1998 ASCFG National Cut Flower Trials
John Dole
Oklahoma State University
Overview:
One of the most novel flowers in the 1998 trial was Centauria americana 'Jolly Joker' (Benary Seed) with its large, thistle-like lavender flowers. The buds had a net-like covering, from which the common name of basket flower is derived. While the long-lasting flowers were most popular, the intricate buds can also be dried. Centauria americana is native to south-central and southwest United States.
The popularity of sunflowers does not seem to be waning, either from the growers perspective or the breeder's perspective. Both Benary's Helianthus 'Soraya' and Pan American's Helianthus 'Prado Red' did well in the trial. 'Soraya' was noted for its orange color, intermediate-size flower, sturdy stems and upward facing flowers. The deep crimson color of 'Prado Red' attracted much attention. Prado Red was also noted for its long vaselife and apparently pollen-less flowers.
Cramer's Spray Millet (Cramer's Posie Patch) is the first time a grass has done so well in the trial. This beautiful grass was used both fresh and dried and grew vigorously in the field. On a personal note, considering that local growers in Oklahoma are having success marketing grasses (which is like selling snow to a Minnesotan), everyone should at least try a few grasses.
Capsicum annuum 'Chili Pepper' (Cramer's Posie Patch) is the reason why we may want to leaves the word 'flowers' out of the phrase 'specialty cut flowers'. The bright red fruit garnered a lot of attention in the trials and could be used both fresh and dried Other respondents liked the vigorous growth and upright fruit habit.
Delphinium 'Clear Springs Midblue' and 'Clear Springs White' from Pan American has continued the tradition of high performance for this series as the other colors have also done well in the trial. The series is noted for its colors, strong stems, uniformity, and vigor.
The magenta color of Snapdragon 'Apollo Purple' (Pan American) was commented on by most of the respondents. The long straight stems, early flowering, good seed germination and unusual flower form were also noted by trialers.
Many annual aster cultivars do well for some growers yet perform poorly for others and, consequently, often receive only average scores in the trials. However, both series of asters did well in the trials this year: Pan American's Aster 'Meteor Carmine Red' and 'Meteor Violet Blue' and Sakata's Aster 'Serenade Blue' and 'Serenade Red'. The 'Meteors' were noted for their large flowers, clear colors, and sturdy upright stems. The excellent vaselife of the 'Serenades' was mentioned by several respondents, as well as its colors and productivity. Look for more colors in the Serenade series to be released in 1999.
Disclaimer:
The numbers reported are averages of all the respondents and many factors will affect the success of any plant species. Our participants are growing and harvesting the trial plants in a wide variety of ways. For example, with annual asters some people harvest the entire plant as one bunch while others harvest each individual flowering branch, giving very different lengths and yield data. If a plant does well for most of the respondents, it is likely to do well for you. On the other hand, if a cultivar didn't appear to do well in the trial, it may still be a great cultivar for you. Thus, we have included summaries of the respondents comments to help interpret the data. In summary, review the trial results carefully. If a species sounds interesting but did not appear to do well, try it anyway. The cultivar may work well for you.Acknowledgments:
A hearty thank you to all of the evaluators who returned their trial reports and to the seed companies for providing such great cultivars. I also would like to thank Leah Aufill, Clydette Alsup, and Starla Dyke for their assistance in preparing this report. In preparing the report I have edited evaluator's comments for space and clarity; my apologies if I've altered the tone or content of anyone's comments. Thanks to everyone for making this service of ASCFG possible.