Helianthus 'Earthwalker'
Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 2001
Good Qualities:
Nice burnt orange/bronze color (8); Uniform flowering; Good stem length on laterals; Large flowers, good flower shape, uniform, mixture of shades of bronze; Flowered quickly; This is the best colored sunflower to come out for a while B It was really nice; Flower is a different color and was purchased readily by customers; Inexpensive.
Problems:
Has pollen (2); Weak stems near neck on most; Sold best when sold in mixed sunflower bouquets; Did not sell well in Grower's Bunches, sold best mixed in bouquets or other colored sunflowers; The stem neck near bloom is a little weak for bloom size; Branching type, but multiple stems often too short, many flowers were lopsided with shorter petals on one side; Very thick stems - hard to cut; I thought that the heads were sort of floppy; Can't judge - deer ate these in total; Had an awful white fly problem and decided to toss the crop; Real short; Multi-branching.
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 (2) | Ease of Cultivation Rating (2) | Average Spacing (in2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 3.5 | 33.7 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 144 |
| Range of Responses | 0-10 | 16-72 | 4-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 1-5 | 2-5 | 16-432 |
(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.
60178 Harrison, NY 10528-1613
Comments:
Poor Market for any sunflower's other than 'Sunbright'; Very nice mixed with yellow flowers, shows off the unusual color; The problem is that there are so many sunflowers and the market is too full of varieties; Good colors but droopy heads are a problem; Multiflora cultivar brown with yellow highlights, probably should pinch off terminal, some stems purple-black mottled, single stems become very spindly near flower; Similar to some of 'Autumn Beauty'; I got good tall slender stems on all the sunflowers and nice small 3; - 5; inch heads B They were used in wreaths and table designs and all the customers were very happy B Would grow again.