Fleuroselect has announced its latest Gold Medal winners. The following two selections obtained high marks in innovation, beauty, and garden performance in the Fleuroselect annual trail, convincing judges to award them the Gold Medal.
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Dahlia ‘Black Forest Ruby’ – Takii Europe
Dahlia ‘Black Forest Ruby’ | Fleuroselect
Dahlias have become increasingly popular over the past few years due to their variety, flower shapes and colors. Fully in line with the current movement, Takii Europe introduces Black Forest Ruby, a Dahlia from seed. This breeding breakthrough displays single to double flowers in all shades of red, ranging from scarlet to wine, that contrast well to the dark pinnata leaves.
Black Forest Ruby is an excellent choice for a combo container and thrives in sunny beds. Growers will find that this new Dahlia is easy to produce and results in highly uniform plants, retailers will marvel over the flower-leaf color combinations that stand out on the benches, and consumers will welcome the garden performance as Black Forest Ruby flowers continuously from summer over autumn until the first frost.
The Fleuroselect jury praised its red flowers against the dark foliage on full, uniform plants and saw high potential for growers, retailers, and consumers.
Salvia ‘Estella Coral’ – Van Hemert & Co.
Salvia ‘Estella Coral’ | Fleuroselect
One of the current gardening trends is the shift towards less formality, aiming for a more naturalistic look with a milder color palette. The latest Salvia splendens ‘Estella Coral’ from Van Hemert & Co. fully fits within this movement. This plant innovation shows a fully new habit compared to the known splendens types. Estella Coral is bigger, bushier, well-branched and therefore suitable for wildlife-inspired gardening, large patio containers or landscaping where vigor is required.
In addition to its innovative plant shape, also the flower color is completely new in this bushy salvia type from seed. Estella Coral’s large, rose flower spikes bloom all season long, providing color and texture in the garden. Growers and gardeners will discover that Estella Coral flowers one week earlier compared standard splendens varieties. Grown or planted in a sunny spot and well-drained soil, Estella Coral will produce heaps of flowers and attract several types of pollinators.
Together with red, white, and purple, Estella Coral is part of a series opening new markets for Salvia splendens. In addition to the innovative plant habit and earliness, rose is also a breakthrough in terms of color in this bushy splendens type. Therefore, the Fleuroselect jury decided to award this variety with the Gold Medal.
For additional information, please read the original release from Fleuroselect here.
