Think Tomatoes!

Posted by: Alison O'Connor, Larimer County Extension

It’s official. Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and there’s more winter ahead. For those who’ve lived in Colorado for a few years, you know our snowiest months are usually February and March, but gardeners can use these days to dream of spring. Since 2019, the Larimer County Master Gardeners, under the supervision of fellow CMG Jon Weiss, have conducted tomato trials, trying to determine some of the most fruitful (and tasty) tomatoes for northern Colorado.

Jon Weiss, Master Gardener 'Celebrity', and mastermind of the tomato trials

Jon and his cadre of volunteer cohorts designed and managed two trials: the first was an in-ground study conducted in 2019 and 2021 at the ARDEC-South Experiment Station in Fort Collins; the other was a container study at the CSU Annual Trial Gardens on Remington Street.

Field Trials

With a pause in field research in 2020 due to Covid, this study started in 2019 and was replicated in 2021. Jon selected 12 tomato varieties, both hybrid and open-pollinated selections. There were three replications with five plants per replication of each variety. In working with the elements and challenges of an outdoor field study, the crops experienced all types of weather (including hail) and varying lengths of growing seasons. In addition to collecting data on when the tomatoes started maturing, average size of fruit and total yield was documented. New Girl was the earliest maturing variety and had the highest fruit yield for 2019 and 2021. While fruit size for this variety is small, those looking for high yields and large fruit may want to consider Carbon and/or Big Beef.

But how do they taste? Jon conducted taste-test studies with all 12 of the tomato varieties (thank you taste-testers!) and New Girl had an average flavor of 3.3 (out of 5) for the average of the two growing seasons.

All field-grown tomatoes were blind taste-tested. Participants tasted all 12 varieties and rated them for several flavor profiles. 

Master Gardener Anne Wuerslin jots down notes during the taste test.

Container Trials

In thinking about gardeners with smaller spaces, Jon also selected tomatoes to grow in containers. Tomatoes were not staked and left to grow in their natural habit, which was variable among the three varieties. Cherry Falls was an early maturing variety with a compact, somewhat open growth habit. Totem had a dense growth habit and was the latest maturing of the three. Patio Choice Yellow was as early as Cherry Falls, with larger fruit, and higher yield.

So if you like yellow tomatoes with big yield (an average of eight pounds of fruit per plant), Patio Choice Yellow might be a good one to add to your garden this summer.

It should be noted that all harvested fruit was donated to the Larimer County Food Bank, with several hundred pounds donated in 2021. For more results, check out the summaries here.

Going forward, Jon is planning to move on from tomatoes and will be conducting a sweet pepper trial in 2022, including bell peppers and “lunch box” types. Our thanks and appreciation to the staff at ARDEC-South and the CSU Annual Trials Gardens: Drs. Mark Uchanski and Jim Klett, Jane Davey, and David Staats for their support of these trials.

2020 "Best Of..." Winners from the Colorado State University Annual Flower Trials Announced!

Posted by Dr. Jim Klett, Colorado State University, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

Approximately ninety five professional and advanced Master Gardeners rated over 1,150 flowering and foliage plants over the week of August 3-8, 2020. We were not able to have an official evaluation day due to COVID 19 and University ruling on not having public gatherings on University property.

The garden is planned and maintained each year by the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture with guidance from a committee of growers, flower seed companies, and public garden horticulturists. 

The following are the winners for "Best of Show", "Best New Variety", "Best Novelty" and "Best Container". For more information on these and other outstanding annuals from 2020 trials visit www.flowertrials.colostate.edu

Best of Show – Dahlia ‘Lubega® Dark Velvet’ from Benary+

This was a ‘show stopper’ due to the strong contrast between the dark purple/velvet foliage and beautiful bicolor blooms. Plants were extremely attractive all by themselves with the dark foliage coloring and uniform compact growth habit.  The prolific flowers were held high above the plants to create maximum show. Blooms had single petals which attracted many bees. Plants did not have any sign of powdery mildew even late in the season.

 

Best Novelty – Colocasia ‘Heart of the Jungle™’ from Proven Winners

This plant makes a dramatic statement to any landscape with its large, dark foliage. The impressive size and shape creates a very tropical and exotic appearance. It is grown for the beautiful foliage which makes a great structure plant in the garden. It does best in full sun.

 

Best New Variety – Centaurea ‘Snowy Owl’ from Terra Nova

Unique silvery foliage made this plant a standout in the garden. Large, velvety leaves added an interesting textural element.  The beautiful gray color made a great combination with other plants. It was highly visible in the garden and very uniform.

 

Best Container – Petunia ‘Bee’s Knee’ from Ball FloraPlant

The abundant flowers and great two tone yellow color provided exceptional flower power on very vigorous and well branched plants. It was noted for having the best yellow of any petunia in the trial.  The color held up very well in the high light intensity of Colorado. 

2019 "Best Of" Winners Announced from CSU Annual Flower Trial!

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. 

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.

Making the Grade: CSU's Annual Trial Garden Evaluation Day

Posted by:  Amy Lentz, Weld County Extension


If you have yet to visit Colorado State University's Annual Flower Trial Garden, you must put it on your lists of things to do! This is a garden that is truly like no other place in Colorado, where research and education meet beauty and community. The mission of the garden is to provide education, research and outreach to students, community members, industry professionals and anyone who wants to learn about how various landscaping plants grow in our unique Rocky Mountain environmental conditions. And while accomplishing that mission, the garden is also a favorite place for lounging, meeting up with family and friends or leisurely strolling through on your way around campus. 
 

