Rain, Rabbits, and Heat Can’t Deter Top Performers in North Carolina Plant Trials
December 19, 2022 Note: Information for this trials report comes from Bernadette Clark, Bedding Plants Coordinator at the JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University.
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The JC Raulston Arboretum is a 10- acre arboretum and botanical garden with a diverse collection of plants adapted for landscape use in the Southeast. Each year, seed and vegetative companies submit entries for plant performance evaluation. This year, approximately 300 samples were entered into the trials, which were planted on May 17, 2022.
Our growing conditions this summer were hot with little rain. Our first 90-degree days occurred two days after planting! The rain was scarce, but when it did rain it often was very heavy. Our greatest amounts of rainfall occurred on August 12 (3.12 inches) and September 30 (4.07 inches). July had the most 90°+ days at 26 days. We had one 100° day on June 14.
The rabbit population was higher than normal, so much heavier that our resident hawk couldn’t reduce this exploding population. Consequently, we had more damage in the trials than usual.
What Caught Our Attention
Edibles continue to trend strongly. A particularly noteworthy entry was the Habanero pepper ‘Roulette’. The plants performed well in the ground and were strong consistent bearers. But what really got us excited was this variety has all the flavor, size, and shape of a habanero, but little to none of the heat. It was a favorite at our taste test.
Climbing Sweet Potatoes such as ‘Sweet Caroline Upside Key Lime’ and ‘Sweet Caroline Upside Black Coffee’. Give them a trellis or any structure to climb, then step back and watch the freeform creatures grow.
Caladiums: ‘Crystal Moon’ and ‘Heart to Heart Lemon Blush’ had beautiful foliage with brilliant colors that brightened the shade area as well as the sun entry, along with ‘Heart to Heart Xplosion’. These beauties gathered a lot of attention.
We loved the uniformity and compact size of Cyperus papyrus ‘Graceful Grasses Queen Tut’ as well as its great structure with super sturdy stems.
Top-Performing Varieties
Bed
- Begonia ‘Megawatt Rose Bronze Leaf’ and ‘Megawatt Rose Green Leaf’ from PanAmerican Seed
- Impatiens ‘SunPatiens Vigorous Peach Candy’, ‘SunPatiens Vigorous Pretty Pink’, and ‘SunPatiens Compact Classic White’ from Ball Seed
- Lantana ‘Luscious Basket Tangelo’ (Proven Winners)
- Petunia ‘Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow’ (Proven Winners)
Containers
- Begonia ‘BIG White Green Leaf’ (Benary) and ‘Megawatt Rose Bronze Leaf’ (Ball Seed)
- Impatiens ‘Beacon Lindau Mix’ and ‘Beacon Portland Mix’ from PanAmerican Seed
- Ipomoea ‘Illusion Penny Lace’ and ‘Sweet Caroline Upside Black Coffee’ from Proven Winners
Hanging Baskets
- Begonia ‘Viking Explorer Red On Green’ and ‘Viking Explorer Rose On Green’ from Sakata Ornamentals
- Scaevola ‘Surdiva White Improved’ (Suntory Flowers)
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