Behind the Variety: Light ’em Up

Katie Elzer-Peters

Perennial combinations that you can grow and sell like annual combos sound too good to be true, right? There’s no way you can stick cuttings at the same time, root them at the same time, pot up the finished containers and have a same-year, retail-ready product planted with perennials without juggling three or four production schedules, growth regulators and cold treatments … or is there? Trick question! There is! Green Fuse Botanicals debuts their copyrighted First Light Perennial combinations for the 2016 retail season.

Brian Weesies, the general manager at Mast Young Plants in Michigan and the grower contracted to root cuttings and produce liners for the First Light series, said, “I’m an annual guy and I like annual combination pots. In fact, I’m a little suspicious of growing perennials. I always hear all of these things about how you have to deal with vernalization and it seems like a hassle. I was really impressed by these in terms of combination planters, though.”

There are different options for offering the combos. Larger operations can purchase the perennial combo kits in packs of 100. You’ll receive 100 cuttings of two plants and 200 cuttings of one plant, enough to make 100 finished pots. Liners will be available for purchase in packs of 50 from Mast. There will be other wholesale growers offering finished, retail-ready containers. To grow First Light Perennials at any stage, contact Randy at RUhl@michells.com, who can connect you with a broker. Pictured: Blue Seas

They grew test pots through the summer of 2014. “It was so easy to produce because I was able to stick all of the genetics on the same week; I didn’t have to bring in some early and some late. They rooted at the same time. In 11 weeks, I had a product that could have been shipped.”

Brian noted the length of cuttings to finished pots will lengthen slightly for winter production. “Once they were finished, we left the pots in the trial gardens for another 10 weeks. I would look out at them and think, ‘Those are growing just like annuals. They’re out there blooming their heads off!’”

First Light Perennials are produced by Green Fuse Botanicals, owned by Steve Jones. He travels the world looking for new genetics to bring online. First Light was born in February 2014. “Steve and I were talking about annual combinations when we thought, why don’t we try this with perennials?” said Randy Uhl, Technical Support Specialist for Green Fuse. They started with 15 mixes and, through trial growing at their own facility in Southern California and at Mast, narrowed the selection to four combinations that they’ll offer for 2016.

Each combo has three types of plants and is finished in 8-in. or 12-in. pots planted with four liners. (In each combo one plant is repeated twice.) “We might include two agastache plants in a pot with Shasta daisies so the shastas don’t overshadow the agastache,” Randy said.

The concept is one that hits on high points for everyone in the chain of production, from the growers in Costa Rica down to the consumer. “In my opinion, they are like annuals,” said Brian. “You don’t have to vernalize them. You can grow young plants like annuals. They keep flowering all summer. You’re not going to have something cycle out for you.” Consumers can enjoy the pots during the year with minimal care and then pot the combination (whole or broken up) in their perennial garden. “Then they’ll be back again the next year for another one, just like with annuals,” Brian said.

In a relatively short time, these meticulously selected combinations have won rave reviews in display at the California trials and by the self-identified annual guy contracted to grow them. If he’s wowed, your customers will be, too. This may open an entire new market for perennials. GP

Katie Elzer-Peters is a garden writer and owner of The Garden of Words, LLC, a marketing and PR firm handing mostly green-industry clients. Contact her at Katie@thegardenofwords.com or at www.thegardenofwords.com.