Annual Flower planting
time is upon us and you should include some of CSU’s Best Of’s from 2012 in
your flower garden this year. These plants have proven to be exceptional from
our trials and are quite adaptable to our Colorado climate.
The garden (1401 Remington Street), which spans
about three acres on the east side of the Fort Collins campus near the
University Center for the Arts, is a northern Colorado showpiece with a focused
research purpose. The Annual Flower Trial Garden tests and analyzes the
performance of more than 1,000 varieties of annual bedding plants in Colorado’s
harsh growing conditions.
Three plants that you
will definitely want to trial and plant in your garden or in pots on your deck
or patio for 2013 should include some of these top performers:
Our Best of Show from
2012 was Dahlia ‘XXL Hidalgo’ from Dummen USA. This plant brings a unique class
to the garden dahlia category and was a standout without special care. Flowers
are relatively large and have a deep, rich “butter-French” color. Flowering
started early in the season and continued strong late into the early fall. The
flowers are complimented by dark green foliage. It also makes a good cut flower
and adds stature and glamour to any garden.
 |
| "Butter-French flowers" of XXL Hidalgo dahlia |
 |
| Luscious Berry Blend lantana |
 |
| Luscious Berry Blend planted in the ground |
Our Best Novelty Plant
has a real tropical look to both the flowers and foliage. Tecoma ‘Bells of
Fire’ from Plug Connection was given this honor. Flowering begins early and
continues through the summer. The flowers resemble those on a trumpet vine.
Flowers are an attractive blend of orange/red and showy. This plant will give
your containers a real tropical look.
 |
| The tropical flowers of Bells of Fire Tecoma |
A complete listing of
all our winners can be found on the CSU Annual Flower Trials website.
These plants should be
available in most independent garden centers throughout Colorado.
nice post
ReplyDelete