2009 Field Trials: Dallas Arboretum
October 20, 2009 
Trials Managers: Jimmy Turner, Senior Director of Gardens and Jenny Wegley, Research and Greenhouse Manager
Weather Conditions: All plant material was planted in full sun. All material is watered three times a week (unless it rains) for 15 minutes and is fertilized every other week with 21-7-7 at 400ppm Nitrogen. Annual material is planted from a 4″ container in a block of nine. Perennial material is planted from a 1-gallon container in a block of one to three (depending quantity of plants that we receive).
As usual we had a hot summer. There was a recorded fourteen days in a row over 100 degrees. We did have quite a bit of rain fall that helped cool us off a bit, after the rains high percentages of humidity followed. Overall it was a hot and sticky summer.
Top 5 Perennials:
1. Penstemon ‘Lilac Beauty’ (Ground)
Sahin
Planted: Spring 2008
A great perennial that flowers pure white all fall.
2. Echinacea ‘Hot Papaya’
Plants Nuevo
Planted: Spring 2008
A great red-orange flower that is striking from miles away. Flowers late spring thru summer
3. Leucanthemum ‘Stardust Daisy’
Proven Selection
Planted: Spring 2008
A daisy that is a perfect ball of large white flowers with a yellow center. Blooms April to August.
4. Stokesia ‘Peachie’s Pick’
Planted: Spring 2008
A nice producer of rich purple blooms with a compact habit and is in heavy bloom April till August.
5. Coreopsis ‘Red Shift
Skagit Gardens
Planted: Spring 2008
A Coreopsis with fern-leaf type foliage with a half dollar sized flower. A yellow flower that shows red from the center out with cooler weather. Blooms spring thru summer.
Top 5 Annual Containers:
1. Ornamental Millet ‘Jade Princess’ (22″ Low Container)
Ball
Planted: 5/14/2009
An awesome grass with large dark purple almost black plumes. Terrific in containers.
2. Pelargonium ‘Cascade White Compact’ (22″ Low Container)
Syngenta
Planted: 4/12/2009
What a surprise from an ivy cultivar. Covered in white orchid type flowers with a touch of deep pink in the center. Blooming from May till frost.
3. Pelargonium ‘Angel Eyes Orange’ (22″ Low Container)
McGregor
Planted: 4/12/2009
A cool cultivar with a great vibrant orange flower. This is an exotic cultivar.
4. Laurentia ‘Beth’s Blue’ (22″ Low Container)
Proven Winners
Planted: 5/14/2009
Blue is a hard flower color to find, but you get a nice star shaped blue flower with this, which produces non-stop.
5. Lobularia ‘Snow Princess’ (22″ Low Container)
Proven Winners
Planted: 3/11/2009
A vegetative Lobularia that is fast growing and full of pure white blooms spring thru summer.
Top 5 Annuals in the Landscape:
1. Salvia ‘Wendy’s Wish’ (Ground)
Proven Winners
Planted: 4/14/2009
Large plant (4′-5′) with a deep green leaf and a burgundy/red flower, blooming April till frost.
2. Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’ (Ground)
PanAmerican Seed
Planted: 4/29/2009
A very large Gomphrena (5′-5′) with puff-ball flowers that are magenta pink with splashes of yellow.
3. Zinnia ‘Aztec Sunset’ (Ground)
Thompson & Morgan Seed
Planted: 4/29/2009
A Zinnia that has an array of color. Browns, reds, oranges, yellows. As the flower ages the different colors come out.
4. Ornamental Pepper ‘Sangria’ (Ground)
PanAmerican Seed
Planted: 6/9/2009
An Ornamental Pepper that has a bonsai habit that is covered in pepper that turn from green to purple than to red with age.
5. Gerbera Drankensberg Series
Novalis
Planted: 6/9/2009
A landscape Gerbera with great foliage and good flower production as the weather cools. Comes in Carmine, White, Orange, and Pink. Hope to see if this cultivar over winters here in Dallas.
Top 5 Overall:
1. Euphorbia ‘White Manaus’ (Ground)
GroLink
Planted: 5/8/2009
Beautiful cultivar 3′ in height with pure white flowers cascading to the
ground.
2. Salvia ‘Wendy’s Wish’
3. Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’
4. Ornamental Pepper ‘Sangria’
5. Echinacea ‘Hot Papaya’
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