ThinkPlants Adds New Members

Jennifer Zurko

The ThinkPlants Group, which brings new genetics, as well as supply inputs, to the North American horticulture industry, announced two new members to its network of breeders, growers and suppliers—Creekside Greenhouses and Kieft Seed. These new additions to the ThinkPlants family help to expand the growing portfolio of genetics and broaden the reach ThinkPlants and its customers have in the North American Market.

Creekside Greenhouses, located in Ontario, Canada, specializes in growing high-quality pre-finished Hydrangea macrophylla and paniculata liners, and are most known for providing the market with the Hi Series.

“ThinkPlants group will represent the New BloomChampion line,” said Scott Winslade, Sales Manager for Creekside Greenhouses. “We are happy to be a part of ThinkPlants and believe this initiative will gain much exposure to the new hydrangea genetics we will introduce and supply for North America.”

Kieft Seed, a brand of PanAmerican Seed and Ball Horticultural Company, specializes in the development and release of premium seed-produced perennials. From Kieft Seed, the ThinkPlants group will represent and promote the full ColorGrass line, as well as the Lobelia Starship Series.

“The ColorGrass Series has long been a personal favorite of mine,” says Mark Gross of PanAmerican Seed.  “I am very excited to see this group of grasses, as well as our outstanding lobelia line, get a new platform of promotion and (I) hope we can broaden the exposure of these great plants.”

The addition of Creekside Greenhouses and Kieft Seed’s membership within ThinkPlants adds a new level of product depth to the ThinkPlants group and follows the additions of James Greenhouses, Terra Nova Nurseries, Kapiteyn, Unex, Green Circle Growers and new genetics from KiwiFlora.

“I feel privileged and honored to be working now with all of these great companies,” said ThinkPlants’ Joey Wiseman. “And even more than that, I am very excited about the new genetics we will be representing and promoting. I believe that all of these plants are high quality and deserving of increased attention within the North American market. With the addition of Creekside and Kieft, we are supporting our commitment to making perennial and hydrangea programs easier and more efficient for growers, brokers and retailers.”

Danziger, Syngenta and Terra Nova Nurseries offer respective perennial portfolios in the United States and Canada under the ThinkPlants initiative. Kapiteyn b.v. of Breezand, the Netherlands, the breeder and supplier of Captain Callas, provides top-quality bulbs to the program. Unex USA, LLC, a supplier of bareroot perennials and bulbs from Holland, offers bareroot perennials and bulbs in North America for ThinkPlants. Both James Greenhouses in Georgia and Green Circle Growers in Ohio are committed to producing and selling the rooted plugs and liners for the ThinkPlants product listing. Each ThinkPlants participant brings expertise in plant breeding, horticulture, technical support, supply chain, sales and marketing. GT