Eupatorium candidum
Good Qualities:
Year 1:
Great color, productive; Productive, vigorous, nice Afiller@ type flower; Nice pink color - good stem length; Very different type of eupatorium B Soft pink flower and gorgeous foliage B A real hit; Vigorous, easy grower, pest free B Very nice flower color, which is different from the two other eupatoriums we grow.
Year 2:
Lasts in arrangement; light and medium pink, great height; Nice pink color, good vase life; This is a prolific grower with nice flowers and beautiful foliage.
Problems:
Year 1:
Too short in first year, secondary stems short, hard to tell when to cut; Must be picked open for good vase life; Hope that next year I get longer stems; A number of stems were somewhat thin, blooms over a fairly short period, need to see if plantings can be staggered by cutting back early in season.
Year 2:
Very severe drought - worst in 135 years. All dried - we ran out of irrigation water; Must pick open for good vase life; Aster=s yellow - big problem.
Trial Data
Year 1
| 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 | 83 | 28 | 5.7 | 25.3 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.8 |
| Range of Responses | 0-100 | 0-100 | 3-10 | 10-42 | 3-4 | 4 | 4-5 | 4-5 | 5 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Year 2
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating - Wholesale (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Retail (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Consumer (1) | Repeat Again Rating (2) | Ease of Cultivation Rating (2) | Average Spacing (in2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 99.0 | 6.5 | 30.2 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.7 |
| Range of Responses | 96-100 | 0-20 | 25-36 | 3 | 4 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 4-5 |
(1) Data shown are from those respondents who harvested stems. Some respondents may not have harvested stems because they were too short. Flowering stems may be longer next year after plants are established. See comments section for more details.
(2) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Here & Now Gardens (HN)
P.O. Box 6
Gales Creek, OR 97117
503-357-5774
FAX 503-357-3858
Comments:
Year 1:
This one did really well B All plants arrived in good shape and survived B Might benefit from partial shade; Eupatorium maculatum B Nice pink color; I really think this is the hit of the 2001 trials.
Year 2:
Editor note: See the Postharvest Report in this issue for vase life and handling information. Similar to other eupatoriums; No, not like other eupatoriums; Stems very usable, not too big like some other eupatoriums; This is the only test plant from 2000 that was worth growing.