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Posted in: Plant palette

2025-05-22

The spaces to be planted are increasingly varied in terms of size, agro-climatic conditions and uses. Climate change...

Landscaper's talk: "The plant palette is vast, beautiful, varied and constantly enriched"

Posted in: Testimonies

2025-05-09

Testimony of Catherine Boudet, landscape gardener and founder of the 5e Saison.

Sapho and INRAE: a partnership to improve plant health

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2025-05-12

Initiated in 1974, the partnership between INRA, now INRAE, and Sapho has been going strong for 50 years. It enables...

Choisya selected by Sapho

Posted in: Plant palette

2025-04-28

Sapho has selected three varieties of Choisya, also known as the Mexican orange tree, for their fragrant foliage...

Pro's talk : "Sapho, it's novelties as we like them!"

Posted in: Testimonies

2025-04-14

Testimony of Pascal Griot, founder and director of Promesse de fleurs.

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A palette of innovative solutions

Posted in: Plant palette

2025-05-22

The spaces to be planted are increasingly varied in terms of size, agro-climatic conditions and uses. Climate change...

Sapho and INRAE: a partnership to improve plant health

Posted in: Our news

2025-05-12

Initiated in 1974, the partnership between INRA, now INRAE, and Sapho has been going strong for 50 years. It enables...

Landscaper's talk: "The plant palette is vast, beautiful, varied and constantly enriched"

Posted in: Testimonies

2025-05-09

Testimony of Catherine Boudet, landscape gardener and founder of the 5e Saison.

Choisya selected by Sapho

Posted in: Plant palette

2025-04-28

Sapho has selected three varieties of Choisya, also known as the Mexican orange tree, for their fragrant foliage...

Pro's talk : "Sapho, it's novelties as we like them!"

Posted in: Testimonies

2025-04-14

Testimony of Pascal Griot, founder and director of Promesse de fleurs.

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Sapho and INRAE: a partnership to improve plant health

Initiated in 1974, the partnership between INRA, now INRAE, and Sapho has been going strong for 50 years. It enables research work to be put to good use by guaranteeing the wide distribution of selected varieties to French nurseries and the entire ornamental sector. Two main areas are being worked on: ornamental diversification and disease resistance.

This collaboration with INRAE plays a major role in the innovation and distribution of resistant varieties. On May 12, International Plant Health Day, we invite you to discover 4 emblematic examples.

Resistance to fire blight, scab and powdery mildew for ornamental apple trees: Malus ‘Evereste’ and Malus COCCINELLA^®

In the early 1970s, the sudden spread of the Erwinia amylovora bacterium, which causes fire blight, threatened French apple and pear orchards. It is capable of rapidly killing plants and spreads very easily. Faced with this major challenge, the INRAE station in Angers, which specialises in pome fruit, launched a vast programme to select apple varieties with combined resistance to scab, powdery mildew and fire blight. This programme is still ongoing.

Among the seedlings sown as part of his research into fruit orchards, Luc Decourtye, a researcher at INRAE, spotted an unusual apple tree. The fruit it produces is very small, so of little interest for production*, but it is a lovely orange-red colour and remains on the branches throughout the winter. As well as its ornamental qualities, the plant is resistant to scab, fire blight and powdery mildew. Presented to nurserymen, it quickly won unanimous approval. Thus was born Malus PERPETU^® 'Evereste', a star for over 50 years now! The Malus COCCINELLA^® 'Courtarou', with its carmine pink flowers and young crimson foliage, followed closely behind. This was the start of a long and fruitful collaboration with the INRAE research centre.

* In the orchard, Malus “Evereste” is of little interest for its fruit, but it is an excellent pollinator and is still widely used by arboriculturists today.

Malus PERPETU^® 'Evereste'

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Malus COCCINELLA® 'Courtarou'

The Pyracantha SAPHYR^® resistant to fire blight and scab

In fact, fire blight is the most dangerous disease for all ornamental and fruit-bearing pomoids (subfamily Rosaceae), both cultivated and wild. Plants of the genus Malus (apple trees), Pyrus (pear trees), Crataegus (hawthorns), Cydonia (quince trees), Eryobotrya (Japanese medlar trees) and also Pyracantha (pyracanthas) and Cotoneaster (cotoneasters) are primary hosts.

In the 1970s and 1980s, sales of Pyracantha represented a significant percentage of French nurserymen's turnover. This prompted a group of nurserymen, all members of Sapho, to set up an Economic Interest Grouping (EIG) in 1982 to co-finance a research project with INRAE to obtain fire blight-resistant Pyracantha.

Between 1990 and 1995, this programme led to the launch of the fire blight and scab resistant Pyracantha SAPHYR^® varieties.

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Pyracantha SAPHYR® Jaune 'Cadaune'

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Pyracantha SAPHYR® Orange 'Cadange'

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Pyracantha SAPHYR® Rouge 'Cadrou'

Elm trees resistant to Dutch elm disease

The 1970's also saw the arrival in France and Europe of graphiosis, a disease that devastated elms, a major component of our landscapes. It took around thirty years of research and experimentation, as well as collaboration between INRAE Nancy, Alterra-NL and INRAE Angers, to select elm varieties resistant to graphiosis: Ulmus LUTECE^® 'Nanguen' and Ulmus minor VADA^® 'Wanoux'. These varieties, published by Sapho, multiplied by licensed nurserymen and then cultivated by nurserymen, are now available for planting, allowing the elm to make a comeback in our tree heritage. You may have recognised the elm, planted in large numbers along the Grande Allée in the Jardins des Tuilerie, during the passage of the flame at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games.

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Ulmus minor VADA® 'Wanoux'

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Ulmus LUTECE® 'Nanguen'

Canker-resistant london plane for the landscapes of tomorrow

An emblematic feature of towns, parks and tree lines, particularly in the south of France, the plane tree has major advantages in terms of climate change, with its ability to adapt to a variety of environments and soils. However, plane trees were in danger of disappearing because of the colour canker, the Ceratocystis platani fungus.

In the 1980s, INRAE in Avignon began research into canker colour. This initial work led to the first products being marketed in 2000. However, given the accelerating spread of the disease in emblematic areas such as the Canal du Midi, a second programme was launched in 2008 using new genetic sources: 4,462 seedlings from crosses were inoculated at stem and root level with Ceratocystis platani to assess their resistance. The most interesting clones from these trials were evaluated by Sapho nurserymen, based on various criteria: their multiplication, their behaviour in stem culture, their silhouette, etc. The best were selected to join the Sapho catalogue.

* As a precaution, despite their resistance, it is advisable to avoid risky situations and monoculture.

This new range will be released in the near future. Propagation is underway at Sapho's licensed nurseries. The first young plants are currently being grown by the associated nurseries. Two initial selections will be offered to nurseries for the first plants in 2026 - 2027.