plant named ‘Balcloudlav’

Latin name of genus and species of plant claimed:

Variety denomination: ‘Balcloudlav’.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofplant botanically known asand hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Balcloudlav’.

The new cultivar originated in a controlled breeding program in Hem, the Netherlands during the spring of 2017. The objective of the breeding program was the development ofcultivars with attractive flower coloration, late-spring flowering and a moderately vigorous, mounded growth habit.

The newcultivar is the result of cross-pollination. The female (seed) parent of the new cultivar is the proprietarybreeding selection coded PHLP 478, not patented, characterized by its dark, purple-colored flowers, medium, green-colored foliage, and moderately vigorous, mounded growth habit. The male (pollen) parent of the new cultivar is the proprietaryssp.breeding selection coded PHLP 497, not patented, characterized by its light pink flowers, medium, green-colored foliage, and moderately vigorous, mounded growth habit. The new cultivar was selected as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the above stated open pollination during April 2019 in a controlled environment in Hem, the Netherlands.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal stem cuttings since April 2019 in Hem, the Netherlands and West Chicago, Illinois has demonstrated that the new cultivar reproduces true to type with all the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

The following characteristics of the new cultivar have been repeatedly observed and can be used to distinguish ‘Balcloudlav’ as a new and distinct cultivar ofplant:

Plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of the female parent primarily in having lighter, purple-colored flowers.

Of the many commercially availablecultivars, the most similar in comparison to the new cultivar is Spring Splash Pink ‘Balsashink’, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 36,503. However, in side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new cultivar differ from plants of ‘Balsashink’ in at least the following characteristics:

The new cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in the environment, such as temperature, light intensity, and day length, without, however, any variance in genotype. The chart used in the identification of colors described herein is The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, 2019 reprint of the 2015 edition, except where general color terms of ordinary significance are used. The color values were determined in June 2024 under natural light conditions in Naperville, Illinois.

The following descriptions and measurements describe approximately seven-month-old plants produced from cuttings from stock plants and grown under conditions comparable to those used in commercial practice. Rooted cuttings were transplanted in one-gallon containers and grown in a poly-covered greenhouse in Elburn, Illinois. Plants were given one pinch four weeks after transplant. After approximately 11 weeks, plants were then transplanted in an outdoor garden-type bed in Elburn, Illinois and grown for approximately 13 weeks. Greenhouse temperatures ranged from an average high of an average high of 60.0° F. (15.6° C.) to an average low of 51.5° F. (10.3° C.). No supplemental lighting was provided. Measurements and numerical values represent averages of typical plants.