New offerings from College plant breeders
Newly developed plant versions include a dense, compact and less-invasive butterfly bush. Photo by Dennis Werner
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences plant breeders continue to develop new versions of the plants that sustain us, whether on a plate or in the landscape.
Among the most recent “creations” of College plant breeders are an unusual dwarf butterfly bush and a new strawberry that ripens early in the growing season, producing big, attractive, good-quality berries.
The new strawberry, which is called Galletta, was developed by Dr. Jim Ballington, professor of horticultural science.
In the Raleigh area, Galletta ripens in late April to early May, which is a week to 10 days before a variety called Chandler, which is the most widely grown strawberry in North Carolina. Along the coast, Ballington said, Galletta may ripen as early as mid-April.
Ballington added that Galletta produces particularly attractive fruit with a glossy finish. Galletta may be grown by homeowners, but is also suitable for commercial production. He said there appears already to be interest among commercial growers in Galletta because the new variety produces better-quality fruit than Sweet Charlie, the earliest strawberry available to North Carolina growers prior to Galletta.
“Galletta gives growers a really nice-quality berry to start the season with,” Ballington said, adding that a few commercial growers purchased Galletta plants in 2007, while homeowners should be able to buy Galletta plants this fall.
Galletta was named for Gene Galletta, Ballington’s predecessor as small fruit breeder. Gene Galletta worked at N.C. State University for 18 years before leaving in 1977 to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new butterfly bush, or buddleia, was developed by Dr. Dennis Werner, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum. It’s called Blue Chip.
Butterfly bushes are typically large, gangly plants that can fill a space in the landscape 6 feet in diameter by 6 feet high. Werner said Blue Chip is unusual in that is has a “dense, compact growth habit,” and plants are typically 2-to-3 feet in height and width. Typical buddleia plants also set large amounts of seed and can, as a result, be invasive.
“This is a very, very low seed setter,” Werner said of Blue Chip. As a result, Blue Chip is unlikely to produce unwanted seedlings. And as the name implies, Blue Chip produces blue flowers.
Werner described the development of a compact butterfly bush with low seed set as a “significant advancement” in buddleia breeding, and indeed, Blue Chip was featured on the cover of the spring catalog from Wayside Gardens, a popular mail-order plant retailer.
Werner said limited quantities of Blue Chip should be available at garden centers this fall, while the new variety should be widely available in 2008.
Blue Chip is the first of what Werner anticipates will be a number of butterfly bushes developed as part of a trademarked series of plants called Lo and Behold. All the Lo and Behold buddleia will be low, compact plants that produce few seeds. They should be available to gardeners over the next several years.
— Dave Caldwell
Among the most recent “creations” of College plant breeders are an unusual dwarf butterfly bush and a new strawberry that ripens early in the growing season, producing big, attractive, good-quality berries.
The new strawberry, which is called Galletta, was developed by Dr. Jim Ballington, professor of horticultural science.
In the Raleigh area, Galletta ripens in late April to early May, which is a week to 10 days before a variety called Chandler, which is the most widely grown strawberry in North Carolina. Along the coast, Ballington said, Galletta may ripen as early as mid-April.
Newly developed early-ripening strawberries.
Photo by Jim Ballington
Photo by Jim Ballington
“Galletta gives growers a really nice-quality berry to start the season with,” Ballington said, adding that a few commercial growers purchased Galletta plants in 2007, while homeowners should be able to buy Galletta plants this fall.
Galletta was named for Gene Galletta, Ballington’s predecessor as small fruit breeder. Gene Galletta worked at N.C. State University for 18 years before leaving in 1977 to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The new butterfly bush, or buddleia, was developed by Dr. Dennis Werner, director of the JC Raulston Arboretum. It’s called Blue Chip.
Butterfly bushes are typically large, gangly plants that can fill a space in the landscape 6 feet in diameter by 6 feet high. Werner said Blue Chip is unusual in that is has a “dense, compact growth habit,” and plants are typically 2-to-3 feet in height and width. Typical buddleia plants also set large amounts of seed and can, as a result, be invasive.
“This is a very, very low seed setter,” Werner said of Blue Chip. As a result, Blue Chip is unlikely to produce unwanted seedlings. And as the name implies, Blue Chip produces blue flowers.
Werner described the development of a compact butterfly bush with low seed set as a “significant advancement” in buddleia breeding, and indeed, Blue Chip was featured on the cover of the spring catalog from Wayside Gardens, a popular mail-order plant retailer.
Werner said limited quantities of Blue Chip should be available at garden centers this fall, while the new variety should be widely available in 2008.
Blue Chip is the first of what Werner anticipates will be a number of butterfly bushes developed as part of a trademarked series of plants called Lo and Behold. All the Lo and Behold buddleia will be low, compact plants that produce few seeds. They should be available to gardeners over the next several years.
— Dave Caldwell