New plants: The anatomy of a winning variety

Breeding a new plant is part science, part passion with a big chunk of patience. To succeed in today’s crowded market, a variety must be more than pretty – it must be novel, reliable and genuinely desirable. Below we unpack the four things every breeder, grower and plant marketer should know before launching a new cultivar.  

DUS explained 

Distinct: A variety must be clearly different from every other known cultivar. Distinctness covers appearance – flower colour, size, leaf form. It can also include behaviour or performance, such as disease resistance, vigour or frost hardiness. The more ways a variety is distinct, the easier it is to demonstrate novelty. 

Uniform: Uniformity means the variety is clearly identifiable: plants in a crop should look and behave consistently. This is especially important for variegated or coloured‑leaf plants, or where markings can change through the season. Interestingly, a variety can be “non‑uniform in a uniform way,” so long as its overall characteristics are predictable and describable. 

Stable: Stability requires that the defining traits remain unchanged after repeated propagation or at the end of a propagation cycle. If the features that made the plant novel drift over time, the variety fails the stability test. 

But is it ABG? 

DUS is necessary but not sufficient. As the great David Tristram of Walberton Nursery used to say, a plant must also be ABG – Any Bloomin’ Good!  

With more new plant introductions than ever, a variety that looks great in photos but underperforms in the field will quickly be exposed. Growers, retailers and gardeners value plants that are robust, easy to grow and deliver on promise. A winning variety must sell itself through its performance as much as through its presentation. 

A good name and a better story 

Names matter. A cultivar name can be descriptive (Geum Totally Tangerine), amusing (Anemone Frilly Knickers), commemorative (Rosa Gertrude Jekyll) or deliberately polarising (Coleus Skeletal™).  

As breeders’ agents we are also marketers: a name should make an immediate impact, help tell the story and drive emotion, whether that’s humour, nostalgia or affection. 

But beyond the name, a compelling launch story is also key. Sharing the breeder’s story, the plant’s growing habit and where it belongs in the garden. What problem does this plant solve? Facts are useful, stories make people fall in love. 

Supply chain and ongoing TLC 

Supply and demand must be planned hand in hand. Trials run with growers before PBR is finalised build the supply chain needed for a successful launch. Securing growers across markets ensures availability when interest peaks. 

After launch, varieties need ongoing promotion: social media, email, trade and retail activity, influencer engagement and grower partnerships. To maximise the investment in plant variety rights, promotion should continue throughout the 25–30 years of protection and beyond. 

A winning plant variety is novel, DUS, ABG, memorable and backed by a solid supply and marketing plan. Get all those elements right and a new plant can move from trial field to bestseller, delighting gardeners and rewarding breeders for years to come. 

If you’d like support with launching, protecting and promoting your variety, get in touch. We’d love to chat.