Posted by Jim Klett, Professor, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University
Each year, 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. Dozens of expert evaluators rate the
plants for vigor, growth pattern, bloom and other
characteristics. The trial results help home gardeners identify annual
bedding plants that are most likely to succeed. For more detailed
descriptions and photographs, visit www.flowertrials.colostate.edu. The following are
some of the winners selected from the 2019 trial:
Best
of Show – Dahlia ‘City Lights™ Purple’ from Selecta
The dark foliage and flowers of this variety made a dramatic statement in
the garden. The growth habit had excellent uniformity with upright
plants that did not flop despite overhead irrigation. Plants had
strong flower power and were favorites of the bees.
Best
Novelty – Begonia T-REX™ Ruby Slippers from Terranova
The huge red leaves had
silvery edges that would make a great contrast for color and texture with other
plants in the garden. Plant is grown mainly for the
foliage. It made a very eye-catching plant for areas with dry shade
and can be used in either the ground or in containers.
Best
New Variety – Petunia ‘Headliner™ Dark Saturn from Selecta
The unique flower color was very impressive with a bold soft creamy yellow and a dark star shaped eye. Plants had strong vigor and developed into a uniform blanket of blooms in the container. Plants and flowers held up well in the heat.
The unique flower color was very impressive with a bold soft creamy yellow and a dark star shaped eye. Plants had strong vigor and developed into a uniform blanket of blooms in the container. Plants and flowers held up well in the heat.
Begonia (shade) – ‘BK Collection
Vermillion Red’ from Beekenkamp
The overall appearance was
striking all through the season with a very intense, rich shade of red and
abundant blooms. In addition to the
prolific flowering, blooms were double which greatly added to the overall
show. Plants had dark green foliage and
were very uniform.
Begonia (sun) – ‘Tophat™ Pink’ from
Syngenta Flowers
Plants had great vigor but
maintained a very uniform growth habit.
Flowers were unusually large and very abundant which made them immensely
popular with the bees. Plants looked
great in either the ground or container and only got better looking even into
the fall.
Bidens – ‘Campfire™ Flame’ from Proven
Winners
Flowers had beautiful shades of
orange/red/yellow and fade to a nice rustic color. Blooms were prolific and kept a solid canopy
of color all through the summer and into September. Growth habit was very uniform and the overall
effect was quite striking in a container.
Digitalis ‘Pink Panther’ from American
Takii
This plant flowers the first year on compact
plants with small foliage. The heavy
branching produced multiple spikes at one time and did not require pinching. The sterile blooms are long lasting and
attracts pollinators. Pink flowers are abundant and very attractive.
Geranium ‘Clarion® Peach’ from Benary+
This regal type of geranium had
large blooms with truly mesmerizing shades of peach, pink and white. The uniform, mounding plants were covered by
blooms all season long and were a definite show stopper. Other entries in the same Clarion® series were also impressive with excellent vigor
and flowering.
Impatiens – ‘Beacon™ White’ from
PanAmerican Seed
Snowy white flowers covered the
plant canopy providing a bright splash of color for shady areas. The vigorous plants maintained a controlled
growth for excellent uniformity. The
added bonus for the entire ‘Beacon™’ series is that they have strong resistance
to Impatiens downy mildew which has devastated many Imapatiens walleriana in the past few years.
Lantana – ‘HAVANA Sunrise’ from Dummen
Orange
This heat loving plant
had good branching, large umbels of flowers over dark green foliage. The
compact growth habit with prolific very attractive multi-colored flowers with
shades of pink, cream and yellow makes it outstanding. It has a very uniform
growth habit and looked great in a container.
Petunia (container) – ‘Crazytunia® Tiki
Torch’ from Westhoff
Flower color was exceptional
with a bold and colorful combination of red, yellow and orange. Combined with strong plant vigor and abundant
flowering, this entry was clearly a standout.
Vinca – ‘Soiree Kawaii Coral’ from
Suntory
Tiny coral colored flowers were
bright and prolific making an impressive display of color in either ground or
containers. Additional features were the
small white eye on the bloom and glossy green foliage. Plants stayed compact all summer long with no
leggy branches.
Zinnia – ‘Zesty™ Scarlet’ from Ball
Ingenuity
Vibrant scarlet flowers had
great flower power with the abundant flowering and uniform growth habit. Plants had excellent vigor and were disease
free all-season long.
thank you for this beautiful summary!
ReplyDeleteDot Himes
Wonderful selection of plants. Descriptions and photos are very helpful. This is one of my favorite yearly blogs. Thank you for sharing this! Janis Stoven
ReplyDelete