Matricaria 'Magic Lime Green'
Trial: Annual
Year Trialed: 2004
Year of Trial: First (from 2004 report)
Good Qualities:
Color was nice, stems marginally long enough - 12;, tight greenish flower heads; Strong stems, nice scent, nice green leaves, I really liked this flower in the three colors I trialed; Good; This is a very tall matricaria, very useful in mixed bouquets, good color, unusual lime/yellow; We had a cool wet spring and all Matricaria were substandard in performance; I will grow again and will be excited to see results, nice color alternative and great in bouquets; There were 2 flowers that people consistently stopped and asked the name of at our farmer’s market, this matricaria and non other than Gomphrena. for some reason, it really draws the eye though it is not lime green more of a light, pretty yellow; Excellent filler for arrangements, robust plant requiring minimal cultivating or weeding, nice reflush of flowers after cutting back.
Problems:
Needs staking, not very prolific - 2-3 stems/plant; No insect problems; While we like this flower, the name is misleading as it is not really Lime green; I did not stake/net the plants, but I should have.
Postharvest:
Hydraflor/Floralife; Cut into plain water. Editor’s note: see separate postharvest article in this issue for more information.
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 Spacing (in2) | Average Postharvest Life (days) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 6.9 | 13.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 162 | 9.4 |
| Range of Responses | 3-17 | 7-18 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 36-360 | 7-20 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
PanAmerican Seed
P.O. Box 438
West Chicago, IL 60186
Comments:
Going to try an over wintered crop for longer stems next season; Rabbit and deer free in an area where this is a problem, very nice in market bouquets; Harvest period 7/13-7/26/04, pretty much picked all there was, then it recovered and started blooming again in late Sept., sowed in greenhouse 2/3/04, transplanted to 128 cell tray.