Gentiana makinoi 'Royal Blue'
Good Qualities:
Year 1:
Stiff stems with brilliant gentian blue, long vase life; Color, late flowering (zone 5); This plant may also have a difficult time in this area because of dryness and heat (zone 6b); Beautiful color - These plants were beautiful - Large healthy plants.
Year 2:
Beautiful color (2); Spectacular in bud and flower; Nice stems; Stiff straight stems with brilliant deep blue flowers, long vase life.
Problems:
Year 1:
Need acid soil, needs 4-5 years to reach peak production; Not very vigorous; I think that they just can=t take our summers (zone 7a) - But well worth the time and effort if you could get them to work; Grasshoppers; Aphids, whitefly.
Year 2:
Lost plant, don’t know the reason why; Deer love it, slow growth; Not tall enough to cut; Just suffered in our climate (zone 7a); Needs acidic soil, rich in humus, well-drained mandatory, takes 4+ years to reach peak production of 20 stems per plant, must be lifted and transplanted after 7 years, can only be lifted in late winter before shoots get over 1 inch tall; Aphids, white flies.
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 | 34.4 | 81.8 | 1.3 | 11.4 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.5 |
| Range of Responses | 0-100 | 0-100 | 0-7 | 0-30 | 2-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 1-3 |
(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 | 70 | 3.3 | 22.5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4.3 | 3.0 |
| Range of Responses | 0-100 | 0-10 | 8-40 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3-5 | 1-4 |
(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:
Similar to the straight species, Gentiana makinoi; Excellent cut flower in cool climates (zone 7) - will not flower in zone 8 and up; Hardiness?; I wish I could grow this - I understand pH should be low (4.0) and shade and wet feet are advised; We need to be told these things when we receive the plants; Mine were planted, broke dormancy, grew for about a month and died in the drought.
Year 2:
Did not sell any, cut some to trial for myself; I may need to move this out of the full sun for it to do better and get taller, it is alive, which is surprising; Excellent cut flower in cool climates, zone 7 or cooler, needs good drainage and heavy watering during flowers stage, wilts easily because of the mass of vegetation on older plants, needs winter vernalization to bloom.