01/29/24 — Intrinsic Introductions’ Bouteloua 'Honeycomb' got a shoutout as a promising perennial in the January 29th, 2024 issue of Perennial Pulse, for its performance in the CSU trial gardens. GrowerTalks’ e-newsletter looks at the broad spectrum of plant forms, genera and cultivars, hardiness zones, propagation and production methods, and garden uses.

A hardy, adaptable grass, 'Honeycomb' is tan-colored with wire-like stems and eyelash-looking flowers. At trial it “was extremely vigorous and filled out very well for the first year,” according to Dr. Chad Miller, Assistant Professor and CSU Trial Gardens Director. He also noted that “the inflorescences really ‘light up’ in the early morning and late afternoon with sunrise and sunset.” Dr. Miller went on to describe the plant as “a sea of blooms.” He couldn’t have said it better.

01/23/24 — Iowa Arboretum & Gardens established an ornamental trial program for central Iowa starting in 2023. Central Iowa is well situated to endure a number of garden hazards, most noteworthy being a moderate drought during July and a more severe one in December.

For their inaugural year, Brent submitted two perennials. First was Aster 'Thunderdome', a fall-blooming perennial with the purple flower of New England aster and the fragrant foliage and bushy habit of aromatic aster. Buds formed in July with “great fall color” noted by September. Even into October, 'Thunderdome' was “nicely mounded and covered in pollinators,” according to one judge, ranking solid fives (the best) from mid-September to the end of the season.

Brent’s second submission was a grass, Schizachyrium 'Little Red Fox'. Bushy, vigorous plants are on the shorter side of little bluestem. Strongly basal foliage with thin, wiry stems changes from green to silver and then red, reaching its peak in the late season as the seed heads form.

01/18/24 — Intrinsic Introductions’ Geum ‘Alabama Slammer’ hit it big, grabbing a spot on Better Homes and Gardens’ list of 14 Stunning Peach-Colored Flowers And Foliage Plants We Love. They have excellent taste, of course. It might have helped a little that the 2024 Pantone Color of the Year is Peach Fuzz.

Actually, these blooms are multi-colored deep orange, edged and highlighted with red. Most of the flowers are semi-double on striking burgundy stems. The foliage mound is fuzzy, or as Intrinsic describes it: hairy. But Peach Fuzz works—who can argue with BHG?

01-15-24 — Intrinsic Introductions releases the 2024 Genetics & Supply catalog featuring Scirpus pendulum 'Stars and Stripes' PPAF as the cover article. This year’s catalog includes the full line of breeding from Brent Horvath, new plant introductions for 2024, formal names for each plant, and input sources for the trade along with photos and descriptions of each cultivar.

DOWNLOAD THE NEW CATALOG

12/14/23 — Best of Show at the Penn State Trials is awarded to the cultivars that receive a perfect score through all ratings. Best of Species goes to cultivars that have the highest rating in their species. Intrinsic Introductions’ Pennisetum ‘Pure Energy’ received Best of Show and Best of Species for Ornamental Grasses. This golden fountain grass is the first hardy grass with wide gold foliage for full sun. Substantial blades on this variety are a half-inch wide and showy, peaking in July just before the reddish bottlebrush flowers appear. It works well in containers, too.

Another of Brent’s plants received a Best of Show award in the Eupatorium category, ‘Blind Date’. This cultivar is a native wetland species. Chocolate-red foliage is topped with milky white flowers on three-foot stems in July. Plants thrive in full sun and moist to average soil, and they combine easily with other varieties.

Director’s Select is noted when a cultivar receives a final overall rating of 4.6 or higher. Intrinsic Introductions’ Aster ‘Thunderdome’ received this meritorious citation in the Aster category. A hybrid, it has the purple flower of New England aster and the fragrant foliage and bushy substantial habit of aromatic aster. Plants grow large in the garden, three to four feet tall and up to three feet wide. ‘Thunderdome’s’ purple is a new color break in this type of aster.

10/16/23 — Garden Choice announced that Veronica ‘Seaside’ did very well at the 2023 Penn State Flower Trials. It received a perfect rating of 5.0. Plants were judged on uniformity, flowering, foliage, and overall growth. This cultivar is a more substantial veronica, with thicker, longer blue flowers on larger plants overall. It grows about two feet tall with wider bright green foliage, and blooms over an extended period as well.

Veronica ‘Seaside’ was bred by Brent at Intrinsic Perennial Gardens. It is one of several exclusive licenses assigned to Garden Choice for their perennial program.

10/01/23 — GrowerTalks magazine does a deep dive behind the breeding of Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’. Topics include the effect Septoria fungus has had on ‘Goldsturm’ and the landscaping industry, and the secret to the disease resistance of ‘American Gold Rush’. Another interesting point of discussion: those beautiful golden domes.

GrowerTalks magazine has chronicled standards and practices for the ornamental horticultural industry since 1937, focusing on green goods producers and buyers. It was founded by George J. Ball who was also the founder of the famous Ball Horticultural Company. A prolific writer as well, he was zealous about the sharing of knowledge. According to Ball Publishing, “It’s widely accepted that GrowerTalks truly got growers communicating with one another.”

9/22/23 — Martin Quinn of Canada was one of the speakers at the 7th Annual Ornamental Grasses Day at Intrinsic Perennial Gardens. Long admired by Brent, Martin is a horticulturalist with an extensive background in plant breeding who is currently working with Baker’s Nursery Ltd. of Bayfield, Ontario.

Based in zone 6, Martin has a special interest in hardy grasses with early flowering plumes. He covered a number of topics including how he started breeding ornamental grasses; observing plants over time to notice differences; breeding fescue, panicum, and miscanthus; and use of grasses across the southern tier of Canada, from British Columbia to Quebec. He also has discussed Brent’s Pennisetum ‘Water to Wine’ and Pennisetum ‘Yellow Ribbons’.

Ornamental Grasses Day is an annual presentation of grasses that Brent holds every September at Intrinsic Perennial Gardens. He hosts a series of speakers who are notable names in the horticultural and plant breeding industries.

In case you missed it, Martin’s presentation was recorded and is available to watch on YouTube. If you like it, give it a thumbs up!

07/15/23 — Monarda 'Midnight Oil' from Intrinsic Introductions made the cover of Creek Hill Nursery’s 2024 catalog as one of their Natives of Note. Glossy clean foliage emerges chocolate red-purple and flowers are light pink with wine red spots. Plants have better vigor and are less disease-prone.

Creek Hill Nursery in Leola, Pennsylvania is in the perennial liner business. Selling starter plants in trays of 21, 50, and 72, they zero in on plants that are hardy down to Zone 7, at least. Their focus is solely on garden worthy material that’s suitable for production and thrives around the home. They look for innovation—plants that make a significant contribution to their genus such as a new color or a new form—and diversity, so they can offer a wide range of both genera and cultivars, because an interesting selection drives sales.

08-01-22 — Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’ was the visitors’ favorite at the Aris Trial Garden for 2023. Aris Horticulture, Inc., is a major supplier of plugs to the ornamental plant industry. Many of the visitors who toured the garden during the voting were part of the PPA symposium. Others came through before or after the Penn State Trials Open House or other local events. They were asked to indicate which of the 350+ plants were their favorites by placing a flag by the plant’s sign.

‘American Gold Rush’ was the clear winner. Exciting but not surprising—the plant has a naturally compact, beautifully rounded habit and heavy bloom of large golden flowers with arched petals. Plus the thin hairs on its leaves keep septoria spores from settling and causing trouble the way the disease has done for ‘Goldsturm’.