Featured Four: Favorites from DGI Propagators Trial Gardens

Heidi Lindberg<wollaege@msu.edu> and Caitlin Splawski<splawski@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension - September 12, 2024

Looking for tried and true performers for the upcoming season? Read Part 1 of our series about favorites from this year’s Michigan Garden Plant Tour trial sites.

two images of nursery flowers. — Photos 1 and 2. 2024 Trial Garden at DGI Propagators. Photo by Heidi Lindberg, MSU Extension.

Every year Michigan State University and Michigan’s leading young plant producers host a free open house at their trial sites and display gardens to give growers, landscapers and retail operators the opportunity to learn about a wide range of ornamental crops. Industry professionals can see for themselves which new varieties perform the best under various conditions, including in the ground and in containers. The tour lasts for two weeks and was held this year from July 29-Aug. 9, 2024.

This year, there were seven trial gardens at different locations throughout central lower Michigan: DGI Propagators, Four Star Greenhouses, Mast Young Plants, Michigan State University (MSU) Trial Garden, Pell Greenhouses, Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants and Walter’s Gardens. If you couldn’t make it out to every trial site, you’re in luck! Heidi Lindberg and Caitlin Splawski, Michigan State University Extension educators, traveled to each site, picking favorites and snapping photos along the way. We’ll cover our favorites from each trial site in this article series.

Featured Four at DGI Propagators

DGI Propagators has been a young plant propagator for over 50 years, and they showcased their diverse selection of quality plants at their 2024 trial gardens (Photo 1-2). They showcased the tried-and-true standards in begonias, geraniums and petunias, as well as the latest new items introduced by the leading plant breeders in our industry. Among those that caught my eye were:

Kwik Combo ‘Disco Inferno’ – Syngenta Flowers
Sunflower Sunfinity ‘Double Yellow’ – Syngenta Flowers
Salvia – Grandstand ‘Red’ and ‘Candy Apple’ – Greenfuse Botanicals
Begonia ‘Beaugonia Poppy Peach’ and ‘Beaugonia Poppy Orange’ – Westhoff

Kwik Combo ‘Disco Inferno’

Among the sun-loving hanging baskets, Kwik combo ‘Disco Inferno’ (Photo 3) from Syngenta Flowers was a sizzling hot combination that stood out. ‘Disco Inferno’ is a combination of Bidens Brazen ‘Glowing Sky’, Lobelia Techno ‘Cobalt Blue’, and Petunia ‘Dekko Red.’ It is a new offering from Syngenta flowers and is very heat tolerant. I preferred the combination in a hanging basket, but it performed well in a larger container (Photo 4) at both DGI and MSU Trial Gardens as well.

Sunflower Sunfinity ‘Double Yellow’

Photos 5 and 6. Large yellow flowers of Sunfinity ‘Double Yellow’ (left) and the prolific habit (right). Photo by Heidi Lindberg, MSU Extension.

While plant combinations provide texture and interest, sometimes there is no need for multiple species when a plant is as spectacular as sunflower Sunfinity ‘Double Yellow’ (Photos 5-6) This sunflower was very floriferous and seemed to overflow from its container with showy double flowers. New from Syngenta Flowers, it has an increased resistance to powdery mildew and would work well in the landscape or in large containers.

Salvia Grandstand Series

Photos 7 and 8. Salvia ‘Candy Apple’ (right) and ‘Red’ (left). Photo by Heidi Lindberg, MSU Extension.

Speaking of big plants with big color, the salvia Grandstand ‘Candy Apple’ (Photo 7) and ‘Red’ (Photo 8) from Greenfuse were impressive. With tall flowers, Grandstand salvia also grow to 12 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 14 inches wide. They are a showy option for large containers or landscapes.

Begonia Beaugonia ‘Poppy Peach’ and ‘Poppy Orange’

Photos 9 and 10. Begonia Beaugonia ‘Poppy Peach’ (left) and ‘Poppy Orange’ (right) had phenomenal color for shade plants. Photo by Heidi Lindberg, MSU Extension.

I always love a splash of color for the shade and really love tuberous begonias for their large flowers. Both begonia ‘Beaugonia Poppy Peach’ (Photo 9) and ‘Beaugonia Poppy Orange’ (Photo 10) had showstopping large multi-colored flowers. The peach varieties have bright salmon, peach and yellow flowers that cascaded over the side of the container in the shade garden. The orange variety was in combination with other plants, but stole the show with vibrant yellow, orange, and red flowers.

When touring a trial garden, it is hard to just choose four favorites. Other varieties that were very impressive at the trial gardens included: Begonia Non-Stop Joy ‘Rose Picotee’ (Benary), Lophospermum Lofos ‘Wine Red’ (Suntory Flowers), Dipladenia Madinia ‘Pink’ and ‘Coral Pink’ (Syngenta Flowers), all Rudbeckia Sunbeckias (Bull Genetics) and Petunia Glamouflage ‘Pink Lemonade.’

Check out the other articles in our series for more favorites of 2024:

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).