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Published on January 15, 2025
Botanist and biology Professor Bryan Connolly has a knack for breeding novel plant cultivars. His partner in this ongoing effort is Mark Brand, professor of horticulture and plant breeding at the University of Connecticut, with whom he's created a series of plants over the years.
The team secured their latest patent on Oct. 1 under the trade name "Stay Classy." The plant is a dwarf purpleleaf sandcherry called “UCONNPCSDR.” This cultivar is more compact than purpleleaf sandcherries previously on the market.
“The compact form is more attractive and also lower maintenance since it needs little to no pruning,” said Connolly.
Connolly is grateful to see the plants he created with Brand, his Ph.D. advisor at UConn, hit the market. “It is really rewarding to see the plants being offered by different nurseries online and especially at brick-and-mortar garden centers,” he said.
The success of “Stay Classy” recently propelled it onto the front cover of the January 2025 issue of the American Society of Horticultural Science’s HortScience journal.
“Jade Parade,” another plant Connolly and Brand created and patented, is visible on Eastern’s campus, on the patio outside the J. Eugene Smith Library. “I enjoy seeing them when I walk by. They had very nice red fall foliage this year,” said Connolly.
As a native plant, “Jade Parade” has different utilities than “Stay Classy” and other patented purpleleaf sandcherries. “I hope it is promoted by native plant enthusiasts and organizations as a replacement for invasive plants and for its benefits to pollinators,” said Connolly.
“Stay Classy” and the other compact sandcherries, meanwhile, are there to look pretty. “I hope these varieties provide hardy, low water use, low-maintenance plants that work well as ornamental landscape specimens,” said Connolly.
Written by Noel Teter '24