ (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Queen of Hearts’) — This brunnera was hybridized by Hans Hansen of Walters Gardens Inc. in Zeeland, Michigan, and introduced by Walters Gardens Inc. It was made available for ordering in 2-count and 72-count plugs from exhibitor Proven Winners at the Farwest Show. According to them, this stunning foliage perennial will be the queen of the shade. Brunnera `Queen of Hearts’ has extremely large, heart-shaped leaves and a pronounced silver overlay with narrower bands of dark green veining. From mid to late spring, baby blue, forget-me-not type blossoms are held in clusters above the foliage. The plant exhibits good anthracnose resistance.