Figures—I finally decide to book my ticket to Germany for January’s IPM Essen trade show and a week later the event is canceled. Bummer! But I should have known it might happen, as I’d already heard that a few big exhibitors were backing out for caution’s sake, including Syngenta, Florensis and PanAmerican Seed. But still, that was only three of many hundreds …

The official reason for the cancelation of the January 25-28 show is the “… currently difficult pandemic situation worldwide,” said the press release from Messe Essen, the show organizers.

“While we have been working at full speed towards IPM Essen 2022, the situation of the Corona pandemic has worsened considerably in the last few days with regard to the planning and realization,” said Oliver P. Kuhrt, CEO of Messe Essen. “Despite all the anticipation for the most important platform of the green sector, the uncertainty among the exhibitors and visitors is presently significant.”

All the exhibitors will have their registrations transferred to the 2023 show, slated for January 24-27, 2023.

Not to leave everybody out in the cold, organizers are planning a new two-day “IPM Summer Edition” June 13-14, which will “offer a mix of showcase and networking meetings,” both in-person and online.

“We want to give market participants the opportunity to meet and present innovations. Experience shows that the pandemic situation relaxes in the summer, so that this format can be realised in all probability,” says Sabina Großkreuz, Head of Marketing at Messe Essen. She added that this is not to be viewed as a replacement for IPM Essen. “The sector needs its usual date at the beginning of the year.”

As for how I'll find and deliver the innovations I seek out at IPM every January, I'm counting on my international colleagues to tell us what they would have shown at IPM, had there been one. (Email me HERE if you're one of those interntaional colleauges.) I’ve already got a line on a cool new machine. And down below are five plant innovations I would have seen live had I been able to go.

On December 10, the California Air Resources Board voted to update California's Small Off-Road Engine (SORE) Regulations, effectively banning the sale of gas-powered equipment using small off-road engines—those under 25 gross horsepower. That includes all lawn and landscape equipment, and also generators and other emergency equipment.

The ban is part of the state’s attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A SORE fact sheet claims that operating a gas leaf blower for one hour pollutes as much as driving a car 1,100 miles from Los Angeles to Denver. Of course, cars are targeted, too: California aims to mandate that 100% of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks are zero-emission by 2035.

The ban will prevent the sale of new SORE-powered equipment in the state, but won’t prevent you from using the equipment you already own. Nor does it mention driving across state lines to purchase a new mower—but I suspect equipment will have to be registered with the state (if it doesn’t already).

Presumably, any mower that falls outside of the 25-hp limit will still be allowed. Such as "The Amputator."

Opponents, including the The California Landscape Contractors Association, argued unsuccessfully that the currently available battery powered commercial landscape equipment doesn’t yet meet the needs of full-time professionals.

“California's landscape industry supports the transition to zero-emission equipment, but a 2024 deadline is too soon, given numerous unresolved technological and financial hurdles,” said Sandra Giarde, CLCA’s executive director. CLCA, working with a national coalition of industry groups, sought a compromise that would have ended the sale of residential landscape SORE by 2024 and allowed commercial SORE to be sold until 2028, giving equipment manufacturers enough time to increase performance and improve battery life while bringing down costs for commercial landscape professionals.

It’s rare to find the passing of a horticulturist making front-page news, but the passing of Colorado native Bob Briggs, owner of Briggs Garden Center & Greenhouse from 1961 to 1979 and executive vice president of the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association for 17 years, was noteworthy because of his wide-ranging public service, including a term in the Colorado House. Bob was 83. He's survived by his wife, Shirley, children Christy and Robert (“Chip”), and two grandchildren.

Bob earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in horticulture from Colorado State University. He once told an interviewer that he majored in horticulture “because he did not want to wear a tie for a living.”

In a 2016 profile in the Westminster Window, Bob said his education in horticulture helped shape his views on politics.

“Well, plants have to have the right kind of environment to grow. People have to have the right kind of environment to grow and prosper. And so there’s a relationship between the two. If you don’t create the right kind of environment, the community doesn’t grow.”

As mentioned, Bob had a long career in local and state politics, serving as Adams County Commissioner for four years beginning in 1979, as the local Board Member for the Regional Transportation District for four years in 1999, and a State Representative in 2003-2005. He served two terms on the Westminster City Council from 2007-2015, including a stint as the Mayor Pro Tem. He also lent his time to the Colorado Greenhouse Grower’s Association, the Westminster Open Space Board, the Westminster Rotary, the Jefferson County Historical Commission, and other organizations.

Bob, with a few of the 250 honors he received during his life of public service. Photo: Orchard Living magazine.

With all that service, it’s no surprise that he was inducted into three different halls of fame: the Colorado Floriculture Foundation, Westminster Chamber and the Jefferson County Historical Commission.

In that 2016 Westminster Window profile, Bob explained that he wanted to contribute to the community that had helped him so much.

“I had many, many people over my lifetime who have made contributions to me and I don’t think I adequately thanked them, right? But I still owe a debt to them. I’m still trying to pay it forward to thank those who supported me in my endeavors.”

Creekside Greenhouses and Kieft Seed have joined ThinkPlants Group’s network of breeders, growers and suppliers, announced founding members Danziger and Syngenta Flowers. They join James Greenhouses, Terra Nova Nurseries, Kapiteyn, Unex, Green Circle Growers and KiwiFlora.

ThinkPlants is a brand formed to help breeders and plant introduction companies promote their perennial genetics to the North American marketplace under one umbrella brand. Each ThinkPlants member brings expertise in plant breeding, horticulture, technical support, supply chain, sales and marketing. It's the strength of these companies working together that creates such a powerful resource for the North American nursery industry, they say.

