New plants created at Ball gardens

Where do new plant varieties come from?

They come to us in two ways. Some come from discoveries either in nature or in cultivated fields; others come by crossing different parents to get the desired offspring.

One company that is influential in helping introduce new varieties to the gardening world is Ball Seed, which recently celebrated its 100 anniversary.

Last season, I had a chance to tour the company's 7.5-acre trial and display gardens in West Chicago, Ill. For more than 70 years, these gardens have been the evaluation and testing grounds for the world's wealth of horticultural improvements and introductions.

Marketing director Bill Doeckel said the company's founder, George J. Ball, started by breeding cut flowers. He then started distributing the flowers' seeds — particularly in the New York City area. It was this distribution that eventually led to Ball Seed.

"After World War II, the plant market started to boom," Doeckel said. "We started getting into hybrids because they had many superior traits. Before that, almost all flower seeds were open pollinated. We also did work with many new plants, including taming the impatiens from the wilds of Costa Rica to the garden flower it is today."

While there are gardens that are larger and more spacious than Ball's, few have been so influential in helping introduce new varieties to the industry. Looking at the yearly planting plan shows a virtual who's who of plant varieties. Many plants featured in this column got their start in these gardens, as breeders determined their beauty, strength and pest resistance.

The gardens, which first started out as rows of plants in 1933, have progressively changed into display beds featuring more than 3,000 varieties of annual and perennial flowers and vegetables. These displays show commercial and home gardeners what the future holds.

Anna Caroline Ball, Ball chief executive offer, said Ball's trial and display gardens are an "exciting forum for sharing ideas on plants and planting with the thousands of growers, retailers, landscapers, garden writers and consumers who visit each year."

Ball's Garden Gateway displays many new varieties that are introduced each year. Some that caught my eye during my visit were Blazin' Rosa Iresine, Purple Baron Ornamental Millet, Easy Wave Petunias and Purple Knight Alternanthera.