Plant Releases

Blueberry, Muscadine and Ornamental Plant Releases

                                                                                                           

Recent Blueberry Releases

Rabbiteye varieties

'DeSoto' Rabbiteye Blueberry

 

Produces medium to large fruit having excellent color, flavor and firmness. Plants of DeSoto are productive and vigorous but semi-dwarf, upright and spreading. Bushes obtain a maximum height of approximately 2 meters, reducing the necessity of top-pruning. DeSoto blooms two to three weeks later than early-to-mid season cultivars, and its fruit mature 14-21 days after cultivars such as Climax. The name DeSoto was chosen to reflect the site at which they were developed, which is adjacent to the DeSoto National Forest.

'Prince' Rabbiteye Blueberry

 

Produces berries which ripen earlier than currently grown rabbiteye blueberry cultivars and are medium-size with small picking scars, good color, firmness and flavor characteristics. Prince has a relatively tall and spreading growth habit, grows vigorously, and produces numerous canes. The development of numerous flower-buds arising from vigorous new annual growth resuts in a high yield potential.

 

 

Southern Highbush varieties

'Gumbo' has a bloom and ripening period are adapted to Southern US.   It typically misses the later spring freezes, yet ripens in a time frame that puts it into a window before Rabbiteye come onto the market.   'Gumbo' is a vigorous plant with good longevity which is uncharacteristic of other Southern Highbush varieties that are currently available to the area.   It is very productive with good fruit quality which is also uncharacteristic of other Southern Highbush.   'Gumbo' productivity is rival to many Rabbiteye Cultivars without sacrificing the fruit quality of other Southern Highbush.  This new Southern Highbush cultivar will put growers into a niche for early fresh fruit market that is prior to rabbiteye ripening;  therefore giving the grower a chance at premium prices for their fruit.

  See Release Notice for 'Gumbo' Here! 

 

 

'Gupton' Southern Highbush Blueberry

 

Berries of Gupton are medium to large with very good flavor, color and firmness and have small picking scars. It is vigorous and productive and has an upright growth habit. Plants bloom in mid-late March in south Mississippi and fruit ripen about ten days before the earliest maturing rabbiteye blueberries.

'Biloxi' Southern Highbush Blueberry

 

Fruit of Biloxi ripens early, has a medium size, with good color, firmness, stem scar and flavor. Plants are upright, vigorous and productive. Biloxi blooms early, about the same time as Climax rabbiteye blueberry, but fruit ripening precedes the earliest ripening rabbiteye cultivar by about 14-21 days.

 

 

Recent Muscadine Releases                                                    

'Eudora' Muscadine Grape

 A new purple skinned muscadine for the fresh market. Notable attributes include vigorous and productive vines producing medium-large flavorful berries with edible skins and relatively crisp pulp.

 

 

Recent Ornamental Releases

Check out our new crape myrtle releases here!

 

'Native Blue' ornamental blueberry

 

An evergreen ornamental blueberry that is low growing, compact and finely branched, with small glaucous leaves. Native Blue has beautiful foliage that changes color in different seasons. Mature leaves are darker green while newer growth exhibits a light pinkish hue that changes to a bluish green. Other desirable characteristics are its dwarf growth habit, hardy and vigorous growth and its capacity for a high level of fruit prodution that serves as an attractant to birds and other wildlife.

 

'Sahara Sunset'  african hibiscus cultivar 

 

A tropical shrub (USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 10) grown as an annual for the beauty of its colorful maple like leaves. Plants of Sahara Sunset are moderately vigorous, have a spreading upright growth habit, and have unique multicolored ornamental foliage. Plants thrive in summer heat and perform best in full sun with moderate moisture and fertility. Its broad environmental adaptation and tolerance of common insects and diseases make it an ideal plant for low maintenance plantings.

'Lufkin Red'  American hardy hibiscus cultivar

A summer flowering perennial landscape plant particularly adapted to conditions in the South. 'Lufkin Red' was selected for its exceptional red flowers and outstanding disease resistant foliage. Plants develop rapidly in containers and, in addition to leaf-spot resistance, display good tolerance to other common pests. Under landscape conditions plants should mature to approximately 1.6 meters high x 1.3 meters wide. Flower quality and numbers, as well as growth habit, are much improved over the native species.

'Lufkin White'  American hardy hibiscus cultivar

A summer flowering perennial landscape plant particularly adapted to conditions in the South. 'Lufkin White' was selected for its exceptional blushed white flowers and outstanding disease resistant foliage. Plants develop rapidly in containers and, in addition to leaf-spot resistance, display good tolerance to other common pests. Under landscape conditions plants should mature to approximately 1.3 meters high x 1.5 meters wide. Flower quality and numbers, as well as growth habit, are much improved over the native species.

'USS California'  evergreen tropical hibiscus cultivar

A summer flowering container plant nationwide or a flowering landscape shrub in cold hardiness zone 10. 'USS California' was selected for its exceptional yellow flowers and outstanding appearance in containers, particularly for production in the South and marketing nationwide as a summer flowering accent plant for patios, pools or other outside areas. Plants develop rapidly in containers and display good tolerance to common pests. Under tropical landscape conditions plants should mature to approximately 3 meters high x 1.5 meters wide.

'USS Arizona'  evergreen tropical hibiscus cultivar

A summer flowering container plant nationwide or a flowering landscape shrub in cold hardiness zone 10. 'USS Arizona' was selected for its exceptional vibrant phosphorescent orange (Red Group 40A) flowers and outstanding appearance in containers, particularly for production in the South and for marketing nationwide as a summer flowering accent plant for patios, pools, or other outside areas. Plants are semi-compact, upright spreading with prolific flowering from spring to fall in temperate regions. Under tropical landscape conditions plants should mature to approximately 3 meters high x 1.5 meters wide.

 

 

Past Blueberry Releases

'Cooper'

'Gulfcoast'

'Jubilee'

'Magnolia'

'Pearl River'

'Austin'

'Alapaha'

'Ochlockonee'

'Dixieblue'