Posted by: Jim Klett, Professor and Landscape Horticulture Extension Specialist
The herbaceous perennial trials continued in 2015 at
Colorado State University. The trials
are located at 1400 Remington Street adjacent to Annual Trial Gardens and
University Center for the Arts. These plants are trialed for three growing seasons and two winters. Twelve
different companies from around the world entered 103 taxa in 2015. There were a total of 211 different taxa of
herbaceous perennials in the trial. The
2013 entries were evaluated for three years twice a month during the growing
season and photographs taken at each evaluation. Photographs from all dates were reviewed at
the end of 2015 season to determine these “Top Performers”.
2015 CSU “Top
Performers”
Electric Avenue Coreopsis from Creek Hill/Eason
(Coreopsis verticillata 'Mayo Clinic Flower of Hope'PPAF or
‘Electric Avenue’)
Bright yellow
flowers covered the plants over a very long bloom period . Plants were sturdy,
compact and uniform from spring to fall. Fine textured foliage and a nice
flower shape contributed to a very pleasing overall affect. Overwintering
survival was impressive both years compared to many other Coreopsis
in trial. This was
designated as a winner of the “Too Good To Wait” award in 2014 and did not
disappoint in 2015 either.
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Electric Avenue coreopsis in landscape |
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Flowers of Electric Avenue coreopsis |
Beyond Blue Fescue from Skagit Gardens (Festuca glauca
'Casca11' PP #23307 )
This fescue was considered to
have the best “blue” color out there! Plants maintained a nice “ball” shape and
did not open in the middle. Plants were very uniform even after two hard
winters and three growing seasons.
Flower stems were very few in 2015 and faded into foliage for a superior
appearance. This is an improved variety over older ones for foliage color. This was designated as a winner of the “Too
Good To Wait” award in 2014 and did not disappoint in 2015 either.
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Beyond Blue fescue |
Gold Collection® Maestro Hellebore from Skagit Gardens (Helleborus x ballardiae ‘COSEH 890')
Shiny, dark
green foliage appeared almost black at times towards the end of the season. Flowers petals emerge a deep pink with white
and mature to a creamy white with shades of dusty rose on the back side. Flowers covered the plant from side to side
and were very prolific. Plants were
compact and with good vigor.
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Maestro hellebore flowers |
Gold Collection® Merlin Hellebore from Skagit Gardens (Helleborus x ballardiae ‘COSEH 810’USPP #22350 )
Flowers
emerged with pink color that is brighter than most and then matured to shades
of dusty rose. Blooms were held above
foliage creating an impressive display.
Plants were more compact with long lasting dark green foliage and very
low maintenance.
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Merlin hellebore flowers |
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Merlin hellebore plant |
Gold Collection® Snow Fever Hellebore from Skagit Gardens
(Helleborus x argutifolius ‘COSEH900’PPAF
)
The speckled
green and white foliage makes this a great foliage plant that will add sparkle
in shady areas even when not in flower.
Sturdy plants have proven hardy over two winters that have been too
severe for other variegated varieties of Hellebore.
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Snow Fever hellebore |
Little Lace™ Russian Sage from Star Roses and Plants/The
Conard-Pyle Co. (Perovskia 'Novaperlac')
Growth habit
is unique as it combined a shorter plant with great uniformity. Purple flower spikes were long lasting and
created a lot of flower power. The tidy,
compact plants were a significant improvement over typical sprawling Russian
sage in general. It makes a good choice for
xeric areas.
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Little Lace Russian sage |
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Little Lace Russian sage, a compact version of the straight species |
Sunrosa™ Red Rose from Suntory® Flowers (Rosa x hybrid
Sunrosa™ Red)
Constant red
flowers and impressive growth habit made this plant attractive all season.
Glossy dark green foliage had no signs of chlorosis or disease. Red flowers did
not fade and bloomed steadily from mid-June through October. Small foliage and
a dwarf compact growth habit made this a good choice for the smaller or
mid-size landscapes. The compact growth habit is maintained without any
pruning. This was designated as a winner
of the “Too Good To Wait” award in 2014 and did not disappoint in 2015 either.
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Sunrosa red rose |
Dark Blue Moody Blues™ Veronica from Star Roses and
Plants/The Conard-Pyle Co. (Veronica
‘Novaverblu’)
Long bloom
period and the abundant spikes of dark blue flowers made this a standout. Plants were very uniform and had excellent
winter hardiness. Additionally, plants
had good resistance to disease and there was no signs of powdery mildew. The entire Moody Blues™ series was noted for
superior performance.
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Dark Blue Moody Blues veronica |
Pink Moody Blues™ Veronica from Star Roses and Plants/The
Conard-Pyle Co. (Veronica ‘Novaverpin’)
Flowers were
noted for having exceptionally uniform, perfect spikes of light pink flowers
that helped create an impressive overall display. Growth habit and flowering were very
uniform. The overall height was taller
than others in the Moody Blues™ series but still maintained a nice compact
habit. The entire Moody Blues™ series
was noted for superior performance.
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Pink Moody Blues veronica |
Class of 2014 - “Too Good to Wait”
The Perennial Trial Committee
likes to award ‘Top Performer’ to plants that have been in the ground 2 winters
and 3 growing seasons. This category is to acknowledge an upcoming plant that has been in the
ground one winter and two growing seasons and has shown excellent performance
thus far in the trial. The following two plants impressed the Perennial Trial Committee so much
that they designated the category name: “Too Good to Wait Performer”.
Alexanders Great Brunnera from Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc.
(Brunnera macrophylla ‘Alexanders
Great’ PP25,789)
This is a unique Brunnera of
“monster” growth proportions which is an excellent choice to add structure to
the garden. The large size also helped
show off the heavily silvered leaves resulting in a dramatic statement for the garden. It makes a great foliage plant for shady
areas but also had a good display of blue flowers that created a light, airy
appearance.
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Alexanders Great brunnera |
Forever Purple Coral Bells from Terra Nova Nurseries
(Heuchera 'Forever Purple'PPAF)
Leaves had an intense purple color
with a shade of red was maintained all season.
The glossy foliage seemed to make the color “bounce” off the leaf. It is grown mostly for attractive foliage
which also has fluted edges. Plants had
good vigor and a uniform growth habit.
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Forever Purple coral bells |
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Forever Purple coral bell leaf |
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