10/01-23 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: Christine Kelleher, 800-232-9557, Ext. 512 or Gary Doerr, 916-716-1889

With Coreopsis 'Sweet Dreams,' Geranium 'Rozanne' and a host of other new introductions creating excitement in the marketplace, Blooms of Bressingham North America has signed up seven new propagators to meet demand.

"Our products have become so popular that we needed additional propagators to help us bring more new plants to market more quickly," said Gary Doerr, Blooms of Bressingham North America president. "We have some outstanding varieties, some great varieties and many good introductions. Which ones fit which category depends on where they are being grown and the eye of the beholder. Our trial and testing program is leading the way for these perennial varieties. I think people are responding to that."

Since its founding in 1995, Blooms of Bressingham North America has more than doubled its offering of perennials to over 115 varieties. While all bear the legendary Blooms name, many were discovered in North America. All new varieties are now being trialed at 15 universities and botanic gardens to determine their suitability with the North American climate.

The seven new companies that have joined Yoder Green Leaf Perennials, Lancaster, Pa., and Skagit Gardens, Mount Vernon, Wash., as Blooms propagators are listed below. Estimated first availability is July 2002.

		B&B Laboratories, Mount Vernon, Wash.
		Creek Hill Nursery, Leola, Pa.
		Gulley Greenhouse, Fort Collins. Colo.
		North Creek Nurseries, Landenberg, Pa.
		Roseville Farms, Apopka, Fla.
		Takao Nursery, Fresno, Calif.
		Walters Gardens, Zeeland, Mich.

All of the new propagators bring different strengths to the Blooms program. For example, B&B Laboratories, a tissue culture lab, has played a critical role in Blooms' virus clean up efforts. Roseville Farms, Apopka, Fla., will propagate Clematis 'Alan Bloom' only.

"Propagators start with clean stock and renew it every year," Doerr said. "Clean plant stock is important. It influences how a plant performs.

"Through our association with our university and botanical garden partners, we are able to obtain accurate, up-to-date information on how potential new varieties perform under widely differing growing conditions. Additionally, during the first-year market test of new varieties we get feedback from growers and retailers as a way of reinforcing the independent trials at the universities and botanical gardens. The value is that we get grower and retailer responses to support what we have learned. "

The universities and botanical gardens routinely grow and evaluate Blooms varieties on everything from overwintering and growth habit to heat tolerance and flower quality. The result is the unvarnished truth from an unbiased source on how the varieties perform. This information is then passed right along.

"A plant that does well in one USDA hardiness zone won't necessarily do well in another. The only way to find out for sure is to trial and, if necessary, trial again to make absolutely certain a plant performs the way you say it will, Doerr said."

Blooms of Bressingham perennials are known throughout the world. Alan and Adrian Bloom are recognized as leaders in the development and release of new, distinctive plants. They are two of Britain's most prominent horticulturists and nurserymen, both having received the Royal Horticulture Society's prestigious Victoria Medal of Honour. The expansive selection of perennials that Blooms offer has been developed over 75 years and is surpassed by none.