Cleome 'Sparkler Blush'
Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 2006
Good Qualities:
Pretty bicolor pink (2); Eye appealing; Easy to grow, sheds; Good seed germination, very productive plant, kept producing until frost, might be useful as a short-lived filler in mixed bouquets.
Problems:
Thorns (3); Short vaselife/shatters (3); Short (3); Very poor germination in greenhouse, never made it to the field; harlequin beetles love them; The bicolor petals (older blooms are lighter) drop off when cut, so it is just a plain pink in a bouquet - though this color was nicest, these plants were weakest, fewer blooms smaller heads.
Trial Data
| Plants flowering (%) | Plants dead at end of summer (%) | 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 | 5.0 | 15.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 96.3 | 6.0 |
| Range of Responses | 3-7 | 14-16 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 64-144 | 6 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Goldsmith Seeds
P.O. Box 1349
Gilroy CA 95021
www.goldsmithseeds.com
Comments:
I have tried and tried to use/grow cleome but I think I will not try again.