University of Georgia Plant Trials: Mild Weather Leads to a Great Year

By Greenhouse Grower staff|November 10, 2022

The Trial Gardens at University of Georgia had a great year in 2021 according to Trial Gardens Manager Sandra Lynn Begani. The growing season began with abundant sun and heat, and the weather stayed milder in the Southeast than in many parts of the world experiencing heat waves.

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Catharanthus 'Flamenco Senorita Pink' (Suntory Flowers)
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Vitex 'Season to Season Busy Bee' (J Berry Nursery)
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Rex Begonia 'Jurassic Jr. Fire Spike' (Ball Ingenuity)
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Portulaca 'Mojave Yellow 2023' (Proven Winners)
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Petunia 'Supertunia Mini Vista Scarlet' (Proven Winners)
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MixMasters 'Meant to Bee' (Ball FloraPlant)
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Lantana 'Gem Compact Orange Fire' (Danziger)
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Gerbera 'Garvinea Cheeky Orange' (HilverdaFlorist)
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Double Impatiens 'Glimmer Appleblossom' (Ball FloraPlant)
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Caladium 'Ballet Slippers' (Classic Caladiums)

“We did see an increase in pest pressure after a string of mild winters, but we resist the pressure to spray our plants to conserve our pollinator populations,” Begani says.

The biggest challenge the growing team at the University of Georgia is facing now is rose rosette disease.

“This is affecting our rose garden and spreading throughout the region like wildfire,” Begani says. “Thanks to our friends at Suntory and Star Roses and Plants, we are working with breeders to combat this pathogen, which is carried by an airborne microscopic mite.”

This was the first year the team used Oldcastle HydraFiber media in place of traditional peat-based media in all hanging baskets and containers.

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“Once we learned about its moisture retention properties, we were able to utilize this to our advantage in the hot, sunny conditions in the Southeast,” Begani says.

Plants that impressed the most this year include:

Gerbera Garvinea Cheeky series by HilverdaFlorist: This series includes ‘Cheeky Yellow’, ‘Cheeky Orange’, and ‘Cheeky Red’. All three colors bloomed continuously all summer long on flawless crowns of foliage. The flower-heads are petite, and the colors are very bright and cheerful. The region’s climate can sometimes inhibit flowering during the hottest summer months, but the team did not seen any wilting or crown rot.
Portulaca ‘Mojave Yellow’ 2023 by Proven Winners: “With so many great portulaca entries this yearm is it hard to pick a favorite, but ‘Mojave Yellow’ is special not only because of its larger flower heads and strong branching structure, but it remains open longer in the day, while others have already closed before the afternoon hours,”Begani says.
Double Impatiens ‘Glimmer Appleblossom’ by Ball FloraPlant: “Our garden visitors agree the series has been outstanding in both our concrete planters and hanging fiber baskets. Both locations are partially shaded and require frequent water and fertilization, but they produced bountiful double blooms all summer long, and are all disease-free,” Begani says.

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