Customers at one of the UK’s leading nurseries have helped it select four new plants from a Taster Menu concept it launched last year (2017) to go into full scale production.

Wyevale Nurseries unveiled the Taster Menu in its 2018 promotional catalogue and retailers were invited to trial the eight plants. Now four of the plants have been incorporated in to the 2019 catalogue.

Andy Johnson, Managing Director at Wyevale Nurseries in Hereford, said: “The eight Taster Menu plants were at the commercial trial stage and their volumes were very small, under 500 plants, and we wanted to give customers the opportunity to feature these as something new.

“We offered retailers the chance to trial them in their plant areas before they would be available in commercial numbers. We also felt it would give us useful feedback as to what we should promote in larger numbers in subsequent years.

“The comments from our customers were indeed very helpful and it led to Phormium cookianum ‘Blondie’, Hesperozygis ‘Midnight Mojito’, Disporum cantoniense ‘Moonlight’ and Rodgersia ‘Bronze Peacock’ being incorporated in to the main 2019 promotional catalogue as full promotions.

“Due to the success of the concept we are now offering 12 Taster Menu plants in the 2019 catalogue. These include, to name but a few:

· Cordyline ‘Electric Star’ has a clumping upright habit with many narrow leaves that appear mostly green but have a deep burgundy central stripe – very unusual.

· Phormium ‘Sweet Mist™’ is an ultra-compact Phormium, with an exceptional bronze colour. This New Zealand native adds an exciting choice to landscape design. It has more compact foliage compared to other colourful Phormiums.

· Dahlia ‘Totally Tangerine’ is a pretty anemone flowered dahlia, pinkish orange with a tangerine centre. Single petals surround a fully double centre, the reverse of the petals is rose-pink giving added contrast. A pretty introduction to our Dahlia range.

· Parrotia persica ‘Persian Spire’ will be grown for its stunning foliage that can match even Japanese Acers. In spring its leaves, which are narrower than standard Ironwood varieties, emerge a deep blushing purple. Then in summer they turn a rich deep green with a purple edge. Finally, in autumn, when the temperature begins to fall, they change into a cascade of red, yellow and orange tones. Upright in habit.

“We would love our customers to sample them, so we are asking for people to register their interest with our sales team as soon as possible.”

The product selection available from Wyevale Nurseries is envied across the industry and the talented team regularly introduces new, award-winning plant varieties.

Its main business is to supply garden centres, landscape contractors, local authorities, foresters and landowners with a comprehensive array of trees, shrubs, hedging, herbaceous and specimen plants.

For further details about Wyevale Nurseries, which is based in Hereford, please call 01432 845 200, visit www.wyevalenurseries.co.uk, follow the company on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WyevaleNurs or log on to www.facebook.com/WyevaleNurs.