“Spectacular” Weather Meant High-Quality Plants at Ohio State Summer Trials
November 28, 2023 Note: Information for this trials report was provided by Pamela Bennett, Horticulture Educator at The Ohio State University.
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We have two locations for Ohio State University Trials. One site is on campus in the Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens. At this site, we treat the trials with high maintenance: We have automatic irrigation and water plants on a regular basis (1 inch per week approximately, these are not on a timer but rather turned on to supplement rainfall), we fertilize twice (fertigation) after planting, mulch the beds after planting each season, and deadhead any of the cultivars. The other site is in Springfield, west of campus, in the Snyder Park Gardens & Arboretum, a relatively new public garden. At this site, we give the cultivars minimal maintenance: water to keep them alive, no deadheading, one fertilization at planting, no additional fertilizer other than an initial slow release, and no mulch.
This year, the climate was normal at both sites. We started out the spring on the dry side, irrigating to get the plants established at both sites. We had slightly under normal precipitation in June, about an inch above the precipitation normal in July, and slightly above normal temps, and close to normal precipitation and temps in August.
We had 120 cultivars of annuals at both sites. The trials were spectacular this year because we didn’t have any extreme weather events (cold, hot, wet)
Adding irrigation to the trials in Chadwick Arboretum made a huge difference in the overall trialing process: No more dragging hoses out and inconsistent watering. It was well worth the expense. Our plans are to add irrigation to the Springfield site in 2024.
Weeds continue to pose a challenge but our Master Gardener Volunteers and Chadwick volunteers at both sites did an incredible job in keeping up with the weeds.
Bidens don’t normally do all that well in our trials and don’t really put on much of a show when they bloom; however, this year I was blown away with Bidens ‘Campfire Marshmallow’. This not only bloomed all season with crisp white flowers with yellow centers, it also had a nice, compact, rounded mounded growth habit. It really has been the best bidens we have trialed in the past few years.
We had a few cultivars of yellow petunias, and the ‘Supertunia Mini Vista Yellow’ was at the top of the performance list, showing color and full plants all season. Plants were consistent in size and habit and bloom cover. In fact, all Mini Vistas were full of color and had consistent growth habits.
I am not normally a fan of cuphea as it tends to be quiet in the garden, and not usually showy. However, Cuphea ‘Sweet Talk Red’ may change my mind about the species. The red blooms with purple and white centers were large, about the size of a quarter, and were quite showy all season. They also attracted numerous pollinators, including hummingbirds.
The Solarscape series of impatiens continues to impress, if they receive irrigation if planted in the full sun. The compact, tight plants are covered with blooms all season and the colors are vibrant.
Click here for results from more 2023 field trials.
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