Favorites Emerge From University of Georgia 2023 Plant Trials
December 12, 2023 Note: Information for this trials report is provided by Dr. John Ruter, Director, and Sandra Begani, Trial Garden Manager, University of Georgia (UGA).
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In Georgia, we enjoyed a pleasantly mild spring, followed by a dry, hot summer with most days in the mid-nineties. The rain we did receive came in bursts of strong storms, and the garden was affected by limbs falling from the pecan trees that border the garden. The mild weather early on was great for plants that prefer cooler weather, but slowed down our heat-lovers such as cannas and caladiums. The heat did arrive just in time for summer, and allowed the others to catch up. We did not receive the record-breaking heat that others endured in the southwest this year.
UGA received 400 trials total in 2023, with 85 perennials in the mix. We highlight the best plants in the garden every two weeks, as well as our top plants of the season. The Top 12 for 2023 are:
Zinnia ‘Zesty Yellow’ (Ball Ingenuity)
This zinnia has given us a continuous stream of tall, handsome blooms all season. These gigantic doubles are perfect for a bright, sunny border, or cut flower garden. The plants showed resistance to mildew.
Torenia ‘Catalina Pink 2024’ (Proven Winners)
Every garden has a shady corner, and our plants had the best of both worlds in morning sun and afternoon shade. They have been delightfully easy to grow from start to finish and heat tolerant for the southern market.
Interspecific Impatiens ‘Solarscape Orange Burst’ (PanAmerican Seed)
The Solarscape series has accomplished its goal at the UGA Trial Garden this summer. Plants are evenly matched with one another and covered with color. This summer has been sunny and hot, and the plants stayed strong.
Lantana ‘PassionFruit’ (Ball FloraPlant)
This lantana truly stands out among the rest. Flower clusters are large, and plants are continuously blooming. Lantana is a top crop in our climate, and we are always looking for new and exciting varieties.
Echinacea ‘Double Scoop Watermelon Deluxe’ (Darwin Perennials)
‘Watermelon Deluxe’ coneflower had the most amazing color and presentation yet in our echinacea bed. This selection has double flowers, sturdy flower stalks, and provides bloom after fabulous bloom.
Dipladenia ‘Flordenia Bright Red (Dümmen Orange)
The Flordenia series has much to offer, but this was our favorite. No trellis was needed for ‘Bright Red’, allowing it to flow over our large concrete planters freely.
Cuphea ‘Sweet Talk Deep Pink’ (PanAmerican Seed)
This exciting new cuphea from seed creates a nice wave of color in the landscape or as a combo planter. Look out for this new crop in 2024.
Coleus ‘Plectranthus Talavera Chocolate Mint’ (Syngenta Flowers)
This new color combo brings a rich, deep purplish-brown with mint-green edges into the mix. Planted en masse, this cultivar is perfectly composed, forming a smooth mound with dense inner foliage.
Catharanthus ‘Soiree Double White’ (Suntory Flowers)
Our new favorite deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, heat lover is here. Thanks to Suntory, we now have a selection of fancy hybrids to add to our Soiree collection.
Calibrachoa ‘Bumble Bee Hot Pink’ (Ball FloraPlant)
A darling in the garden this year, this calibrachoa started early and looks better every day. The colors and patterns form a complete design, and the star-shaped centers are a great conversation piece.
Begonia ‘BIG White Green Leaf’ (Benary)
Our begonia bed was chock-full of new entries, and we put them to the test in a bed with blazing afternoon summer sun. While some entries’ leaves darkened, ‘BIG White Green Leaf’ stayed as green as possible.
Angelonia ‘Alonia Big Cherry’ (Danziger)
A winner from many angles, this Angelonia stayed in bloom from June through September non-stop. These large, bright flower spikes required no deadheading or renewal pruning.
Weather fluctuations are always a challenge. Our irrigation system was affected during the unprecedented cold snap of December 2022 and needed to be rebuilt. We also lost perennials that have been growing in our garden for decades.
We are in the process of updating our website and date collection methodology for 2024. We also sent out a survey to conduct research on Trial Garden Industry feedback, which will be published at a future date.
Learn more about other field trials from 2023 here.
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