The new launch marks the company's first foray into the tropical plant market.

Dümmen Orange, according to a press release, has entered the tropical plant space with its Welcome to the Jungle program.

Welcome to the Jungle is a new, indoor foliage houseplant program with 50 varieties of popular houseplant categories currently available, according to the breeder. They also say that it is a turnkey program for growers and can be grown anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. The company says that each variety will grow in 10 to 14 weeks in 4-inch to 6-inch pots.

Dümmen is also rolling out SPROUTS, “an easy-to-stick, multi-stemmed and leaved plant that arrives pre-callused and ready to push out roots.” They currently offers SPROUTS in three peperomia varieties in Leap Frog, Raisinet and Rosso with more selections to come.

The following variety descriptions were provided by the breeder.

Peperomia are an enjoyable, easy to grow houseplant that has been around for years. Surging in popularity again, the plants can be grown in small containers and spaces which makes them an easy to care for indoor plant. Dümmen Orange offers 16 varieties of peperomia including Leap Frog with its fresh, bright green foliage for which the company is the exclusive provider in North America. Each peperomia variety has unique attributes which make them attractive to interior decorators and gardeners alike.

Epiphyllum Anguliger has many aliases, but this variety with its unique leaves is considered one of the most interesting houseplant textures around. With wavy, upright foliage that lends itself to a sculptural look, it makes a great indoor plant that stands out from the crowd. As the plant matures, ric-rac foliage lengths drape in baskets, ideal for 4-inch or larger hanging baskets. Dümmen Orange is the exclusive provider of this variety.

Speaking of exclusive, Dümmen Orange is also the exclusive provider of gasteria varieties which include Durban, Flow, Kyaka, Morombe, Royal Wolfgang and Zimflora. Gasteria is a genus of somewhat rare, aloe-like succulents. Sometimes called ox tongues, they typically have long leaves with a rough texture. The Dümmen Orange collection is uniquely marked with patterns and colors which, when mature, gasteria plants produce tubular, curved flowers from winter to spring. Growing in lightly shaded conditions, this genus native to South Africa tolerates lower light conditions compared to other succulents, making it a forgiving indoor plant.

Looking for a mini aloe-like plant? Then Haworthia Royal Albert is for you and Dümmen Orange is your exclusive provider. With its green, pointy, chunky foliage and white raised markings on the surface of each leaf, this small succulent works well in mixed planters with partial shade or as a potted plant in the windowsill. Dümmen Orange would never recommend neglecting any plant, but Haworthia Royal Albert does tolerate neglect and a range of light levels.  

The unique Kalanchoe Silver Strand, exclusive to Dümmen Orange, adds drama and texture to any houseplant collection with its large, arching leaves having deep serrations and a velvety, silver texture. Bred to be a naturally compact beharensis, a species known for its vigor, no growth regulators or pinching are required. Designed for 4-inch and up production, it pairs well in mixed flats, as a specimen or in combinations.

Crassula Tenelli Bling, exclusively from Dümmen Orange, is a silvery-textured succulent that is easy to care for in a bright area. Its shimmering leaves stand out in a foliage collection. Often referred to as the pickle plant, a Delosperma Gherkin, has small gherken-shaped leaves covered in little white hair. Suited for 2-inch to 6-inch production, it pairs well in mixed flats and combinations.  

Pilea have small leaves which makes them ideal for terrariums, hanging baskets or indoor planters. Chocolate, a Dümmen Orange exclusive, is a new pilea color with bronze foliage and pink growth. Its large, glossy bronze foliage has an uncommon look that can star by itself or combine with another Dümmen Orange pilea for a unique, two-toned planter. Pilea also come in Palus, Pantano and Mystifall.   

Senecios are an interesting group of easy to care for succulent houseplants which are often grown in hanging baskets. These indoor plants have earned the reputation of being easy to care for because, if they get enough light, they are practically no-fail performance plants that require only occasional watering. This is good news for gardeners of any skill level. Dümmen Orange is the exclusive provider of Senecio Mount Blanc which has startling, fuzzy white foliage.  

Tradescantia are old-fashioned houseplants that are still popular today because they are easy to grow. Their trailing stems make them perfect for hanging baskets but also striking when they spread across a surface like a tabletop. Dümmen Orange offers five varieties and is the exclusive provider of Nanouk. Nanouk is the most highly sought-after tradescantia on the market. It is a vigorous grower with glowing purple, pink, white and green tones. Easy to grow and finish, Nanouk sizes up fast and is best when placed in an 8-inch or larger hanging basket.

Tanya O'Brien has been promoted from her previous role as customer relations manager.

