The Ball Spring Trials is a week long event that happens every year to show off the latest plant varieties that will be available. The event includes many plant breeders, growers, and suppliers including the Ball family which includes Wave, Burpee and more. I was asked to attend the 2016 trials in Santa Paula, California this year and had a chance to check out the latest flowers, herbs, and vegetables that will be available to consumers both this year and next. My expenses on this trip were paid for, but the story and opinion are my own.
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Ball Spring Trials 2016 in Santa Paula CA
I love to garden and I spend many happy hours wandering around garden centers checking out all of the available plants. Of course, lots of my favorites are from Ball, Wave and Burpee so I was super excited to get a sneak look at the plants that would be available this year and next. I cannot get out in the garden yet here in Vermont since my last frost date isn’t until May 25th, but I already have a list of plants I want to add as soon as I can.
I saw so many amazing flowers, plants, and herbs at the Ball Spring Trials, that I cannot possibly show you all of them. I spent HOURS wandering around and learning more about the different types of plants. Of course, there were plants that were better suited for different zones and different types of soil. I’m highlighting a few of my favorites here that I hope to be able to find and add to my yard as soon as the weather warms up a bit more.
The Ball Ingenuity Twisted Series Celosia is now available in orange and is a bold color choice for fall. This plant is a great choice for all-season garden performance. It’s heat tolerant and low maintenance which is always a good thing in my garden. You can also find the Celosia in shades of red, pink and purple.
The new Caribbean Cocktail is a Calibrachoa that I believe will be available in 2017. I am SO getting this. The colors are truly stunning and I would love to have these in hanging baskets in from of my house next summer. There are a variety of different color combinations but this one was really my favorite.
What thrilled me the most at the Ball Spring Trials was getting a chance to see the new vegetables and herbs. As much as I adore flowers, most of my gardens have edibles of some sort in them.
The Simply Herbs line from Pan American Seed has a bunch of herbs that will help you create a fresh herb garden this year. I love going out in the summer and picking fresh herbs to cook with. Just a few of my favorites are the Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Rosemary, Curled Parsley and Oregano. I love fresh oregano in my spaghetti sauce.
Chocolate Sprinkles Cherry Tomatoes is the plant I was most excited to see. It’s a disease resistant tomato that is resistant to Fusarium Race 1, Nematodes, and Tobacco Mosaic Virus. I have the WORST time with tomatoes and I cannot wait to try this. I love the unique, striped color. Plus, it produces more fruit with better flavor than other similar varieties.
If you’ve seen a plant here that you want to add to your own garden, you can go to www.pickacarrot.com and search for the variety. It will tell you a store near you or a website that you can order them from. I’ll be following up with another post once I can get out in the garden.
Which of these would you most like to try?
Ellen is a busy mom of a 24-year-old son and 29-year-old daughter. She owns six blogs and is addicted to social media. She believes that it doesn’t have to be difficult to lead a healthy life. She shares simple healthy living tips to show busy women how to lead fulfilling lives. If you’d like to work together, email info@confessionsofanover-workedmom.com to chat.
I am head over heels for tomatoes that have a real taste and smell. It just reminds me of home. What does a chocolate sprinkles tomatoes smells like?
Sadly, we didn’t get a chance to try these at the event but from what I was told, they have a *true tomato flavor with a firm bite.* I’ll definitely let you know after I find some to plant.
My mom would LOVE to go to this – she loves plants and flowers. I myself have the opposite of a green thumb, ha. Great pictures!
Thanks, Liz! It does take a bit of practice!
Beautiful photos! I have never seen that variety of tomato before but will keep my eye out for it! I love finding new tomato varieties to grow!
Definitely, Diane. I really am looking forward to those!
Gorgeous! I wish I could grow beautiful flowers.
They really do have some that are beautiful! You can always start with plants instead of seeds. It’s much easier that way.