Creekside Greenhouses, with 400,000 sq. ft. of greenhouse and 25 acres of ourdoor production in Ontario, Canada, specializes in growing high-quality pre-finished Hydrangea macrophylla and H. paniculata liners. ThinkPlants will represent Creekside’s BloomChampion line, a new collection from Europe.

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

Not being able to travel to Europe to seek out the trendiest of trends, I have to rely on the Internet. Thankfully, Royal FloraHolland (the big Dutch flower and plant auction) has hooked me up with the winners of their “Glazen Tulp Award” for 2021-22—five cool plants that gives you an idea of what Dutch plant experts think is too cool for school.

The Glazen Tulp rewards breeders and growers for introducing innovative new products. Voting by the industry begins in the spring, with the introduction of entrants in five categories; in October, a second round of public voting takes place. The top finishers then go before a professional jury, who select the winners.

Here they are (with descriptions provided by the winners, not me):

Cut Flowers

Gerbera Smeagol, from Holstein Flowers, De Lier, NL

The Gerbera Smeagol is a unique appearance. A special twist of nature, created in the selection greenhouse of Holstein Flowers. Smeagol is characterised by its hard, slightly curled petals that remind you of the appearance of an artichoke or a cactus, with a bright purple/pink wreath in the centre. The hard, sand-coloured petals give the gerbera a special vintage look. The dark centre provides a nice colour contrast. This gerbera offers many new application possibilities. Moreover, Smeagol has a very long vase life and can be kept for up to three weeks.

Green Houseplants

Streptocarpus Pretty Turtle, J&P Ten Have, Maasland, NL and Preesman BV, Strijen, NL

Photo courtesty of www.thecoolplantshop.it. 

Streptocarpus Pretty Turtle is a beautiful, strong, compact plant. The plant owes its name to its particularly beautiful leaves, which look like the shell of a turtle. The leaves are slightly serrated and have a fleshy texture, like that of a succulent. The colors of Streptocarpus Pretty Turtle flow into each other. All these special characteristics make the Streptocarpus Pretty Turtle a real eye-catcher and its high ornamental value adds to the atmosphere in your home.

Flowering Houseplants

Tillandsia capitata, Stofbergen Plant Company, Bergschenhoek, NL

This plant is a species in the genus Tillandsia belonging to the Bromeliaceae family. It is native to Mexico, Honduras, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, among other places. Tillandsia capitata actually comes in many colors and varieties, and can therefore be used in a wide range of situations. Because it is an epiphytic by nature, it does not need the roots to grow. This plant can therefore also be used as a so-called air plant. As an air plant, the plant also has an ornamental value because it is available in many color shades, from green to dark red and also with soft grey leaves that turn pink. This makes it a very easy and rewarding houseplant to look after. This variety is especially distinctive for its dark leaf color that changes to a beautiful bright orange in the bracts. This splendor will only get brighter in colder conditions and lots of light.

Garden Plants

Delphinium Delgenius Series, Van Woudenberg Tuinplanten, Zevenhuizen, NL

Characteristics of Delphinium Delgenius are: remarkably branching and richly flowering, it also flowers on the side shoots and therefore flowers much longer, it is compact and sturdy, heat tolerant, does not turn yellow, does not break in the garden or in the pot, is very winter hardy, and can be supplied with flowers from spring to autumn. In short: a topper!

Concepts

Marimo (Chladophlora), Esperit Elements, 's-Gravenzande, NL

The green balls look like moss, but are actually a type of green algae. They can only be found in a few places in the world. The natural phenomenon is very rare. Anyone looking for them should go to the bottom of deep lakes. The current keeps each ball perfectly round. [Esperit Elements’ concepts features] different sizes and shapes of glass [containers] with stones and a number of marimo balls.

Just in the week since I updated the California Spring Trials exhibitor list, I’ve gotten two more updates:

- Danziger is definitely in again and at their old stomping grounds, Headstart Nursery in Gilroy. You’ll know you’re there when you smell the garlic—Headstart is right behind Garlic World.

- Dümmen Orange has selected a new venue for their trial: Filipponi Ranch, a boutique winery in San Luis Obispo. That should make for a pleasant stop … be sure to build some wine-tasting time into your schedule!

I love Pantone … not so much for their colors, but for how they describe their colors.

For a good example, here’s their press information for the 2022 Color of the Year, “Very Peri”—which just so happens to be a plant—Vinca minor or common periwinkle:

Very Peri—A New Pantone Color Whose Courageous Presence Encourages Personal Inventiveness and Creativity

Displaying a carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates our creative spirit, inquisitive and intriguing PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri helps us to embrace this altered landscape of possibilities, opening us up to a new vision as we rewrite our lives. Rekindling gratitude for some of the qualities that blue represents complemented by a new perspective that resonates today, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri places the future ahead in a new light.

We are living in transformative times. PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri is a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through. As we emerge from an intense period of isolation, our notions and standards are changing, and our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways. Digital design helps us to stretch the limits of reality, opening the door to a dynamic virtual world where we can explore and create new color possibilities. With trends in gaming, the expanding popularity of the metaverse and rising artistic community in the digital space, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri illustrates the fusion of modern life and how color trends in the digital world are being manifested in the physical world and vice versa.

“The Pantone Color of the Year reflects what is taking place in our global culture, expressing what people are looking for that color can hope to answer." added Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute. “Creating a new color for the first time in the history of our Pantone Color of the Year educational color program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place. As society continues to recognize color as a critical form of communication, and a way to express and affect ideas and emotions and engage and connect, the complexity of this new red violet-infused blue hue highlights the expansive possibilities that lay before us.”

Encompassing the qualities of the blues, yet at the same time possessing a violet-red undertone, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Kaldari. 

Golly! Who knew a color that I might describe as pale purple could do all that? Imagine how they would describe the actual periwinkle plant!