Each year, hundreds of annual flowers are on public display as part of the annual flower variety trial at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) Horticulture Display Garden in Morris, MN.
1
of
10
1
of
10
Angelonia 'Angelissa Rose' (Ball FloraPlant)
Also known as a “Summer Snapdragon,” Angelonia 'Angelissa Rose' featured large flower spikes and strong sturdy stems, making it a worry-free performer all season long. It grew to a height of 12 to 16 inches in partial sun to full sun. Besides the outstanding rose flower color, the foliage remained bright green throughout the entire summer.
2
of
10
Helianthus 'Suncredible Saturn' (Proven Winners)
The National Garden Bureau designated 2021 as the Year of the Sunflower. Helianthus 'Suncredible Saturn' is a new, everblooming bush variety and a perfect plant for the back of the bed, as an annual screen, or along a fence. The blooms are about 4 inches across and don’t need to be deadheaded. This cultivar makes a great cut flower. The most outstanding feature of this sunflower is how long it bloomed late into the growing season in the trial garden.
3
of
10
Salvia farinacea 'Sallyfun Sky Blue' (Danziger)
Salvia 'Sallyfun Sky Blue' offers abundant, showy, sky-blue flower spikes that rise above the aromatic foliage all season long. Bees and butterflies were attracted to this annual flower. Grow in full sun. With a height of 20 to 24 inches, 'Sallyfun Sky Blue' is excellent for use as a garden background. This eye-catcher makes a wonderful cut flower and is deer resistant.
4
of
10
Petunia 'Surfinia Purple Heart' (Suntory Flowers)
Petunia 'Surfina Purple Heart' was a fast-growing petunia that produced a prolific number of eye-catching blooms all season long. Each flower featured a pattern of five unique purple hearts. It has a vigorous mounding and spreading habit with a plant width of about 18 inches, but it does not spread out of control.
5
of
10
Petunia 'Itsy Magenta' (Syngenta Flowers)
This petunia had exceptional color coverage and excellent vigor in 2021. Each of these unique petunia plants had hundreds of tiny, vibrant magenta-colored flowers that made a big statement with garden visitors. It grew to a height of 4 to 6 inches, and each plant had a width of 18 to 24 inches.
6
of
10
Coleus 'ColorBlaze Torchlight' (Proven Winners)
'Colorblaze Torchlight' was an outstanding coleus in a large container in 2021. This vigorous coleus doesn’t fade; its fuchsia, maroon, and green-colored foliage stayed true throughout the growing season. 'Colorblaze Torchlight' is easy to grow, uniform in growth, and performs equally well in sun or shade.
7
of
10
Celosia 'Kelos Fire Orange' (Danziger)
A beautiful celosia with an upright growing habit and good plant vigor. It had an abundance of striking orange plumed flowers, making it a stand-out in retaining wall garden bed. For the University of Minnesota trials, it grew best in full sun in a very warm planting bed with well-drained soil. 'Kelos Fire Orange' will grow to a height of 12 to 18 inches.
8
of
10
Calibrachoa 'Bloomtastic Yellow' (Dümmen Orange)
Out of the nearly 15 calibrachoa trialed at the University of Minnesota in 2021, this was a fan favorite. The plant was covered with attractive, extra-large yellow flowers throughout the growing season. This semi-trailing calibrachoa proved to have excellent garden performance and grew evenly and uniformly in a large hanging basket.
9
of
10
Begonia xbenariensis 'Big White Green Leaf' (Ernst Benary of America)
This floriferous begonia is a hybrid seed-grown wax begonia. It offers large showy flowers atop glossy foliage that covered the plant throughout the summer. It performed well in a large container in either sun or shade.
10
of
10
Begonia BK Collection 'Vermillion Red' (Beekenkamp)
'Vermillion Red' flowered relentlessly all summer long with numerous eye-catching rich and deep dark-red double blooms with clean dark-green foliage. It performed exceptionally well in a semi-shaded pergola and required no plant maintenance. Best grown in a hanging basket.
Advertisement
View all
1
of
10
Angelonia 'Angelissa Rose' (Ball FloraPlant)
2
of
10
Helianthus 'Suncredible Saturn' (Proven Winners)
3
of
10
Salvia farinacea 'Sallyfun Sky Blue' (Danziger)
4
of
10
Petunia 'Surfinia Purple Heart' (Suntory Flowers)
5
of
10
Petunia 'Itsy Magenta' (Syngenta Flowers)
6
of
10
Coleus 'ColorBlaze Torchlight' (Proven Winners)
7
of
10
Celosia 'Kelos Fire Orange' (Danziger)
8
of
10
Calibrachoa 'Bloomtastic Yellow' (Dümmen Orange)
9
of
10
Begonia xbenariensis 'Big White Green Leaf' (Ernst Benary of America)
10
of
10
Begonia BK Collection 'Vermillion Red' (Beekenkamp)
In 2021, more than 500 varieties were trialed, ranging from ageratum to lantana to petunias to salvia, representing plant breeding companies from around the world. Even though the annual flowers are under evaluation, each cultivar is carefully designed into a beautifully landscaped garden bed, which allows visitors to take note of their favorite varieties under regional conditions. Cultivars are grown from seed or are vegetatively propagated in our greenhouse, and later transplanted into the Horticulture Display Garden.
Advertisement
Planting of the 2021 annual flower trial began in late May. A few days after planting, we experienced unseasonably overnight low temperatures resulting in severe cold injury on the less cold-tolerant plants. Then, within a week, we had abnormally daytime high temperatures nearing 100°F. This swing in extreme weather significantly set the growth of the plants back for several weeks following planting. Throughout the growing season, we experienced extreme drought conditions — little to no precipitation and high temperatures, which stressed the plants even though they were irrigated.
Despite these challenges, most of the annual flowers bounced back and offered an impressive display of color during their peak season, which is typically from mid-July to early September.
As part of the annual flower trial, plants are evaluated up to five times during the growing season in order to assess each variety’s performance. A scale of 1 to 5 provides a horticultural rating (1=poor, 2=below average, 3=average, 4=above average, 5=excellent). Plants are rated on performance, color, vigor, uniformity of habit and flowering, flowering numbers relative to others, insect and disease resistance, and uniqueness. The data is taken by the same individual every time to reduce variability in scoring. Evaluations began three weeks following planting. Only the highest-rated cultivars earn the distinction of a Top Ten Performing Annual recommendation for Minnesota. Check out the slideshow for the 2021 list! For a complete list of all our trial results, click here.
For more information on other field trials from across the country in 2021, click here.
February 1, 2022 
