Dianthus 'Melody White'
Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 2000
Good Qualities:
Fragrant (3); Prolific flowering (2); Easy to establish, early bloom, extended harvest; Very pretty early flower, looks good in mixed bouquets (when stems were long enough); Uniform, easy, good vase life, first to bloom in the Melody series; Dianthus’ are durable; held up well in arrangements and wedding work; Excellent flowering all season, of this group Pink was the best while White is weaker and not worthy of an award, customers loved the blushing color of Blush Pink; White is a very clean white.
Problems:
Short (4); Flowers get pretty ragged looking after rain, need to be harvested/deadheaded regularly; If planted earlier (Zone 6B), may have had more marketable stems; No customer interest, lot of cutting for a filler; None; Difficult to find the right time to pick; some were gone by by the time the stem was ready to pick.
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 | 8.2 | 12.8 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 4.4 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Sakata Seed America, Inc.
18095 Serene Dr.
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
Comments:
Good filler, small vase work; Pretreated seeds at 45oF for one week - great percent germination; Useful only if mixed 2 or 3 stems in bouquets; Customers like Biennual Sweet William best; No support needed; My customers loved it; It would make an excellent bedding plant.