Press Releases, Industry Articles, Resource Links / PDF


2021 American Garden Rose Selections™ Testing Program
Star® Roses and Plants, a leading genetics company, is excited to announce two of its roses won awards from the 2021 American Garden Rose Selections™ (AGRS) testing program.
Ball to Acquire Conard-Pyle ... August, 2015
Ball Horticultural Company is pleased to announce the purchase of Conard-Pyle, a century-old plant development company, which brought the Knock Out® family of roses to market.



    Star® Roses and Plants Introduces The Petite Knock Out®, the First Ever Miniature Knock Out® Rose (Nov 12, 2020)

    West Grove, PA— Twenty years since the introduction of the original Knock Out® Rose, Star® Roses and Plants is thrilled to announce the launch of the first ever, miniature Knock Out® Rose, The Petite Knock Out®.

    A miniature version of the original Knock Out® Rose, The Petite Knock Out® delivers a whole new level of versatility to the rose market. It has the same flowering ability, bright color and easy maintenance as The Knock Out® Rose, now in a revolutionary, petite size.

    “The Petite Knock Out® is perfect for the landscape, garden and containers,” says Layci Gragnani, Rose Brand Manager at Star® Roses and Plants. “Its versatility, ultra-compact form and staying power makes it perfect for growers, retailers, landscapers and home gardeners.”

    The Petite Knock Out® has non-fading, bright red flowers on top of unique, dark and shiny green foliage. Breakthrough breeding also makes this rose extremely black spot resistant. The mature plants are 18” tall and hardy to zone 5.

    To learn more about The Petite Knock Out®, visit https://www.knockoutroses.com/petite

    To download and view high-res images, visit https://bit.ly/2JSpFez. For media related questions or inquiries, contact Leah Palmer at lpalmer@starrosesandplants.com or 610-345-5110.

    For grower questions or inquiries, contact your Territory Manger or call customer service at 1-800-457-1859.

    Star® Roses and Plants has been bringing great plants to the world’s gardens since 1897, and continues to introduce breakthrough roses, shrubs, edibles and perennials. Their most notable brands include The Knock Out® Family of Roses, Drift® Roses, Bushel and Berry®, and Bloomables®. Star® Roses and Plants is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ball Horticultural. For more information, please visit www.starrosesandplants.com.

    Bushel and Berry® Introduces Three New Blueberry Plants for 2021 (Nov 12, 2020)

    West Grove, PA— Bushel and Berry®, the collection of homegrown berries from Star® Roses and Plants, is introducing three new blueberry plants for 2021. Included in the lineup are two of the first-ever hanging blueberry plants. The new varieties are as follows:

    Midnight Cascade: The first hanging basket blueberry on the market! White, bell-shaped flowers in the spring lead to an abundant summer crop of blueberries. The ripe fruit is packed with aromatic flavors and antioxidants. The foliage has hints of red that will darken in the fall weather. It grows to a height of 18-24” with a cascading habit. Fruits during summer and fall and works best in zones 5-9.

    Sapphire Cascade: A hanging basket blueberry with clusters of sweet blueberries that will cover the plant throughout the season. The leaves on Sapphire Cascade will turn deep red and green in the winter months. It grows to a height of 18-24” with a cascading habit. Fruits during summer and fall and works best in zones 5-9.

    Silver Dollar™: A unique blueberry plant that has foliage resembling Eucalyptus. White flowers in the spring lead to a summer crop of large blueberries. Foliage will have hints of silver throughout the spring and early summer before turning into emerald green in the fall. It grows to a height of 2-3’ with a mounded habit. Berry flavor is sweet with pineapple essence. Works best in zones 5-10.

    To download and view high-res images, visit https://bit.ly/2K2pJZs. For media related questions or inquiries, contact Leah Palmer at lpalmer@starrosesandplants.com or 610-345-5110.

    For grower questions or inquiries, contact your Territory Manger or call customer service at 1-800-457-1859.

    About Bushel and Berry®

    Bushel and Berry® is a collection of easy-to-grow, exceptionally beautiful and delicious berry plants for the home garden. With many stunning and easy-to-care-for varieties to choose from, Bushel and Berry® is revolutionizing the way we bring food to the table. Learn more by visiting https://www.BushelAndBerry.com

     

    Bushel and Berry® Introduces New Blueberry Variety, BerryBux™ (Nov 12, 2020)

    West Grove, PA— Bushel and Berry®, the collection of homegrown berries from Star® Roses and Plants, is introducing its newest blueberry variety for 2021, BerryBux™. BerryBux™ is a revolutionary ornamental blueberry plant with Buxus-like performance and appeal in the landscape. Its foliage and compact habit, which are similar to boxwood, make it ideal for hedges and mass plantings.

    “We know that boxwood has posed certain challenges in the landscape, so this is a great alternative with ornamental appeal and the bonus of blueberries,” says Layci Gragnani, Bushel and Berry® Program Manager.

    BerryBux™ grows to a height of 2-3’ and works best in zones 5-8. The berries on BerryBux™ are small in size but pack a punch with wild, aromatic flavor.

    With edible gardening continuing to rise among consumers, BerryBux™ is the perfect addition to any garden space. Its unique form and colorful, delicious berries will impress both at retail and in the yard.

