Why 2022 Was a Banner Year for Plant Trials at Young’s Plant Farm
November 24, 2022 Note: Information for this field trials report comes from Penny Merritt-Price, Product Development Manager at Young’s Plant Farm.
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The Young’s Plant Farm trial garden is located in Auburn, AL (UDSA Zone 8). It is 26,000 square feet of raised beds that include sun and shade trials. Each season, 432 individual varieties, 40 combination landscape beds, 56 hanging baskets, and 180 combinations planters are evaluated.
Data and photos are collected biweekly from planting until the end of the growth season. A rating is given to each plant based on flower quantity, flower quality, vegetative vigor, uniformity, and overall plant health. Data and photos can be viewed on our trial garden website.
The 2022 Season was the 10-year anniversary of the trial garden at Young’s Plant Farm. We had a great event to celebrate. In attendance were members from the industry including growers, plant breeders, and retail partners. The plants in the garden had a great year as well! Spring nights were cool for an extended period of time, which really helps with longevity in the garden. We did have quite a bit of rain this year, but not so much as to effect the garden adversely.
Our trials went fairly smooth this year, with no big challenges to overcome. We had a very successful open house and it was nice to have everyone back together.
The Celosia Flamma series from Sakata was a nice surprise. The Orange won an All-America Selections award last year. There are five colors and a mix in the series. There is some good heat tolerance, and they continue to grow and flower as the summer goes on.
The Hula Begonia series from PanAmerican Seed is another interesting introduction. There are four colors and they can be used as a hanging basket or in the landscape, where is spreads and thrives in the heat.
Top Performers:
- Caladium ‘Heart to Heart Scarlet Flame’ (Proven Winners)
- Tradescantia ‘Pistachio White’ (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- Pentas ‘Beehive White’ (Syngenta Flowers)
- Coleus ‘MicroBlaze Matchsticks’ (Ball FloraPlant)
- Begonia ‘Hula Bicolor Red White’ (PanAmerican Seed)
- Lantana ‘Fuego Orange’ (Green Fuse Botanicals)
- Calibrachoa ‘Cabaret Diva Pink’ (Ball FloraPlant)
- Celosia Flamma series (Sakata Ornamentals)
- Lantana ‘Luscious Royale Lemon Tart’ (Proven Winners)
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