After over 36 years of dedicated service, Todd Perkins, our renowned Senior Flower Breeder, has retired. We express our deepest gratitude for his years of commitment and lasting impact on Syngenta Flowers and the horticulture industry.

Todd grew up in a family that was passionate about gardening, so plants have been in his life for as long as he can remember. At university, Todd was interested in building products and inventing, but wasn't aware of plant sciences. Through his studies, he learned that all the tools that caught his interest applied to breeding. After that, he decided to be a plant breeder.

When Todd started at Goldsmith Seeds in 1988, no viola hybrids were on the market. Once Todd and a few other breeders started making crosses, they saw how hybrids could change the market. Hybrid violas had the performance and vigor to establish themselves in various environments, were fast to flower, and made the perfect bedding plant.

Todd's commercial hybrid viola breeding fostered by young breeders' support, led to the development of the popular Penny™ series. Soon, other breeding companies came to the same realization, and hybrid breeding became the gold standard for violas. He's especially proud of Penny™, because it was the first viola series to incorporate several colors that weren't native to violas. Since then, he's built upon that breeding work to develop Penny™ Pro, a viola series better optimized for spring and fall production.

Todd is a highly respected figure in the flower industry, having bred and introduced numerous breakthrough innovations to the market. His work spans many ornamental crops, including but not limited to Cleome, Antirrhinum, Salvia, Rudbeckia, Zinnia, Viola, and Pansy. His significant breeding accomplishments include AAS Flower Award Winners Cleome Sparkler™ Blush, Zinnia 

Magellan™ Coral, and Zinnia Zowie!™ Yellow Flame. He has also received Greenhouse Grower Medal of Excellence awards for Aquilegia Origami™, Rudbeckia Tiger Eye™ Gold, and Interspecific Zinnia Zydeco™. In 2010, Todd earned the prestigious All-America Selections Breeders' Cup Award, and in 2023, he earned Greenhouse Grower's Industry Achievement Award.

Todd's approach to breeding is based on more than just science. He takes time to familiarize himself with what's being used and sold, understand production dynamics, learn commercial growers' pressures and limits, and see what the gardener wants. His ability to grasp growers' needs has been instrumental in efficiently bringing his innovative varieties from concept to market, leading to the creation of several award-winning genetics.

Beyond his exceptional breeding work, Todd's contributions extended across multiple departments, showcasing his versatility and commitment to Syngenta's overall success. He collaborated closely with the marketing team to ensure new varieties met market demands. Todd worked with the supply chain team to train talent and strengthen the production of pre-basic and basic seeds. Todd also served as an AAS Judge and an AAS Comparison Committee member from 2002 to 2025.

In recent years, Todd has passionately devoted himself to transferring his knowledge, experience, and expertise to the next generation of breeders, striving to ensure a bright future for our flower business. Todd's talent for flower breeding is incredible, and we're excited to continue building upon the outstanding genetics he's developed. Todd advises the next generation, "If you love puzzles, you're inquisitive by nature, and you've got a passion for flowers, go to school, because this is the best job in the world."

Todd, we wish you the best in retirement, and thank you for 36 years of continuous innovation and excellence in breeding!
 

Todd accepting the 2023 Greenhouse Grower Industry Achievement Award

 

Learn more about some of Todd’s award-winning breeding innovations below:

 

About: Sparkler™ Blush offers brawn and beauty for season-extending programs. F1 hybrid vigor and uniformity offer easy production and superior landscape performance. Heat-loving annual holds up to summer stress and provides reliable height and structure to landscape beds.

Note- Sparkler™ 2.0 is the current available series improved upon the original award-winning Sparkler™ series.

 

 

Aquilegia Origami™ Series
Award: 2002 Greenhouse Grower Medal of Excellence for Breeding

About: Origami™ is truly programmable like an annual with minimal vernalization requirements. Bright colors and upward-facing blooms improve retail impact. Highly uniform across all colors, an ideal grower-friendly series.

Note- Kirigami™ is the current available series improved upon the original award-winning Origami™ series.

 

 

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Zinnia Magellan™ Coral
Award: 2005 AAS Flower Award Winner

About: Magellan™ Coral is very grower friendly—bred for exceptional performance on the bench and in the garden. Superior flower quality—large, fully double blooms in clean, bright colors. Excellent choice for quick-turn, high-profit summer programs.

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About: Zowie!™ Yellow Flame demands to be noticed. A vigorous and well-branched Zinnia with striking, fully double bicolor flowers. A season-extending heat lover that is ideal for large premium container summer programs. Strong landscape vigor well-suited for use in the middle or back of sunny garden beds.

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About: The gold standard in annual Rudbeckias, Tiger Eye™ Gold is an F1 Hybrid Rudbeckia.  Its hybrid nature results in plants that display superior uniformity—a new achievement for annual Rudbeckias--and strong growth in the landscape.

 

Interspecific Zinnia Zydeco™ Series
Award: 2022 Greenhouse Grower Readers’ Choice Award

About: With fully-double flowers that are 25% larger than the competition, Zydeco™ sets the new industry standard. Excellent disease resistance and impressive heat and drought tolerance combine for superior season-long garden performance.