2000 ASCFG National Perennial Trials
John Dole
North Carolina State University
Overview:
Now in its third year, the ASCFG Perennial Trial includes the 17 cultivars planted in 1999 and the 22 cultivars planted in 2000. We have had a couple changes in evaluators so check the Participating Grower list for the trialer in your region.
One of the top performers in both the first and second year was Crocosmia 'Lucifer', due to a multitude of large sprays of freesia-like crimson flowers. The plants were vigorous and the stems were long. A couple of the respondents noted that the interesting seed pods could also be used if the flowers were not harvested.
The two Hypericums, H. androsaemum and 'Albury Purple' did well with their large, brightly colored berries. These unusual cuts are something different to grow and market. However, because the fruit mature late in the season, far north locations may not be able to get a harvestable crop in a season.
Sedum 'Matrona' shined again this year with large (some say too large) inflorescences of pink to red flowers on sturdy, red stems. The plants are vigorous and hardy. One respondent referred to this plant, however, as 'deer candy'.
Of the three Heleniums in the trial, H. kanaria scored the best with a multitude of bright yellow daisy-type flowers and good postharvest life. H. x 'Moerheim Beauty' also did well for several respondents; it has coppery red flowers.
For the dried flower growers, one cultivar to try is Pycanthemum muticum 'Mountain Mint' (although some respondents also used it as a fresh cut). This versatile, vigorous plant has great fragrant foliage. Stems were short for some respondents this year but may be taller next year.
For those growers who produce Kniphofia, 'Flamenco' is a winner. This vigorous plant is highly productive with long stems. Unfortunately, the unusual bright orange yellow flowers are not always readily marketed.
Eupatorium maculatum 'Carin' has large sprays of small silvery buds that open up into pink flowers. The stems are long, strong and reddish. The similarity of 'Carin' to the native Eupatorium species limits sales in some areas but the ease and vigor of this plant are exceptional.
In reviewing the tables and comments you might notice a couple differences. This year we asked participating growers to rate the market appreciation based on their customers - whether they were wholesale, retail or direct to consumer. Note that relatively few gave wholesale ratings and the results should be interpreted accordingly. We also asked for the cold hardiness zone and added it onto some of the comments where we thought it would help. Hope you like the changes and I appreciate all the growers who took the time to answer a few more questions.
Based on trial results, the top five performers are automatically nominated for the ASCFG Cut Flower of the Year competition. The rankings are based on the combined ratings score: market appreciation (average of wholesale, retail and consumer)+ repeat again + ease of cultivation. Thus, from the 2000 trials Crocosmia 'Lucifer', Hypericum androsaemum, Hypericum 'Albury Purple', Sedum 'Matrona', and Helenium kanaria, are nominated as Cut Flowers of the Year and will join other nominations from ASCFG members and from the Cut Flower of the Year Panel.
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. 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:
All cut flower growers should thank the perennial producers for providing the plant materials and the growers for producing the plants, collecting data and submitting trial reports. Each of the growers paid $100 for shipping expenses and agreed to provide data for at least two years. Plant were donated by four perennial producers and shipped the perennial plugs or dormant roots directly to the trialers. I would especially like to compliment Betsy Hitt, Vicki Stamback, and Leah Aufill who participated in both the seed and perennials trials and returned evaluations on all of their trial plants. I would also like to thank Betty Coleman for typing in everyone's comments, Ingram McCall for data analysis, and Leah Aufill for taking care of the Oklahoma State University portion of the trials. In preparing the report I have edited the participants' 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.