Shining Stars Emerge From Tough Conditions in LSU Plant Trials
November 22, 2022 Note: Information for this trials report comes from Jason Stagg and Dr. Jeb Fields of the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter Hammond Research Station.
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As we’ve come to expect, the weather is certainly not predictable year to year. Our cool, pleasant spring earlier this year quickly became a very hot and very dry May and June, which caused some plants to struggle to establish. This was especially true of our perennial trials, as our Gulf South location lends itself to more successful fall-planted perennials.
July and August brought the return of daily heavy rains, further stressing plants that had trouble establishing earlier in the summer. As a trial garden that evaluates the last plant standing, these extreme weather conditions just help us achieve our mission.
Many of the shining stars through all of this weather were cultivars of ornamental sweet potatoes and coleus. The new ‘Sweet Caroline Upside Key Lime’ and ‘Black Coffee’ climbing sweet potatoes were audacious performers, and they’re still going. These plants have a strong tendency to climb and can quickly bring vertical color to any landscape. We had many beautiful coleus this summer, but some of our favorites include ‘Main Street Yonge Street’, ‘Premium Sun Ruby Heart’, two Trailblazer Series coleus from Ball FloraPlant (Road Trip and Glory Road), and ‘ColorBlaze Royale Pineapple Brandy’ and ‘Mini Me Watermelon’.
Other high-scoring winners in the sun trials this year included:
- Angelonia ‘AngelDance Fuchsia Bicolor’ and ‘AngelDance Violet Bicolor’ (Ball FloraPlant)
- Zinnia Zesty (Purple, Yellow and Orange; PanAmerican Seed)
- Ornamental Sweet Potato ‘Sweet Caroline Medusa Green’ (Proven Winners)
- Sungelonia ‘Blue Angelonia’ (Suntory Flowers)
- Purslane ‘Mojave Yellow’ (Proven Winners)
- Queen Tut Graceful Grasses (Proven Winners)
- Graceful Grasses Queen Tut Dwarf Papyrus (Proven Winners)
- Graceful Grasses Blue Mohawk (Proven Winners)
- Sedum ‘Yellow Diamonds’ (Darwin Perennials)
- Panicle Hydrangea Limelight Prime (Proven Winners)
In the shade trials, some high-scoring plants included:
- Coleus ‘MicroBlaze Matchsticks’ (Ball FloraPlant)
- Torenia Summer Wave Series (Proven Winners)
- Begonia Surefire Series (White, Red and Rose; Proven Winners)
In the container trials, some high-scoring plants included:
- Glimmer Series Double Impatiens (Ball FloraPlant)
- Confetti Garden Cupcake Night Portulaca (Dümmen Orange)
- Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Yellow’ (Proven Winners)
- Calibrachoa ‘Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade’ (Proven Winners)
- Calibrachoa Bloomtastic Rose Quartz (Dümmen Orange)
- Supertunia Mini Vista Midnight (Proven Winners)
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