Amid the Rain, Top Plant Performers Emerge From 2021 Cornell University Field Trials

By Robin Siktberg|November 30, 2021

Like many parts of the U.S., the Cornell University field trials in Ithaca, NY, experienced abnormally high temperatures at the very start of the season, followed by a summer of rain. During one three-day period in June, nearly 2 inches of rain fell. July and August brought more downpours, resulting in around 2.5 inches more rain per month than usual. Some cultivars really suffered, either from rain damage or from having consistently wet feet. While normally staff would spend a fair amount of time irrigating, this year they spent much more time weeding and re-mulching areas of the garden that got washed out.

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Cyperus 'Graceful Grasses Prince Tut' (Proven Winners)
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Solenostemon 'ColorBlaze Torchlight' (Proven Winners)
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Petunia 'Dekko Sorbet' (Syngenta Flowers)
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Verbena 'Meteor Shower' (Proven Winners)
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Portulaca grandiflora 'Sundial Pink' (Benary)

The plants in this series formed an attractive ground cover. The amount of flowers this series put out throughout the season was impressive, especially given how incredibly wet and rainy it was. Of the six colors, the Coral and Light Pink were favorites.
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Dahlia 'City Lights Neon' (Selecta One)

The contrast between the dark leaves of this Dahlia and the vivid magenta-colored flowers is striking. It has a tidy, compact habit with good branching, and bloomed nearly continuously. It was also mildew-free through August, a bonus this wet summer.
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Bracteantha 'Granvia Gold' (Suntory Flowers)

This is a vigorous plant with large, cheerful, and abundant flowers. It performed extremely well, until the copious amounts of rain the area experienced this summer finally became too much. In a normal year, this would certainly have been on the top performers list.
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Salvia 'Unplugged So Blue' (Proven Winners)

In 2021, another bed was added, and a previous trial area was converted to a display garden. This allowed staff to trial cultivars with more consistency (some of the converted areas could not truly be considered full sun). A layout change allowed cultivars of the same genus to be trialed side-by-side for easier comparison. Staff was pleased with the new bed and layout worked out and plan to add more beds as needed, following this format.

Top Ten Performers were:

Cyperus Graceful Grasses ‘Prince Tut’ (Proven Winners)

Solenostemon ‘ColorBlaze Newly Noir’ (Proven Winners)

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