Carthamus 'Superior Orange'
Trial: Annual
Year Trialed: 2004
Year of Trial: First (from 2004 report)
Good Qualities:
Haven’t grown Carthamus for a couple of years, be we really liked this one B I cut it all and dried it for use in our fall arrangements, it was very nice, we always need fall color and they did not break up when I arranged them dried; Easy to grow, nice and tall; Germinated well, plants grew strong and healthy.
Problems:
Very poor performance in greenhouse, leggy, poor vigor, did not survive transplanting; Not a consistent bloomer, very erratic, suffered from leaf scorch; Very poor quality, leaves turned yellow and brown, perhaps the soil pH?; Rabbits like Carthamus, however in spite of their nibbling the plants still produced acceptable side shoots; This one came on early and would be a better fall item for me, I should have waited to plant it; Buds set late (Zone 4), only a few flowers formed.
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 | 1.4 | 24.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 98 | - |
| Range of Responses | 1-3 | 17-36 | 3 | 4 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 18-192 | - |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Fred C. Gloeckner
600 Mamaroneck Ave.
Harrison, NY 10528-1613
Comments:
Similar to Grenade Orange; I picked the entire stem at the base and then when I made the arrangements I broke the individual stems down. So actually had many more stems than ninety, these plants were extremely productive; My customers seem to like this flower better in the fall.