Sun beds of petunias and other annual flowers near the gazebo at the CSU Annual Flower Trial Garden

 

Earlier this week, over 100 selected industry representatives, staff, faculty and Colorado Master Gardeners from the front range gathered at the Annual Flower Trial Garden to evaluate this year's entries. There were over 800 plant varieties to evaluate for 2017 that were sourced from 19 different companies; including annuals, perennials, patio-type vegetables and novelty varieties. Those evaluating were asked to rate the plants and remark on various traits such as plant vigor, uniformity, flower color and number, unique flower traits, tolerance to environmental conditions and susceptibility to disease. 

Evaluations of sun-loving annuals

Each person involved was given a section of the garden to judge which included approximately 200 of the 800 entries located in both sunny and shady bedding sites, as well as, plants grown in large containers. This year, participants could log their results electronically with a smartphone or tablet by using a website tailored toward each person's list of plants. If I might interject my personal opinion here..the website worked seamlessly and was super easy to use! I love seeing new ways that we can use technology in the garden! 

Evaluations of container grown plants in full sun

Kudos to the students, staff, and faculty who coordinate and maintain the garden...it's simply amazing! It makes it hard to scrutinize the flowers when they look so beautiful!

 

Once the data is tabulated from the day's event, a summary of the results will be published in a Garden Performance Report that will be available for use by the horticulture industry and the public.

If you are interested in learning more about the Annual Flower Trial Garden or view the results from years past, the website can be found here:  www.flowertrials.colostate.edu

The Annual Flower Trial Garden is located at 1401 Remington Street in Fort Collins, Colorado (80523) on CSU's campus.

 

2015 “Best Of” Annuals from the CSU Flower Trial Garden

Posted by Jim Klett, CSU Extension Specialist

The Results of the 2015 “Best Of” Annual Flower Trials have been chosen.  In 2015 we had approximately 800 different varieties of annual flowers entered into the trials from 31 companies world-wide.  Entries were judged on August 3^rd followed by a September 11^th second evaluation of top ranked annuals in the different classes.  To be included in the “Best Of” category we had to have at least 10 entries in those specific genera.  Following are the winners in the “Best of Show”, “Best New Variety”, “Best Novelty” and some other genera that performed exceptionally well.  A complete listing of all the winners is at www.flowertrials.colostate.edu.

You will definitely want to grow and utilize a lot of these in your 2016 landscapes.

Best of Show - Sun New Guinea Impatiens  ‘Sunpatiens® Spreading Tropical Orange’ from Sakata

This winner was near perfection in every way.  Electric orange flowers were vivid and had a great contrast against the beautiful foliage.   Plants maintained a high level of flower power all season.  It had impressive vigor while the growth habit was very uniform.  Foliage was very attractive all by itself with a dark green edge and bright yellow center.  Plants grew well in full sun but are also adaptable to light shade. 

 

Sunpatiens Spreading Tropical Orange

Gorgeous orange flowers!

Best Novelty – Celosia ‘Dragon's Breath’ from Sakata

This plant garnered a lot of praise even before it started flowering for its beautiful burgundy colored foliage.  Flowers formed late but were definitely worth the wait as they had a two-toned combination of burgundy and hints of fluorescent purple that seemed to glow.   The vigorous plants had good garden presence all season.   It would make a great textural accent for combination plantings.    

Dragon's Breath celosia

Fiery!

 Best New Variety - Lobularia ‘Raspberry Stream’ from Danziger

Extreme flower power was combined with an intense raspberry color for an impressive flower display.   The unique raspberry flower color was also noted for a nice cream colored eye for a slight two-toned effect which was very attractive.  Overall it had a very uniform growth habit which held its shape and the plants maintained a clean appearance all season.   Bees loved it and it also had a nice, sweet fragrance.    

Raspberry Stream alyssum

Perfectly mounded and smells great too!

Best Angelonia - ‘Archangel Dark Rose’ from Ball FloraPlant

This plant makes a great item for the landscape with dense, compact branching and abundant flowering.  Flowers had large florets and a unique “antique rose” color that produced a lot of flower power. 

 

Archangel Dark Rose Angelonia

Best Begonia semperflorens - 'Whopper Red Green Leaf' from Ball Ingenuity

Beauty is combined with adaptability which makes this plant a great choice for many different landscape situations.  Plants were vigorous with vibrant green foliage and had abundant red flowers which created a stunning image of vitality.  Sun and shade tolerant, these plants are also adaptable for high altitude gardens and a good shade alternative to the recent downy mildew problem on seed impatiens.    

Whopper Red Green Leaf begonia

Clear red flowers

Best Calibrachoa - ‘Superbells® Evening Star’ from Proven Winners

Plants were grown in a container and besides being a massive ball of flowers and color it was also noted for unique flower color that would shimmer in the sunlight.  Flower color seemed to be made up of three different shades of purple with a dark eye.  The growth habit was very uniform and the flowers also were noted for opening up earlier in the day than many other Calibrachoa.

Superbells Evening Star calibrachoa

Superbells Evening Star flowers