    To download and view high-res images, visit https://bit.ly/3hT6ltj. For grower questions or inquiries, contact your Territory Manager or call customer service at 1-800-457-1859.

     

    Buxus ‘Little Missy’ Named One of the Top Plants for Boxwood Blight Resistance (Nov 12, 2020)

    West Grove, PA— Star® Roses and Plants is excited to announce its Buxus ‘Little Missy’ was ranked in the top 2% of varieties resistant to boxwood blight in a recently published USDA analysis.

    “Boxwood blight continues to challenge the horticultural industry,” says Mike DuVall, Director of Products at Star® Roses and Plants. “Our team at Star® Roses and Plants is always striving to bring the best plants to market, so we were thrilled to get confirmation that ‘Little Missy’ was top-ranked for boxwood blight resistance.”

    In a recent Journal of Environmental Horticulture publication, USDA scientists used meta-data analysis to rank 131 Boxwood varieties for susceptibility to boxwood blight.  The analysis combined data from various external studies conducted at multiple locations under multiple testing conditions.  Buxus ‘Little Missy’ ranked in the top 2% of boxwood blight resistant varieties.

    Discovered by nurseryman Norman Cole and introduced by Star® Roses and Plants in 2013, Buxus ‘Little Missy’ has been a reliable selection for its excellent landscape and container performance. ‘Little Missy’ is a compact plant that grows to 2.5 feet high by 3.5 feet wide and requires minimal pruning to maintain its tidy appearance. It displays deep green foliage year-round and is hardy to USDA zone 5.

    These traits combined with the results of the USDA analysis, make ‘Little Missy’ a smart choice in any landscape.

    According to the USDA publication, Boxwood is a valuable nursery commodity, with more than 11 million plants sold in the United States each year at a market value of $126 million. However, Boxwood plants are threatened by boxwood blight, a destructive disease cause by a fungal pathogen that leads to defoliation and plant death in nurseries and established landscapes. The best long-term solution to combat this pathogen is to develop resistant cultivars.

    To read the full USDA analysis, visit https://bit.ly/3luRqrQ.

    For more information on placing orders or grower questions, contact your Territory Manager or call customer service at 1-800-457-1859.

    To download and view high-res images of Buxus ‘Little Missy’, visit https://bit.ly/3aGeeAd.

    Star® Roses and Plants has been bringing great plants to the world’s gardens since 1897, and continues to introduce breakthrough roses, shrubs, edibles and perennials. Their most notable brands include The Knock Out® Family of Roses, Drift® Roses, Bushel and Berry®, and Bloomables®. Star® Roses and Plants is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ball Horticultural. For more information, please visit www.starrosesandplants.com.

    Star Roses and Plants

    Over 75 years ago, Robert Pyle laid the foundation that still exists at Star® Roses and Plants today: A beautiful garden begins with exceptional plants. By establishing friendships with nurseries and hybridizers all over the world, the Star Roses and Plants brand has introduced notable varieties like the iconic 'Peace' Rose and the KnockOut® family of roses. Its in-house breeding division is a team of top-breeders and scientists that apply modern techniques in plant genetics to the development of industry-worthy and consumer-friendly ornamental flowering plants.

    At Star® Roses and Plants, we are a family of brands, and we pride ourselves in being a one-stop-shop for our growers, their customers, landscapers, and home gardeners. Since 1897, we have dedicated ourselves to bringing great plants to the world’s gardens, and we aspire to continue doing so for years to come. Many notable roses, shrubs, and perennials have made it to market during this time, but one of the most impressive is The Knock Out® Family of Roses. Introduced in 2000, this family of extremely floriferous, low-maintenance, disease resistant shrub roses revolutionized the way we think of roses. The Petite Knock Out® Rose is the newest member of the family, offering the same desirable qualities but in a perfectly miniature size! 

    Similarly impressive is our collection of groundcover roses, Drift® Roses, which offer a more compact solution to gardens of all sizes, and Sunblaze® Roses, which are a superb selection of vibrantly colored, miniature roses that are hardy, compact, and easy to grow.  

    With more to offer than just roses, Star® Roses and Plants also has breakthrough woodies, edibles, and trees. The Bloomables® collection is made up of our best flowering roses and woodies that are easy to grow for the grower and consumer, look good at retail and offer high reward in the garden. Also unique is the Bushel and Berry® collection of compact, self-pollinating, berry plants for the home garden. These blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and now strawberries are easy to grow and easy to love! Our extensive woody program is distinct, as well, including notable Abelia, Buxus, Hydrangea, Hibiscus, and much more, and our breakthrough tree program offers highly unique, ground-breaking varieties that truly stand out in the landscape.     

    At Star® Roses and Plants, we are committed to providing plants that are unique and versatile so that they satisfy a wide range of customers and landscapes. We always learn from the plants we trial, and as a result, we are proud to bring innovative plants and programs to market so that your gardening experience is just a little happier as a result.    

    Star® Roses and Plants is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ball® Horticultural. For more information, please visit https://www.starrosesandplants.com/.

     

    To learn more about any of our products or to place an order, please contact your Territory Manager.


               

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