Pleasant View Gardens, a leading grower of annuals, perennials, and herbs, announced in a press release that Tanya O'Brien has been promoted to sales operations manager. 

Tanya started with the company in August 2021 as the customer relations manager. In her short tenure at Pleasant View Gardens, she has excelled in building a strong, competence-oriented team, implementing new processes to improve performance and provide quick and easy customer solutions.  

In her new position as sales operations manager, Tanya will assume the role of primary liaison with the Pleasant View sales team and customer relations team to their broker customers and key accounts.

“We are excited to have Tanya take on this pivotal new role within the company that will ultimately help better serve our customer base,” said Andy Huntington, general manager of Pleasant View Gardens. “Tanya’s vast background in sales operations and technology enhancements makes her the perfect fit to help grow sales and contribute to the future growth and profitability of our company.” 

The roses will be tended to by the agriculture students and teachers from W.B. Saul High School and Abraham Lincoln High School.

Two Philadelphia area high schools will be blooming with color this spring, thanks to Star Roses and Plants. The company donated 100 Petite Knock Out miniature rose plants to W.B. Saul High School’s flower garden and Abraham Lincoln High School’s “Wellness Quadrant” to help support each schools’ agricultural programs. The roses are being planted this spring and tended to over the years by the agriculture students and teachers from these two schools.

“One of the barriers teachers face is a lack of funding and materials to support their passion projects,” says Susan Bacus Morgan, marketing manager at Star Roses and Plants. “We are committed to supporting the teachers, students, and schools that nurture this next generation of horticulture students. After all, they are the future leaders of our industry.”

W.B. Saul High School is dedicated to agriculture and offers several diverse programs for students. On their 130-acre campus in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, they have a working farm, vegetable, and flower gardens. The teachers work with the students to tend to animals and work the land.

Abraham Lincoln High School, located in Northeast Philadelphia, is a public high school where students can choose between several different pathways, one being horticulture. Students who choose this pathway have the opportunity to compete at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

One program Star Roses and Plants has supported since its inception is Seed Your Future, an industry-wide effort to promote horticulture and inspire people to pursue careers working with plants.

“Our goal is to introduce the tools and resources Seed Your Future has to offer to students who show an early passion for plants,” says Bacus Morgan. “It’s our responsibility to share how meaningful and rewarding a career working in horticulture can be.”

Jon Reelhorn of Belmont Nursery has been named chairman of the board for 2022-2023.

AmericanHort has announced the election of four new members to the board of directors, along with the election of a new slate of board officers. The official welcome and installation will take place at Cultivate’22 being held July 16-19, in Columbus, Ohio. “We are excited to welcome these leaders who come from various segments of the green industry and encompass diverse experiences, skills, and backgrounds,” said Ken Fisher, president & CEO of AmericanHort. “We also appreciate the dedication and commitment of our officers and the leadership they provide our organization and industry, particularly during the challenges of the past few years.”

The new slate of officers will include Jon Reelhorn of Belmont Nursery as the new chairman of the board, and Rob Lando of Agrinomix as the new vice chairman of the board. Cole Mangum of Bell Nursery will become the immediate past chairman and J. Harvey Cotton will continue to serve as board treasurer in a non-voting position.

Jon Reelhorn is owner and president of Belmont Nursery located in Fresno, California. Belmont Nursery is a third-generation business that loves being part of its local community and includes nursery growing, greenhouse growing and a retail garden center. Jon is a graduate of Fresno State University with a degree in Plant Science, a graduate of the California Ag Leadership Program and a graduate of the Executive Academy for Growth and Leadership. Jon is very active in his industry having served as a board member with the California Farm Bureau and California Nursery and Landscape Association (now Plant California Association). He held several committee roles with the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) and has been chairman of the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI).

Rob Lando co-founded and grew Ohio based AgriNomix into North America’s largest supplier of automation to nurseries and greenhouses. At the start of this year, AgriNomix and Zwart Systems joined forces to become part of the newly formed AdeptAg where he continues to be involved with business development and R&D projects. Rob recently formed Western Roots LLC to allow him to continue to use his industry experience to work with growers on strategic planning and management issues. Rob is an active board member for Neighborhood Alliance, a Northeast Ohio non-profit which provides essential services to Lorain County residents in all stages of life. Rob was first elected to the AmericanHort board of directors in 2018, prior to which he served as a member on the AmericanHort Finance Committee.

The AmericanHort membership has elected the following new board directors:

Kurt Becker is executive vice president of Dramm Corporation, located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, which has been a leader in watering tools and accessories for more than 75 years. As EVP of Commercial Products Sales & Marketing, Kurt has decades of experience collaborating with growers on pest management, irrigation systems, humidity management and air movement. In addition to managing the commercial business for Dramm, Kurt leads marketing for the group and has been instrumental in Dramm’s support of Cultivate and AmericanHort. Kurt’s industry activities have included serving as a director for Bedding Plants Incorporated, Ohio Florist Association and America in Bloom.

