Traci Dooley, Hortica
Traci Dooley, Hortica

How Smarter Heating and Cooling Controls Reduce Greenhouse Risk
Chris Cimaglio
Chris Cimaglio

Building an Advisory Team That Gets You Across the Goal Line
Andy Wilcox
Andy Wilcox

AI-Powered Sticky Card Analysis Trialed at Michael’s Greenhouses
Justin Lombardoni
Justin Lombardoni

Rethinking Garden Center Layouts to Better Guide Consumers

2017 Colorado State University Field Trial Results

Janeen Wright Posted by Janeen Wright|November 20, 2017

The Colorado State University (CSU) field trial gardens are located on the Colorado State Campus in Fort Collins, CO. This year they included 850 different plant varieties from 22 participating companies. Jim Klett, Professor and Extension Landscape Horticulturist at CSU reports that a heavy snowstorm delayed planting at the trial gardens by a week. June saw cooler temperatures with some moisture, and July had seasonal temperatures with little moisture. There was a lot of moisture in the first two weeks of August, afterward it was extremely hot with several days in the 90’s. That weather continued into September. Klett says some stem rot on petunias and zinnias was a challenge later in the season.

Judging for the trials was done electronically this year on cell phones and tablets. This worked well for most attendees, who liked the method. It also saved a lot of time in determining Best Of’s for the second evaluation of the plants held in early September.

Best of Show

Calibrachoa ‘Chameleon Indian Summer Improved’ (Westhoff Flowers)

Best New Variety

Top Articles
A Closer Look at the Floriculture Industry in Virginia

Lantana ‘Luscious Royale Cosmo’ (Proven Winners)

Best Novelty

Ornamental Millet ‘Copper Prince’ (Pan American Seed)

Top Performing Varieties

New Guinea Impatiens ‘SunPatiens Compact Coral Pink’ (Sakata Ornamentals)

Canna ‘Toucan Scarlet’ (Proven Winners)

Pentas ‘Bee Bright Red’ (Syngenta Flowers)

Petunia (vegetation spread) ‘Supertunia Vista Bubble Gum’ (Proven Winners)

Salvia ‘Mystic Spires Improved’ (Ball Floral Plant)

Geranium (Interspecific) ‘Calliope Large Dark Red’ (Syngenta Flowers)

Begonia (shade) ‘Whopper Rose with Bronze Leaf Improved’ (Ball Ingenuity)

Dahlia ‘XXL Veracruz’ (Dümmen Orange)

Coleus ‘PartyTime Ruby Punch’ (Sakata Ornamentals)

Celosia ‘New Look Red’ (Benary)

Consumer Choices

Dahlia ‘XXL Veracruz’ (Dümmen Orange)

Pepper ‘Wicked’ (PanAmerican Seed)

Helianthus ‘Sunfinity’ (Syngenta Flowers)

Lantana ‘Lucky Sunrise Rose’ (BallFloral Plant)

Argryanthemum ‘Pure White Butterfly’ (Proven Winners)

0

Janeen Wright is former Editor for Greenhouse Grower. . See all author stories here.