ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Tim Wood, American expert in new varieties: 'Thanks to breeding the assortment can always be better'
Text and Translation by Arno Engels
In recent years many new shrubs from Spring
Meadow Nursery showed up at Plantarium [nursery show in the Netherlands].
Almost every introduction wins at the show. For example Buddleja Blue Chip won
gold in 2009, and Buddleja Lilac Chip was the best novelty of 2011. In future
more winners are to be expected. Tim Wood, product development manager at
Spring Meadow and Proven Winners: "In America breeding is done more than
ever."
ARNO: What is your main goal with new
varieties?
TIM: "To make breeding successfull for
everyone in the market. Because everyone needs to be successful on new
varieties: the breeder, grower, retailer and consumer. When a new variety has
proven in the market with higher sales, this helps the breeder to continue
breeding and to come up with another variety."
ARNO: Is breeding endlessly?
TIM: "Yes, because there is no such thing
as a perfect plant. You can always improve. Sometimes you hear people complain
that there are so many varieties; they wonder whether we still need another
Hydrangea, Buddleja or Weigela. Yes, we need it, if it is better. There is no
shortage of new plants, but a shortage of great new plants."
ARNO: How starts breeding in your opinion?
TIM: "With the finding of an idea. One of
the advantages of traveling over the world is, as you get ideas. For example,
you see a plant at a trade show, in a nursery or in an arboretum, and you think
about possible improvements and several chances. For example, the idea for our Lo
& Behold Buddleja is originated from the dwarf Buddleja 'White Ball' [a
plant that originaites] from Boskoop. We wanted to have some [dwarf] Buddleja
also in several other colors. About fifteen years ago, Dr. Werner started
breeding them."
ARNO: How do you know if something new is all
right?
TIM: "At Spring Meadow, we use a list of
criteria that a new variety must meet, according to us. The basis of that list
is set up by JC Raulston, a botanist at North Carolina State University. He
traveled the world to find new plants and bring them to nurseries. A new plant
is only good when you can grow it well, he thought. But you need also to sell
it well.
First criterion for us is: a new variety
should be good for making cuttings. If we have to graft, we don't grow the
plant, because it takes too much time. And people think that you can multiply
rapidly in tissue culture, but that is not [always] so. For each variety you
first need to figure out a separate tissue culture formula. This can take time.
It is also important if we can make a good
container product. Most plants are now being sold in container, and for a
successful sale the plant also has to look good. There are now different
criteria for new plants, than they used to be for plants with [when plants were
sold as] bare-root."
ARNO:Do you take effects of climate change in
a judgement of new plants?
TIM: "I do not think you can anticipate
through breeding on climate change. That just happens and plants [and our mix] will
adapt. In California, for example, it will be drier, so the demand for more
drought tolerant plants certainly will increase. We all want to grow what we
cannot grow. At Spring Meadow everything we grow in greenhouses, because we
ship our young plants to every state of America, which can be warm and cold
conditions. For example, we also grow Lagerstroemia and Loropetalum. Here in
Michigan, it would be too cold outside for these shrubs, but they grow out very
well in a state like Florida."
ARNO: Are phytosanitary issues making
developing of new varieties difficult?
TIM: "Of course. You can breed for
disease resistance, but there is always the risk of organisms that can damage
the plant. But I do think: people lining up phytosanitary rules, do not always understand
our business. For example, I can not import Hibiscus syriacus as a result of
the Asian longhorn beetle, not even small cuttings, while that beetle can enter
our country with wood packaging. And a disease such as Xylella has never be
found in Michigan, because it is much too cold for it. What is an issue in
America that we can respond effectively, are invasive plants. In Oregon, it is
illegal to plant Buddleja davidii, since this species is invasive. But our
Buddleja is allowed to plant, because it has sterile flowers, so it cannot
spread. We needed an independent party to validate that.
So breeders can solve problems with invasive
plants. But also problems with diseases. Cornus florida is for instance prone
to mildew, but not if it is crossed with Cornus kousa."
ARNO: Many companies hold novelties exclusive,
by limit the licenses. And Spring Meadow?
TIM: "We are holding new plants not
exclusive, there are only in the United States and Canada eighty licensed
growers of our plants. I hunt for new plants, but I hunt also people who those
plants breed and who are able to grow them under license. In Europe it goes
through our agent Valkplant from Boskoop. They do a great job. Spring Meadow is
not interested in selling plants in Europe; that's what our licensed growers
do.
