Hypericum androsaemum
Good Qualities:
Year 1:
Excellent red berry color (4); Clean foliage, huge plants; Good plant vigor; Excellent berry production, good rust resistance.
Year 2:
No insect pests, foliage stayed very attractive all summer and fall B Pretty vigorous B Doesn't need support; Nice pink berry.
Problems:
Year 1:
High plant casualty rate in midsummer; Hard freeze before any harvest (Zone 6b) and unsure how far to cut plant back when collecting data - seemed too short; Must be propagated from rooted cuttings or bare root shipped after breaking dormancy.
Year 2:
Some plants were killed by late freeze; Must have rust control program, imported product; Some rust but not as bad as some of the other var.
Trial Data
Year 1
| Plants alive at end of summer (%) | Plants flowering (%) | 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 | 69.3 | 80.0 | 11.7 | 28.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
(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 | 79 | 10.5 | 34.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Range of Responses | 0-100 | 5-20 | 28-44 | 4-5 | 4-5 | 4-0 | 2-5 | 3-5 |
(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:
Similar to Hypericum 'Pinky Flair' which has darker pink berry; I assumed the object was to wait for berries, not cut at flowering stage, berries were about perfect the first week in October, later on, messy when squished.
Year 2:
Very nice berry color, must be shipped as a rooted cuttings or bare root after dormancy; Too much hypericum being grown in Southern California at present to be able to grow cost effective here under less than optimum conditions.