Research Activity Expands as Demand Grows
Breeze is utilized in medians, roadsides and other mass plantings because it is a low maintenance plant with low water needs. Breeze also makes a great single specimen.
Celebrated Plants™ “arrived on the scene” in the United States just two years ago. Originally developed in Australia as a full line of aesthetically pleasing, lower maintenance plants that can thrive with little or no irrigation, Celebrated Plants offer a wide variety of textures, forms, and colors. From the graceful Breeze, to the compact Little Becca, there are a half dozen plants to choose from, with six more planned to come on-line in the next two years. (Visit celebratedplants.com for descriptions and other information)
Celebrated Plants are proving viable in a wide variety of U.S. climates and applications. Since the plants have been in production here, they have been successfully specified for home landscapes, common areas in housing and commercial developments, roadsides, medians and other applications. Observations at these sites, as well as information from producers’ trials, indicate that Celebrated Plants offer distinct production and marketing advantages. To support these observations, and provide the nurseries and other growers with objective data, Celebrated Plants’ developer has initiated more involvement in research activities.
“The real world data we have been gathering since 2004 is very positive for the plants,” says Sam McCoy, Horticultural Sales Specialist for VersaScapes, LLC, the company that developed the plants for the U.S. “However, we, our licensees, and their customers also value objective data.” McCoy is referring to the nurseries and other growers who are licensed by the company to produce and sell its plants.
Celebrated Plants are currently involved in objective trials and research tests at three U.S. locations.
“We’ll continue to monitor and measure results at the production and installation level while we test the plants in formal research settings,” says McCoy. “The combined results will provide the best mix of information; and will tell us what to emphasize and what to change.”
Celebrated Plants are currently part of research activities at Louisiana State University, the University of Florida, and Washington-Holmes Technical Center in Chipley, Florida. At LSU-Baton Rouge, seven plants are undergoing field trials. They will be divided for research purposes and placed in landscapes this fall. They will initially be evaluated for overall plant performance, including heat and cold tolerances. This phase will be conducted under the direction of Dr. Allen Owings and Dr. Keith Burnell. In 2007, the plants’ herbicide tolerances will also be tested, under the supervision of Dr. Ron Strahan, Extension Associate with the LSU Department of Agronomy and Environmental Management.
At the University of Florida-Apopka, VersaScapes ‘flagship’ Breeze (lomandra longifolia) has been evaluated since early 2005 for a variety of performance qualities, including its suitability for interior foliage use and as filler for cut flowers. This testing phase has so far produced positive results, and indicates Breeze’s potential for interior foliage market use. Breeze is also being evaluated for is landscape performance, and also for performance in interior home conditions. Shade tolerances tests at 0, 30%, 50% and 80% shade levels are included in the landscape trials. Herbicide tolerances will be tested in the future. The research is supervised by Dr. Bob Stamps, Professor of Environmental Horticulture.
Celebrated Plants have also been provided to Washington-Holmes. The criteria for testing in 2006-07 are being developed, and will be detailed and supervised by instructor Wayne Tharpe.
All Celebrated Plants research results will be made available as they are released by the researchers. Please contact Sam McCoy at VersaScapes with any questions, 843.849.1272.
