Colorado State University Announces Top Performers in Three-Season Perennial Trial

Colorado State University has announced the top performers in its three-season trial garden in Fort Collins, CO.

Researchers use the trial garden to evaluate new perennial plant species and cultivars in Rocky Mountain environmental conditions. Plants are evaluated for their vigor, uniformity, floriferousness, and tolerance to biotic and ecological stresses.

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The garden is paid for by plant companies that pay fees to enter their plants into the trials. The garden relies on students and volunteers to maintain it and draws thousands of visitors every year.

The research is valuable to both industry and home growers. The Rocky Mountain climate has unique needs with its high altitude, intense solar radiation, drying winds, severe hailstorms, large fluctuations between day and night temperatures, and a season-long need for irrigation.

Testing and Scoring

The plants go through three summers and two winters before being swapped out for the next variety. Each member of the perennial trial subcommittee is required to do a write-up on each perennial for the months of June, July, August, and September. Plants are scored on a scale from zero to five on how well they survive in the Rocky Mountain climate.

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  1. Dead or no flowers
  2. Poor: Plants are sick or dying
  3. Below Average: Plants are unattractive, i.e., plants are leggy, chlorotic, or have few flowers
  4. Average: Plant appearance with growth characteristics expected for the season. Few flowers but are uniform
  5. Good: Plants look attractive, and flowers are strong
  6. Excellent: Plants are very healthy and uniform with impressive flowers

Top Five Performers

After the data from all the members is compiled and members of the committee have met to discuss and review photos of each plant, the committee votes on the top performers.

The top performers for the 2020 Perennial Trials are:

  • Allium ‘Summer Beauty’ from Stonehouse Nursery, LLC
  • Echinacea ‘Sombrero Tres Amigos’ from Darwin Perennials
  • Penstemon ‘Dakota Burgundy’ from Terra Nova Nurseries
  • Phlox Ka-Pow series from Darwin Perennials
  • Salvia ‘Blue by You’ from Darwin Perennials

 

 

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