"We're in what we like to call the No Zone. We're not really tropical, we're not really temperate," said P.J. Klinger, co-owner of Lake Brantley Plant Corp. in Longwood, Fla.

The company supplies bedding plants to landscapers and garden centers and wants to provide the best varieties for the climate. To do this, Lake Brantley Plant Corp. started an extensive plant development and trial program.

The company has an ongoing coleus trial that evaluates hundreds of thousands of seedlings per year. In the past, the company has taken a thorough look at different salvias, begonias, cupheas, marigolds and myriad foliage plants that could be adapted to Orlando-area landscapes. For taking on this task, Lake Brantley Plant Corp. has been named a GMPRO Innovator.

Find me a coleus The Florida climate seems to be especially tough on coleus. While landscapers like the colors they provide, the plant is often passed on.

"Customers have told us, 'We like coleus, but they become tall, leggy and have to be cut back. Then they sunburn and become more susceptible to all sorts of bacterial and stem rots.'" Klinger said.

Lake Brantley Plant Corp. set out to find the best coleus varieties for Florida -- the ones that were shorter, well-branching, colorful and resistant to soil-borne diseases (especially phytophthora and pythium) and nematodes.

In 1999, the company planted 24 of the most widely used coleus varieties in the area and the plants were allowed to go to seed. With a large native population of pollinating insects and coleus' natural habit of being genetically variable, Klinger knew the offspring would be highly diverse.

In spring 2000, the company germinated 100,000 seedlings in plug trays. Many plants were eliminated right away.

"We wanted lots of color so many, like the ones with solid-green leaves, were pulled immediately," Klinger said. "We also looked for branching in the plug tray. Axillary bud branching in a pack is an indication that the plants would have a branching, compact habit at maturity."

By March 2000, the company had planted 800 seedlings for evaluation. By August, these were narrowed to 36 that grew 18-30 inches tall. Those 36 were vegetatively propagated and in September, attendees at a Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association event were asked to pick the five or six varieties they liked best.

This feedback was used to help select a series of coleus cultivars that would be named after Florida cities. Ones most chosen by the FNGA group were 'Micanopy,' 'Bonifay,' 'Yalaha,' 'Yulee,' 'Immokalee' and 'Altoona.'

The original block of 800 was destroyed. Most were suffering from root diseases, but some were still so vigorous that they had to be dug out with shovels. These hardy few were planted out with the 36 named cultivars so that they could seed out and the process started again.

Klinger said evaluation of the coleus will continue, even to the ones that already have been named. They will be judged for shipping abilities and for their capability to survive a year in the Florida landscape without being replaced or cut back.

Sage advice

A Lake Brantley Plant Corp. trial in 1997-1998 judged many species of salvias. These plants are typically from arid or semi-arid locations and few are well suited to Central Florida.

The company looked at 50 species and found five varieties considered to be most suitable:

* S. mexicana, a Central and Southern Mexico native.

* S. miniata, native to tropical regions.

* S. guarantica, introduced to the company by Alan Shapiro, owner of San Felasco Nurseries in Gainesville, Fla.

* S. farinacea x longispicata 'Indigo Spires,' a purple-flowering hybrid species.

* S. leucantha, another Mexican species.

"The problem with most salvias is that they are extremely brittle, especially S. mexicana," Klinger said. "They have good foliage, are fall bloomers and have gorgeous flowers, but they break apart during shipment. This makes it extremely tough to get them to market."

To help this problem, Lake Brantley Plant Corp. is conducting plant growth regulator trials in cooperation with Uniroyal Chemical. The two companies will also do PGR trials on cuphea varieties.

Other hot-climate winners

Other annuals Klinger deems as good for Central Florida are marigolds (both French and African), torenias and various mixes of impatiens. Also good is the Cocktail series of bronze-leafed begonias including 'Cocktail Vodka,' 'Cocktail Gin' and 'Cocktail Whiskey.'

Many out-of-the-ordinary varieties are grown and tested by the company.

Cultivars of ornamental peanut, Arachis glabrata, were discovered by the University of Florida while searching for forage crops. Klinger grows 'Arblick,' a 6-inch variety that spreads to form a groundcover and is covered with yellow flowers from spring to fall.

"This area has many small landscapes with a lot of shade. Many people are looking for things that perform in deep shade, but are tired of impatiens," Klinger said. "We look at a lot of traditional foliage plants that we used to grow by the thousands in dish gardens when we were in the foliage industry."

Good candidates are Pilea cadierei, Hemigraphis, Strobilanthes dyerianus, Codiaeum variegatum 'Petra' and Spathiphyllum. "Spaths are great to treat as annuals because you can get the liners real cheap," Klinger said. "You plant them in February and they still look good in December. If they have enough frost protection, they may even survive through the winter." Another good annual or tender perennial for the area most people don't consider is bougainvillea. Typically grown as a vine or in hanging baskets, this plant is periodically covered with brightly colored bracts. "They're also great in beds," Klinger said. "They take the heat and the drought and are great for mass planting."

Lake Brantley Plant Corp. Locations: Longwood and Center Hill, Fla. Founded: 1984. Growing space: 65 acres, including 1 1/2 acres of greenhouses and 2 acres of shade. Crops: 4 1/2-inch and gallon annuals, 1- and 3-gallon perennials and woody ornamentals including 3-gallon shrubs and 15-gallon trees. Sales area: Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. Primary customers: Landscapers and independent garden centers. For more: Lake Brantley Plant Corp., 1931 W. Lake Brantley Road, Longwood, FL 32779; (407) 869-6545; fax (407) 869-5817.

. © 2001 Branch-Smith Publishing