Need to Know

• A new garden forum, “From Breeding to Beauty”, brought global breeders to the Mid-Atlantic.
• Attendees gathered at one of the world’s most influential garden settings, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.
• The event provided a space for industry leaders to learn how plants look and perform in real landscapes.

Ball Seed was recently a featured speaker at a first-of-its-kind forum uniting global plant breeders, Mid-Atlantic regional growers, and public garden professionals to help shape the future of gardens. The event, “From Breeding to Beauty”, took place over two days in February at one of the world’s most influential garden settings, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

The forum fostered a rare collaborative exchange centered on both beauty and performance, bringing together 160 attendees to explore how plants look, behave, and thrive in real-world landscapes and display settings.

By evaluating new plant genetics through the lens of real garden conditions and large-scale design, the event aimed to highlight what truly works. Insights shared during the forum will help inform the future of public garden displays while enhancing the diversity, resilience, beauty, and relevance of plants in gardens and homes across the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

Highlights from the inaugural forum “From Breeding to Beauty” at Longwood Gardens:

1. Curated sessions focused on garden performance and industry trends.
2. Ideal plants were discussed for containers and crops with long bloom windows.
3. Attendees explored standout genetics across different plant categories.
4. Expert-led discussions examined plant durability and novelty in large-scale public gardens as well as home landscapes.