HALO HYDRANGEAS
Every once in awhile a new plant or group of plants comes along that seems to embody all of the prevailing horticultural trends. It happened in 2006, when Hines Horticulture, one of America’s biggest wholesale plant growers, introduced its Halo Hydrangeasâ„¢. This spring these archetypal twenty-first century plants will be widely available in nursery and garden centers. It’s interesting take a look at the assortment of ingredients that breeders and merchandisers stirred together when they concocted this new product line.
Shrubs: In the relentless quest to cater to busy gardeners’ needs for easy-care plants, marketers have discovered the enormous potential of flowering shrubs. As colorful as many perennials, shrubs cover more space and generally require less maintenance. One mature hydrangea, for example, can fill the same size space as a score of perennials and provide lots of colorful, long-lasting summer flowers to liven up the garden and fill vases in the house.
Adaptable and Shade Tolerant: Hydrangeas of all kinds are hot right now because they grow in a wide range of conditions and provide lovely flowers. Most flourish in light to moderate shade, making them attractive to the many gardeners whose sunny space is limited. The old-fashioned “mophead” types have been beloved for generations, while other varieties, like lace cap and oak leaf hydrangeas, have increased enormously in popularity over the last fifteen years. Overall, hydrangeas have only one problematic trait–a need for consistent moisture.
Breeding Improvements: Over the course of the last decade breeders have been hard at work creating hydrangeas that are chock full of desirable, never-before-seen traits. In 2003, Bailey Nurseries, another industry giant, introduced Endless Summerâ„¢, a hydrangea that blooms on both old and new growth, thereby insuring plenty of flowerheads even in parts of the country where late spring frosts may kill buds on the old wood. Hines Horticulture’s Halo Hydrangeasâ„¢ feature a color breakthrough–innovative bi-colored or picotee flowers, with each petal edged in white or a contrasting color.
International Cross Fertilization: The horticultural world has grown smaller, with breeders in many countries working to produce new plants for consumers all over the globe. The Halo Hydrangeasâ„¢ were developed in Japan, given German-sounding cultivar names and eventually introduced in the United States by an established American firm.
Trademarked Names: Breeders originally gave six of the seven Halo series hydrangeas variety names that start with “Frau”, the German word that corresponds to the English word “Mrs.” Frau Mariko, for example is a mophead-type hydrangea with blue petals tipped in white. Hines discarded the clunky-sounding “Frau” names, and rechristened the hydrangeas with trademarked names containing the word “angel”. Demure Frau Mariko is now the celestial-sounding Angel Wingsâ„¢. Mariko’s sibling, Frau Nobuko, with white-tipped pink petals, has become the beatific Angel Smileâ„¢
Series Configuration/Big Marketing Support: It is much more cost effective to make one giant marketing effort for seven plants than seven separate marketing efforts for individual varieties, so the seven “Angel” hydrangeas were grouped under the trademarked name Halo Hydrangeasâ„¢. Hines will provide retailers with ample marketing support for the line, in the hopes that people will come to recognize the trademarked name and associate it with beauty and quality. Grouping similar plants under one recognizable name also means that garden center patrons may be inclined to buy several Angels at once.
Small Size: Container gardening is one of the fastest growing horticultural market segments, and Hines is working hard to get a hydrangea on every deck, porch and patio in America. At about three feet high and three feet wide, Halo Hydrangeasâ„¢ are more compact than most older varieties. This makes them a good fit for smaller garden spaces, not to mention large pots or tubs.
Vivid Color: Most gardeners still love color and the various Angels are nothing if not colorful. The seven varieties array themselves with showy flowers in shades of cream, blue, blue-purple, rose or pink, with contrasting picotee edging. Exact flower colors depend on the acidity of the soil in which the plants grow, but vivid color is a given.
Are Halo Hydrangeasâ„¢ destined for garden superstar status? Only time will tell. Heavenly names, lovely pictures and millions of dollars worth of marketing support can work wonders, but real garden success stories take longer to develop. A pretty plant may inspire a gardener to buy two pots at once. A great plant will inspire a gardener to buy a second or third plant, two or three or five years later.