Matt Edmundson, president of Arbor Valley Nursery in Brighton, Colorado, is a second-generation nurseryman and third generation business owner of Arbor Valley Nursery. Arbor Valley Nursery is a hybrid supplier growing balled and burlapped shade and ornamental trees as well as container grown woody shrubs, western natives, perennials and ornamental grasses. Their facility offers the latest technology in irrigation and water quality management as well as scale for producing, holding and shipping products to markets including landscape projects and retail garden centers. Matt is a graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder and has served in various leadership roles with the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association, the Colorado Nursery Research and Education Foundation and the GreenCo legislative committee.

Kent Fullmer is President at Fullmer’s Landscaping in Dayton, Ohio, a residential landscape design and build company. Kent’s father started the business in 1962. Kent assumed ownership of the company in 2005 and continues to lead the second-generation company with passion and integrity. Kent brings high energy to the art of landscaping and his goal to provide positive personal experiences to Fullmer’s Landscaping’s clients. Kent has considerable experience working across the industry as he has served on the board of directors of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, is currently serving on the AmericanHort Landscape Contractor Committee and is a certified arborist as well as a member of the International Society of Arboriculture.

Ann Tosovsky is president of Home Nursery, a field and container production nursery headquartered in Albers, Illinois. The business includes production facilities in Illinois and Tennessee and distribution centers in Illinois and Missouri. Ann is a third-generation owner and leader of the business that celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021. Not thinking this was the life for her, Ann attended Eastern Illinois University and pursued a degree in business. Ann worked her way around the company and learned the processes and procedures of the business gaining experience in sales, marketing and administrative tasks. She transitioned to the role of president in 2012. Ann has considerable experience working across the industry and the community having served on a variety of industry boards and organizations including the Illinois Green Industry Association Board of Directors, Madison County Extension Education Foundation Board, Hortica Advisory Council and Hortica Insurance Board, The Gardens at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Advisory Board, and the Rotary Club of Edwardsville Board of Directors.

These new directors will join current directors Mike Gooder of Plantpeddler Iowa; Steve Mostardi of Mostardi Nursery, Pennsylvania, Lyndsi Oestmann of Loma Vista Nursery, Kansas, Ed Overdevest of Overdevest Nurseries, New Jersey, and Jonathan Saperstein of Everde Growers, Texas.

AmericanHort and its members also want to thank outgoing board members, Tom Hughes of Hughes Nursery & Landscaping, Iowa, who served six years on the board including immediate past chairman, and Gerry Docksteader of Advanced Horticultural Solutions, Maryland, Joe Hobson of Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies, Illinois, and Amy Morris of N.G. Heimos Greenhouses, Illinois, who served three-year terms as board directors.

Adding the 350-acre, large-caliper tree farm increases J. Frank Schmidt's total growing operations to 3,000 acres.

 J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. have purchased Northwest Shade Trees LLC, a grower of specimen shade, flowering and ornamental landscape trees. Operations at the 350-acre specimen B&B farm located near Salem, Oregon, will integrate with Schmidt production and sales cycles to become the sixth farm in the JFS nursery family and increase the company’s growing grounds to more than 3,000 acres.

Announced by Schmidt CEO Ben Rough, the acquisition will combine the tree growing expertise and 75-year legacy of J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. with that of Northwest Shade Trees, a nursery founded by Schmidt family members and key employees in 1973. Known for producing the finest caliper trees in the region, the Brooks, Oregon, operation provides larger caliper, landscape-ready trees to customers on the West Coast and eastward to Colorado.

“Northwest Shade Trees will continue to produce and sell caliper shade trees under its well-known and highly respected name,” Rough said, noting that overall sales and production will be directed by the JFS management team, with caliper tree sales functions continuing at the Brooks office. The additional acreage will facilitate expansion of the nursery’s conifer line, increase the depth of its caliper shade tree line, and expand its bareroot production.  

“The opportunity to acquire 350 contiguous acres with great soil and water rights does not come very often,” Rough said. “This purchase will allow us to provide the depth of product needed to better fulfill customer needs while supporting our land rotation goals that we take very seriously.”

“The addition of the Northwest Shade Trees team of superb tree growers will complement the great team we already have at JFS,” Rough said. “We’re excited for the overall increase of product inventories this acquisition will provide and are positioned to maintain the high level of customer service and quality production expected of our nursery.”

For more: www.jfschmidt.com