PDSI Unveils Vibrant New Varieties at Cultivate 2024

Plant Development Services Inc. Debuts Bold New Varieties & Deepens Grower Resources at Cultivate 2024

(Loxley, AL – July 2024)  Plant Development Services, Inc. (PDSI) announces the debut of an exciting array of new varieties at Cultivate 2024. With a strong focus on color innovations, the new releases highlight PDSI’s commitment to beauty, resilience, and exceptional performance.

“The past year has been one of unprecedented growth for Plant Development Services,” says Kip McConnell, Business Development Director with PDSI. “We celebrated the addition of two new brands and saw many of our new releases honored with prestigious industry awards. The road from a plant’s discovery to the garden center is made possible through meaningful partnerships. At Cultivate 2024, we’re delighted to shine a spotlight on the plants and partners making this growth possible.”

The following 2025 trade introductions will be offered through Southern Living® Plant Collection, Sunset® Plant Collection, and Encore® Azalea:

Encore® Azalea Autumn Kiss™ - The newest addition to the Encore collection features exquisite semi-double blooms with bright pink edges that gracefully fade into a soft pastel pink towards the center, ultimately blending into a nearly white core. This heavy bloomer reblooms in spring, summer, and fall against a stunning backdrop of verdant evergreen foliage. Autumn Kiss thrives in full sun and is hardy in USDA Zones 6-10, reaching 3-4’ high and wide when mature. 

Silver Caress™ Mahonia - Bring shimmery richness to shaded spaces with the feathery foliage of Silver Caress. Soft, bamboo-like foliage offers fine texture, movement, and a silver hue that shines in partial and full shade settings. An easy-care compact evergreen, Silver Caress offers year-round visual interest with the added bonus of cheerful yellow blooms in winter. With superior drought and heat tolerance, Silver Caress thrives in USDA Zones 7-9, reaching 3.5’ high by 3’ wide when mature.

Nelliet™ Ilex - Excellent branching and glossy dark green foliage characterize this low-maintenance holly. Offering an attractive pyramidal habit, this landscape star requires minimal pruning to maintain a dense, compact form.  Nelliet is an ideal selection for privacy screening, woodland gardens, and hedges, with glistening red berries providing an additional pop of color as the weather cools. Reaching 15-25’ high by 10-15’ wide when mature, Nelliet thrives in full sun to part shade and is suitable for USDA Zones 6-9.

Tokyo Skies Aspidistra - Winner of the 2023 Cultivate Retailer’s Choice Award™, this eye-catching groundcover has garnered acclaim for its attractive dark green and white variegation and its exceptional resilience in the landscape. A water-wise groundcover that thrives in partial to full shade settings, Tokyo Skies also performs well as a houseplant beyond its USDA Zone 8-10 hardiness regions. Reaching 2-3’ high by 1-2’ wide when mature, Tokyo Skies thrives in containers, borders and accent plantings.

Additionally, this year, PDSI is celebrating the success of the debut limited release of the new Better Boxwood® collection. With four varieties suited to a diverse range of landscape uses, Better Boxwood is the country’s first scientifically bred blight-resistant collection of boxwoods. With partnerships now in place with 31 licensed growers, the Better Boxwood collection will be available through retailers across the US and online in fall 2024 and spring 2025.

PDSI and Better Boxwood partner Everde Growers are cultivating an engaged network of growers from coast to coast, supporting them with robust marketing initiatives, engaging POP and signage, and education opportunities. The group will gather for a grower’s breakfast at Cultivate on Tuesday, July 15. Interested growers are encouraged to attend and can register at: http://plantdevelopment.com/better-boxwood-grower-network-breakfast/

To learn more about PDSI’s upcoming releases and initiatives, visit Booth #3059 at Cultivate or contact Corrina Murray at corrina@plantdevelopment.com.

About Plant Development Services Inc.

Plant Development Services Inc. was founded in 1996 by Greg Smith of the third-generation, family-owned Flowerwood Nursery, Inc. Plant Development Services owns and/or licenses more than 300 patented plant properties and boasts these top-ranking plant brands: Encore® Azalea, the Southern Living® Plant Collection, the Sunset Plant Collection®, Better Boxwood®, and Butterfly Candy®. To learn more about Plant Development Services Inc., visit plantdevelopment.com