Several licensed growers, especially in North
America, are also our competitors. That's okay, because to us it's important
that we create demand for our plants, through marketing. And then, the supply
should not be limited. Many people think they can negotiate a higher price for
a novelty, by keeping supply limited. We do the exact opposite. So everyone
will [have access to new plants and can benefit financially]."
ARNO:America has more consumer brands of
garden plants than Europe. Is marketing in America easier?
TIM: "The advantage of America is that we
have [essentially] one language, English. That makes communication easier. In
Europe there are many languages, but despite that succesfully branding of
garden plants is possible. You have to do more work for it. In that respect,
David Austin Roses for example did a good job; everyone knows this brand."
ARNO: Spring Meadow partners for the marketing
with Proven Winners. Why?
TIM: "Because Proven Winners is a
wonderful brand that many Americans recognize. A few years ago Monrovia and
Jackson & Perkins were the best known plant brands in America, but now
Proven Winners has a very large consumer following. The brand was created for
bedding plants. Each year about 120 million annuals from Proven Winners are
being sold, that means also 120 million impressions of the brand on the market!
Annuals are sold in the spring, our shrubs all
year round. We have therefore entered into a partnership with Proven Winners
[annual growers], so that we can benefit from each other. Spring Meadow sold
plants at first under our brand ColorChoice, now it is under Proven Winners ColorChoice.
Three years ago, Walters Gardens, one of the largest growers of perennials in
America also joined us [Proven Winners], so that we can further expand Proven
Winners. Everyone with its own expertise."
ARNO: Are Proven Winners 'proven winners' in
the market, or have they been proven previously in independent research?
TIM: "Proven Winners are plants that must
be successful for the customer. This value for the US market has already been
extensively tested in many locations: at Spring Meadow, other nurseries and
universities in different climates - because everywhere the plants should
perform well in a garden. Via Valkplant our plants are also being tested in
Europe, in the Netherlands, and also for example in England and France.
Independent research in America it is slower
than in Europe. If American trials are completed, the tested varieties are
already old, whilst new improved plants are already available. It takes on
average ten years before a new shrub is bred, selected, tested and marketed.
But in America breeding is more than ever going on. On woody shrubs breeding is
almost looking like breeding Petunia. So much is going on in the assortment.
How long research takes, it depends on what
you are testing. For example if you test for disease free, the research can be
long. But when you test on leaf color, then it does not last long. You see, for
example, quickly if you get leaf burn by the sun."
ARNO: You are looking for new plants and winners,
but is it true that you also breed yourself?
TIM: "Yes, at Spring Meadow we began to
realize that we can also breed some ourselves. For example, we saw what Terra
Nova Nurseries did with Heuchera: thru breeding add many new varieties in the
range. We have built up collections of almost all species that are
commercially, mainly deciduous shrubs. We have all the plants already. That is
including some 100 Hibiscus syriacus. If
we breed with a plant that was brought to us by an outside breeder and
introduce it, we make a point to pay that breeder royalties on the new plant,
eventhough we did the breeding. That is the case with Little Lime Hydrangea. We
used ‘Limelight’ as a parent to breed it so we feel the breeder should share in
the royalty. Legally we don’t have to do this, but it is the right thing to do.
ARNO: Will there be more new varieties of
Buddleja?
TIM: "I do not know yet. This year we had
[introduced], for example, Blue Chip Jr. new at Plantarium, a smaller version
of Blue Chip. Growers told us sometimes branches from Blue Chip break during
shipment. Blue Chip Jr. is better for shipping, and this Buddleia also blooms
earlier in the season, so that's good for sales."
ARNO: Why do you launch new varieties at
Plantarium, and not elsewhere in Europe?
TIM: "I think Plantarium is the best show
in the world to introduce woody species. IPM [Essen, Germany]? That show is in
the winter when deciduous shrubs do not look good. We visit Plantarium since
fifteen years. Our first contact with Europe was also in Boskoop: Herman Geers
had bred Weigela 'Alexandra', we first marketed this one in America, and about
the same time we [introduced] Hydrangea 'Limelight' by Pieter Zwijnenburg jr. Therefore
we say in America: Boskoop [Netherlands] is the center of the nursery world."
