Creation of New Floral Products

The recent surge in popularity of new floral products has been due to a variety of factors. Annualization of perennials is one such factor and has primarily arisen due to the advent of ‘annualized’ perennials which can be grown from seed or cuttings and flowered the first year. These products offer a distinct advantage to growers who can produce flowering herbaceous perennials quicker thereby creating less expensive cultivars for the gardening public. Since numerous taxa are herbaceous perennials yet to be domesticated and commercialized there are numerous opportunities for flower breeders to create new products. The challenges of breeding, producing, distributing, retailing, and growing reliable perennials throughout the distribution channel are discussed. Traits such as life history, the five factors of plant growth, dormancy, juvenility, flowering (flower bud initiation, development), are provided with numerous examples of crops which require one or many factors to be manipulated to achieve flowering. Marketing and horticultural significance of herbaceous perennials are presented as example methods whereby continued interest in such products can be maintained or increased to continue the vibrant floriculture industry.