Envisioning the Next Era of Garden Innovation with Ball Seed

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 space offered a place for leaders in the industry to learn how plants look and behave in real landscapes.

Ball Seed recently was a featured speaker at a first-of-its-kind forum uniting global plant breeders, Mid-Atlantic regional growers and public gardens staff to shape tomorrow’s gardens. The event, “From Breeding to Beauty” was held over two days in February at one of the world’s most influential garden settings, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. The forum created a rare collaborative exchange around both beauty and performance in which 160 attendees gathered together to learn how plants look, behave and thrive in real landscapes and displays.

By viewing new genetics through the lens of real-world garden conditions and large-scale design, the gathering was geared towards illuminating what truly works. Insights were shared to help inform the future of public-garden displays and elevate the diversity, beauty, resilience 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 difference plant categories.
4. Expert-led discussions explored plant durability and novelty as they’re used in large-scale public gardens, as well as homeowners’ yards.