The coronavirus pandemic had a big effect on our field trials this past year. In mid March, we lost our Master Gardener volunteers to the tune of more than 100 hours a week. They do almost all of our transplanting in the greenhouse. Fortunately, with help from two agriculture technicians combined with our long hours, we were able to stay on schedule. We feel fortunate to have mostly outdoor jobs, and plants don’t care about COVID-19.
Our spring plant sale was canceled. This sale funds the assistant horticulture position and summer internships. The Gardens have a staff of two. We tried an online sale, but with only two employees and no volunteers, we had no time to do anything but pull orders. It turned out to not be profitable for us.
We did have a good growing season, and the garden performed well. Due to our field day and horticulture conference cancellations, we have had extra time to complete some garden renovations over the summer.
Here are a few plants that stood out:
Vinca ‘Soiree Kawaii’ (Suntory Flowers): We love all the Soiree Kawaii vinca and can’t say enough good things about them. They are like no other vinca we have grown. Plants were covered from time of planting until frost, with flowers half the size of standard vinca.The plants were bushy and extremely well branched. We were particularly fond of Blueberry Kiss, Coral Reef, Red Shades, and White Peppermint. They looked great in containers as well as planted in the ground in a sunny location and in well-drained soil.
Salvia ‘White Flame’ (Ball FloraPlant): Pure white 4- to 6-inch flower spikes were produced from time of planting until a killing freeze on bushy plants that reached 2 to 3 feet tall. The tubular white flowers emerging from mealy-white dense calyxes were a bee favorite. Unlike most of the newer vegetative produced salvias, it does not cycle in and out of bloom over the course of the summer. Another added bonus is that the fading white flowers don’t distract from the beauty of the plant, as is common with other white -flowering plants. White Flame is a hybrid of S. longispicata x S. farinacea (mealy cup sage) and looks like a farinacea on steroids.
Colocasia ‘Heart of the Jungle’ (Proven Winners): This vigorous grower did not disappoint. Three-inch pots went into the ground in mid-May, and by late June they were the talk of the garden. Beautiful and lush, the dark-green leaves have a hint of blue with a velvety matte sheen. The plants were vigorous and reached 6 feet tall by the end of July, producing lustrous dark-purple stems and black runners along the ground. We love the tropical yet cooling effect Heart of the Jungle lends to landscape.
Overall, we trialed more than 230 varieties of annuals, perennials, vegetables, and herbs in 2020. Trials were planted during the month of May, and data was taken June to September. Overall, the growing season was good. Temperatures and rainfall for the most part was normal. Supplemental overhead irrigation was used as needed.
Other Best in Show varieties:
Coleus ‘ColorBlaze Royale Pineapple Brandy’ (Proven Winners): We are so excited about the new addition to the ColorBlaze series of coleus, Royale Pineapple Brandy. With a mix of chartreuse and golden foliage the plants take on a luminescent glow. The veins, petiole, and stems along with the edges of the leaves are burgundy adding to the beauty. The plants were dense and well-branched and reached 1.5 to 2 feet tall and 2 to 2.5 feet wide.
Tomato ‘Fire Fly’ F1 (All America Selections): A juicy favorite, each plant produced an abundance of medium-sized cherry tomatoes with pale-yellow color and scrumptious flavor. This cherry tomato is the perfect size to eat whole, and the translucent skin is just the right thickness: thick enough to keep well without interfering with the pleasure of eating the fruit.
Calibrachoa’ Superbells Coral Sun’ (Proven Winners): Melon-colored flowers with yellow-orange throats were a bright, colorful plant in pot arrangements. When in full bloom, the plants practically glowed from the vibrant color.
Ipomoea ‘Sweet Caroline Medusa Green’ (Proven Winners): Like tentacles on a jelly fish, the deeply lobed leaves provided a lacy texture in the garden. This more compact selection has bronze-tinted new growth that ages to medium green.
Tecoma ‘Sun Trumpets Yellow’ (Suntory Flowers): Sun Trumpets Yellow Tecoma looks like a yellow trumpet vine in bush form. We did not find these to be as compact and good for containers as we thought, but they were outstanding in the landscape as thrillers in the beds. We planted 3- to 4-inch plants in May and by late August they were 6 feet tall. This heat-loving plant with vertical, architectural branches grew like nothing else we have. It bloomed with gorgeous, yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers all summer long attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
Other Top Performers:
Coleus ‘Dragon Heart’ (Ball FloraPlant):The striking contrast of chartreuse foliage with hot pink and maroon veins added a splash of unexpected color to the garden. Plants reached 18 to 24 inches with mounding habit.
Cuphea ‘Honeybells’ (Ball FloraPlant): We trialed this last year and fell in love with this petite blooming workhorse of a cuphea. Small, tubular, bicolor flowers were rose-colored, tipped with light yellow, and produced in great abundance all summer. Plants reached 10 to 12 inches tall and 14 to 16 inches wide. It was a good performer in the ground but with its semi-trailing habit looks great hanging over the side of a pot.
Lantana ‘Luscious Royale Red Zone’ (Proven Winners): The Luscious series of lantana has performed exceptionally well over the years with its nonstop flower power and ability to perform in heat and drought. The flowers start out reddish orange and age to deep red. Plants have reached 2.5 to 3 feet tall and wide. Older foliage is darker green contrasting with the lighter green of the new, adding to the overall appeal.
Salvia’ Lancelot’ (PanAmerican Seed): We got a late start on this seed grown salvia in the greenhouse, so when we planted the 2- to 3-inch tall plants in May we had our doubts. The plants reached 1 foot tall by 2 feet wide. The silvery-white felted leaves are reminiscent of an overly fuzzy small-leafed lamb’s ear. They produce flower spikes of rosy lavender bracts and tubular flowers. The plants have a pleasant sage fragrance.