Ageratum 'High Tide White'
Trial Started: 2005
Year of Trial: First (from 2005 report)
Good Qualities:
Nice filler (3); Good white when fresh; As with 'High Tide Blue', this variety germinated well (though not as well as 'High Tide Blue'), and grew fine under field conditions; Easy to grow, many flowers, it's a different kind of cut; Hardy; Grows and blooms like a winner; Still going strong 10/12 (Zone 7B); Great stem length and flower size; An alternative to blue ageratum; It was white! 2nd planting was thick, sturdy stems; Long/sturdy stems; The white was good and a lot of my customers wanted it, like the blue, it bloomed two weeks earlier than tall 'Blue Horizon'.
Problems:
Flowers turned brown or were dirty looking (5); Stems too short (3); Most flower heads small (2); Didn't grow as well as blue; First cut wimpy and no second cut; Abundant; Limited size most flower heads; None with the plant or flower; People don't buy it because of the color; Had to cut back several times before got any height, finally got 18-in. in mid-October but frost got it.
Postharvest:
Harvested in Hydra Plus; Stored in Chrysol Clear. See separate postharvest report in this issue for results from NC State University postharvest evaluations.
Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating - Wholesale (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Retail (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Consumer (1) | Repeat Again Rating (1) | Ease of Cultivation Rating (1) | Average Spacing (in2) | Average Postharvest Life (days) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 20.1 | 14.9 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 193 | 7.6 |
| Range of Responses | 2-120 | 8-24 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 3-5 | 36-576 | 5-14 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
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Supplier
PanAmerican Seed
P.O. Box 438
West Chicago, IL 60186
www.panamseed.com
Comments:
Similar to 'White Bouquet'; Smells like "Bells of Ireland", same as blue ageratum; Seeds were planted in 98 (cell) trays and covered lightly with vermiculite on 1-25-05; These ageratums were too short for me, and I quit cutting them after about 2 cuts, but they bloomed all season; I don't see enough difference between the 'High Tides' and existing varieties to change over to using them.