Top Performers From The Penn State Flower Trials
December 22, 2022 Note: Information for this trials report was provided by Sinclair Adam, Extension Educator and Horticulture & Flower Trials Director with Penn State University Extension.
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2022 was a hotter and drier year at the Penn State University (PSU) Flower Trials. Temperatures were in the 90°F range for a greater number of days than in 2021. Rainfall was less than in previous years in August. Close to 1,000 cultivars were tested in 2022 from 32 companies including firms from the U.S., Germany, The Netherlands, Israel, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and Japan. More Begonias were in the program in 2022 (81) and 89 petunias. Generally, plants did well in 2022. Two collaborative sites are maintained at Hershey Gardens (Hershey, PA) and North Park (Allegheny county PA).
Here are some of the top performers in 2022:
Angelonia ‘AngelDance Fuchsia Bicolor’ (Ball Floraplant)
This selection and its sister (Violet Bicolor) were outstanding in bloom all season. Rich fuchsia flowers with cream toned petal tips. Uniform habit and excellent foliar quality.
Begonia ‘L’Conia Lemon Berry’ (Dümmen Orange)
This double showy form bloomed consistently all season in shade and had a uniform habit and excellent overall growth. Pink and yellow petals on large flowers. Very good bloomer.
Begonia ‘Hula Spreading Bicolor Red White’ (PanAmerican Seed)
An excellent performer in both sun and shade. Rich, red single blooms with lighter center provide a bright display. Very good bloomer, foliar quality, with a uniform habit.
Begonia ‘Surefire Rose’ (Proven Winners)
This selection was trialed in sun and shade, scoring highly in both exposures. Rich, rose flowers borne above green foliage of excellent quality. Final score was 4.81/5.0 in both exposures.
Calibrachoa ‘Bumble Bee Blue’ (Ball FloraPlant)
The best Calibrachoa in 2022. Excellent overall growth, uniformity, and foliar quality all year. Bloomed well showing rich purple flowers with a darker purple and yellow throat.
Caladium ‘Crystal Moon’ (Classic Caladiums)
A compact 21-inch cultivar with excellent habit, foliar quality, and color. Near white foliage with dark-green markings along the veins and leaf margins. A great choice to brighten up a shady setting.
Celosia ‘Flamma Golden’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
An excellent performer, this rich golden cultivar was the top scoring entry in its genus. Bloom was very good in early July, but increased considerably in late July to August. Excellent uniform habit and foliar quality all season.
Coleus ‘Dragon Heart’ (Ball FloraPlant)
Strong yellow-green foliage with bright red markings. This selection had a very uniform habit, good overall growth, and no flowering. This was the top scoring coleus in the trials 2022.
Combination MixMasters Conga Line (Ball FloraPlant)
A very good performer all season, this combination bloomed prolifically with purple, yellow, and red Calibrachoa cultivars. All components in this combination bloomed well through August.
Impatiens ‘SunPatiens Compact Classic White’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
Of the many excellent Impatiens trialed in 2022 this selection was the top scoring cultivar tested. Clear, white flowers borne in profusion above dark green good quality foliage, and a very uniform habit.
Lantana ‘SunDance Pink’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
A strong performer all season, this selection bloomed well through September. Rich pink and yellow flowers attracted lots of pollinator insects all season. An excellent overall performer.
Nemesia ‘Aromance Pink’ (Proven Winners)
This fragrant selection performed well all season, through heat and rain. The fragrance was noticeable over 8 feet away, and the foliar quality was very good throughout the growing season.
Petunia ‘Itsy Magenta’ (Syngenta Flowers)
The top performing petunia in 2022, with rich magenta flowers prolifically borne on top of a compact uniform habit, with excellent foliar quality.
Rudbeckia ‘Sunbeckia Carla’ (Bull Plant Genetics)
Carla was the top scoring Rudbeckia in the Penn State trials scoring 4.88/5.0. This selection was exceptional in flowering all season, with strong upright habit and golden flowers touched with orange.
Salvia ‘Sallyfun Pure White’ (Danziger)
A very strong performer, with clear white flowers and silver bracts. Sallyfun Pure White bloomed very well into October. Very popular with pollinator insects as well as with visitors.
Scaevola ‘Surdiva White’ (Suntory Flowers)
Excellent performer, with a very uniform habit. This selection outperformed the other selections, exhibiting strong blooming all season, with bright white flowers.
Verbena ‘EnduraScape Blue’ (Ball FloraPlant)
The top scoring Verbena in 2022, this uniform cultivar bloomed well through August, when others exhibited reduced flowering. Vibrant purple color, and good foliar quality all season.
Vinca ‘Volcano Burgundy’ (Cerny Seed)
Rich burgundy color, prolific bloomer with a uniform habit. 2022 was a good year for Vinca overall and despite the high temperatures the Volcano series exhibited very good overall performance.
Zinnia ‘Double Belize Double White’ (American Takii)
Very uniform habit, prolific bloomer with clear white flowers. This cultivar showed little incidence of powdery mildew, and maintained a compact habit all season.
Zinnia ‘Double Profusion Fire’ (Sakata Ornamentals)
Strong bloomer, with rich orange flowers. This cultivar has a compact uniform habit, and exhibited good resistance to storm damage.
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