Evaluating New Varieties
1 Nov, 2007 By: Bridget White LivescapesBefore taking a gamble on a new plant that might not work in your environment, check out what others have to say about some recent plant introductions
Each spring and summer, universities across the country plant trial gardens to evaluate the latest plant introductions. These landscape trials are one of the best methods for obtaining plant information because they are unbiased, represent your local growing environment and cover a broad range of annual and herbaceous plants.
We could not possibly cover the dozens of university, grower and breeder trials that took place this year, so we selected sites to represent several of the main growing environments. To obtain information on winning varieties from trials closer to home, contact your local university. You should also ask about the field trial or open-house dates for 2008, so you can plan to examine the mature plants for yourself.
VARIETIES BEST FOR: SEMI-TROPICAL LOCATIONS
The warm-season trial at the University of Florida in Gainesville evaluates plants for garden performance during the cool spring months as well as the summer's intense heat and humidity.
This year's garden was planted in late March. Temperatures in April and May were slightly cooler than normal, with a late frost in early April. June and July were hot and humid, with temperatures regularly in the low to mid 90s. There was no significant rainfall until mid-May; then gardens received normal rainfall. Some of the best-performing varieties this year were:
Alternanthera 'Brazilian Red Hots.' (1) A repeat summer award winner, this 4-ft.-tall alternanthera from GroLink features bright, vibrant leaf color of hot pink on the margins and darker red or green in the center. It is slow to start under cool temperatures but has excellent heat tolerance.
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Coleus 'Royal Glissade.' (2) Offering a full, well-branched, compact habit that reaches approximately 3 ft. tall, this Proven Winners selection has won summer awards in both 2006 and 2007. It was bred for late flowering and does not start in Florida until August.
Colocasia 'Maui Magic.' (3) Slow to start, this Ball Seed exclusive will grow quickly once temperatures warm up and can reach 5 to 6 ft. tall. It has burgundy petioles and dark, black-green leaves that can reach 2 to 21/2 ft. long and 12 to 18 inches wide. It can be used as a high-impact plant in a mixed container or a landscape focal plant.
Euphorbia 'Burgundy Wine.' (4) Another repeat summer award winner, this Proven Winners introduction has nice burgundy-colored leaves and can reach 4 to 5 ft. tall in the garden. It is well branched and provides a dense mound of color in the landscape.
Chrysocephalum 'Flambe Orange.' (5) An unusual new introduction from Proven Winners, Flambe Orange is best used as an accent plant or ground cover (reaches 9 to 12-ft. tall). Its bright yellow-orange flowers almost cover the silvery green foliage at times. This plant has shown good heat and cold tolerance (mid 20s to mid 90s).
Impatiens 'Fanfare Bright Coral.' (6) This spreading impatiens from Ball FloraPlant has bright flower color. It can be grown in full sun with good performance, but requires adequate water. Plants can reach heights of 3 to 31/2 ft. tall.
Pentas 'Graffitti Lipstick.' (7) Offering excellent branching, a compact habit and deep-colored flowers, this pentas from Benary Seeds is a big improvement over older cultivars. New flowers open slightly above the old ones, so much less deadheading is required.
Scaevola 'Surdiva White.' (8) Part of the Suntory Collection, this scaevola features a compact, semi-mounding growth habit that is covered with small white flowers from May through July.
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