Highlights from 2025 Field Trials: Young’s Plant Farm
(Information provided by Penny Merritt-Price, Product Development Manager)
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The Young’s Plant Farm trial garden is in USDA Zone 8 in central east Alabama. This year, the weather was typical for our location: cool nights in April and May, regular rain throughout the season, and hot, humid conditions in July and August. As always, our garden is the perfect place to test the toughness of plants during a Southeast summer.
We love to do something new and interesting every year in our landscape beds alongside the standard side-by-side variety trials. This year, it was our collaboration with Food U. Food U is a program at Auburn University that provides students with grown food for on-site consumption. We had a whole area of the landscape beds in our garden that was designed to showcase edible gardening, including trees, vegetables, fruits, and flowers.
This year, we trialed more than 500 different varieties and more than 250 different mixed combinations. Year after year, one of the most important challenges in managing a trial garden is maintaining effective organization. Success requires careful planning from the very beginning and consistent follow-through to the end. Every year, I continue to refine and streamline processes to improve efficiency while ensuring that all plants remain accurately labeled and meticulously organized. It is a demanding task, but there is no room for shortcuts when striving for a high-quality trial garden.
Two Plants that Impressed at Young’s Plant Farm
Coleus Coleus scutellarioides GardenScape Bright Day (GardenChoice)
The GardenScape Coleus series, brand new this year from GardenChoice, made a strong debut in our summer garden. Several varieties performed very well, but the true standout was Bright Day. With its bold chartreuse edges framing a deep red center, this variety delivered striking contrast and vibrant color all season long while maintaining a great plant habit.
Rex begonia Begonia hybrid Spacestars Syrma (Beekenkamp)
The Spacestars series from Beekenkamp proves it’s possible for a rex begonia to be able to handle the Alabama heat. Syrma was a fantastic standout in our trials — thriving through the summer with striking foliage and impressive heat tolerance. Its unique texture and bold color make it an exciting option, and we can’t wait to use it in future combinations. This is a game-changer for shade and container plantings in the South!
Top Performers at Young’s Plant Farm’s Field Trials
- Begonia Begonia benariensis Surefire Rose (Proven Winners)
- Caladium Caladium hortulanum Heart to Heart Radiance (Proven Winners)
- Calibrachoa Calibrachoa hybrid MiniFamous Neo Magenta Flash (Selecta)
- Coleus Coleus scutellarioides GardenScape Bright Day (GardenChoice)
- Coleus Solenostemon scutellarioides Premium Sun Sweet Paprika (PanAmerican Seed)
- Geranium Pelargonium hybrid Caliente Orange (Syngenta Flowers)
- Gomphrena Gomphrena globosa SuperBall Pink (Kientzler)
- Impatiens Impatiens x hybrida interspecific SunPatiens Compact Pink Flash (Sakata)
- Lantana Lantana camara Shamrock Lavender (Ball FloraPlant)
- Rex begonia Begonia hybrid Spacestars Syrma (Beekenkamp)
For more 2025 field trials information and variety highlights, click here.
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