A feeling of optimism is permeating the booth of family-owned Sester Farms, a grower of containerized trees and shrubs based in Gresham, Ore. According to sales manager Ted Sester, the company has added 160 new varieties to its line. “The nursery has been retooled to respond to garden centers,” he said. “It’s a $1 million retool job.” The company’s investment includes a new catalog and an entirely reconstructed booth (Booth 16025, to be exact).

One particular point of pride — and one well worth seeing — is the Regal Petticoat® sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Tunpetti’ PP 17537, shown above with Bethany Sester). Sester is the exclusive propagator of this selection, which is a New Varieties Showcase selection this year. It was discovered in Eastern Canada in 2002. You can see the summer color phase in their booth right now. The leaves are glossy green with deep, velvety purple undersides. In fall, they change to a color explosion of aspen yellow on top and bright magenta pink on the underside. Yes, they are taking liner orders right now, but quantities are limited.

You can follow Sester Farms on Twitter at @SesterFarmsInc.