Featured Five 2025: Favorites from DGI Propagators Trial Garden
Print
EmailAre you seeking proven performers for the season ahead? Check out Part 1 of our series highlighting top picks from the 2025 Michigan Garden Plant Tour trial sites.
Every year, Michigan State University and Michigan’s leading young plant producers host a free open house at their trial sites and display gardens for growers, landscapers and retail operators to learn about a wide range of ornamental crops. Industry professionals can see for themselves which new varieties perform the best under various conditions, including in the ground and in containers. The tour lasts for two weeks and was held this year from July 28-Aug. 8, 2025.
This year, there were seven trial gardens at different locations throughout central lower Michigan: DGI Propagators, Four Star Greenhouses, Mast Young Plants, Michigan State University (MSU) Trial Garden, Pell Greenhouses, Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants and Walter’s Gardens.
If you couldn’t make it out to every trial site, you’re in luck! Heidi Lindberg and Caitlin Splawski, Michigan State University Extension educators, traveled to each site, picking favorites and snapping photos along the way. We’ll cover our favorites from each trial site in this article series.
Fantastic Five at DGI Propagators
DGI Propagators has been a young plant propagator for over 50 years, and they showcased their diverse selection of quality plants at their 2025 trial gardens (Photos 1 and 2). They showcased the tried-and-true varieties in their catalog as well as the latest new items introduced by the leading plant breeders in our industry. Special for 2025 was their complete line of summer and fall perennials. Among the varieties that caught our eye at the trail garden were:
- Bidens Bee ‘Super Star’ – Kientzler
- Calibrachoa MiniFamous Neo ‘Coral Flash’ – Selecta
- Tradescantia ‘Purple Bridal’ – Danziger
- Ctenanthe ‘Golden Mosaic – Greentrade
- Argyranthemum SunDurance ‘Sweet Ice’ – Kientzler
Bidens Bee ‘Super Star’
Among the sun-loving pots, Bidens Bee ‘Super Star’ is new from Kientzler and is bright yellow and floriferous. It is more vigorous than others in the Kientzler line, like ‘RockStar.’
Calibrachoa Minifamous ‘Coral Flash’
At DGI trial gardens, there was a section comparing different calibrachoas. Calibrachoa MiniFamous ‘Coral Flash’ is new for 2025. It joins the MiniFamous series, which is known for large flowers, partially upright habit and early flowering. It stood out for its coral color and upright flowers despite a rain the night before. According to Selecta, it has medium vigor and a semi-trailing habit with a showy dual-colored flower.
Tradescantia ‘Purple Bridal’
Among the shade foliage plants, tradescantia ‘Purple Bridal’ stood out as being a vigorous variety that could be used as a spiller in a combination pot or hanging basket. The leaves were silver green to mauve with deep purple centers. According to DGI, it had been a popular pick of those that had visited their trial garden so far during the Michigan Garden Plant Tour.
Ctenanthe ‘Golden Mosaic’
Another tropical foliage plant that caught our eye was the Ctenanthe ‘Golden Mosaic.’ The large bi-colored leaves stood out in shade among other foliage plants in the trial. This foliage plant is native to the tropical forests of Brazil. It has a nice clumping habit and performs well in its own container.
Argyranthemum SunDurance ‘Sweet Ice’
Another popular choice of those visiting the trial garden was the new ‘25 Argyranthemum ‘Sweet Ice.’ A mound of white and yellow daisy-like flowers grows on top of a silvery green foliage. The flowers seemed to stay looking great, not fading for a long time.
