Visiting a sea of Hydrangea
L-R Deirdre Sullivan, Janette O Rourke, Jan from Agriom, Sarah Campbell, Katya Hutter, Shelly Pearsons
Learning and Growing in the Flower Industry
It was a pleasure to recently visit Agriom, a leading name in Hydrangea breeding!
Agriom's mission is fundamentally centered on advanced genetic growing and crossing, a distinction that sets them apart from commercial producers. They are not growing to sell flowers; their singular focus is on developing superior cut-Hydrangea varieties that meet the exact needs of both the florist and the grower.
Their breeding program is highly specialized, delivering specific traits for high-end floral markets and sustainable cultivation:
For the Florist
Agriom's genetic lines are engineered for maximum visual impact and longevity, resulting in blooms with exceptional characteristics:
Massive Heads: They breed for impressive size, with their average cut-Hydrangea head reaching an impressive 32cm in diameter.
Larger "Cups": Their focus on genetics ensures the individual petals (often called cups) are significantly larger, adding luxurious fullness and texture to the arrangements.
Long Vase Life: Through rigorous selection criteria, they ensure their varieties maintain their quality and appearance long after being harvested.
For the Grower
The breeding work is equally focused on making the plant viable and profitable for cultivators around the globe, promoting sustainability and efficiency:
Extended Season: Their varieties, particularly those developed for new breeding lines (like those for equatorial regions), feature an ability to induce flowers on new shoots, often allowing the plant to flower continuously from early in the year, frequently lasting as late as November.
Sustainability & Productivity: By creating plants with easy flower induction and continuous production without requiring a cold period, they provide growers with a more sustainable and productive plant that yields a long-lasting, reliable crop.
Welcome to the Hydrangea Breeding Lab!
Forget everything you thought you knew about gardening; this is high-stakes, big-science botany! At Agriom, they're not just planting flowers—they're running a massive genetic matchmaking service for hydrangeas.
The Nine-Year Wait for Perfection
When it comes to creating the next big bloom, patience isn't just a virtue, it's a requirement. Each potential superstar plant is genetically recorded and planted in its own individual pot, basically giving it a high-tech ID card. The process of crossing, selecting, testing, and stabilizing a variety can take up to an astonishing nine years! You got a sneak peek at species that are still just teenagers in the lab, years away from their market debut.
Once a variety has proven it has the 'X-factor'—those 32cm heads and that incredible vase life—the license to grow is then sold to commercial growers. Essentially, Agriom is selling the recipe for success, not the final product.
The Magic of Colour
One of the most mind-blowing parts of the tour was the glasshouse where science turns into spectacle. You saw one side burst into a beautiful sea of pink, while the other side glowed in shades of blue and purple. And the secret behind this dazzling transformation? It's all in the soil's spa treatment!
This colour change is achieved entirely by manipulating the amount of aluminium sulfate added to the soil. The rule is simple: the more aluminium, the bluer the bloom! This is one of nature's coolest party tricks, entirely controlled by clever chemistry.
Our Mission as florist: Speak Up!
Jan's message is a call to action for every florist: Don't be shy! He encourages florists to talk directly to their wholesaler, who in turn talks to the grower. By expressing your interest in new varieties and different appearances, you become the vital link that pulls these future-forward blooms out of the test glasshouse and into bouquets all around the world.
So next time you're ordering, remember the nine-year journey that bloom took, and ask your supplier: "What's new from the breeders?"
