This Week In The Trial Garden August 8 2012

Plant Of The Week: Petunias!

This is a few days late since I attended the 109^th annual American Society of Horticultural Science meeting last week. I attended over 100 talks and came back with great information to help us grow better plants.

In previous years the Metrolina Test Garden has been extremely challenging to petunias. By August in previous years most all of the petunias would be dead, mainly killed off from diseases. With the raised beds we are getting much better drainage and the disease pressure is much, much lower. However the Metrolina Test Garden is not a cake walk and we are still finding the weaker varieties. For example many of the Petunias in the Viva Series and especially  Viva Fire Rose has done poorly all season.

In previous years Blanket Purple has been a real champion (and the only petunia standing in September). They have made some improvements to the line and it continues to be a top performer.

The top performing petunia so far has been Whispers Star Rose. I have been very impressed with how this variety holds up after a heavy rain.

The top performing new or improved petunias are:

12BP04C-2 Simply Madness	3.7
Blanket Purple Improved	3.7
Easy Wave South Beach Mix	3.7
Easy Wave Sweet Tart Mix	3.7
Espresso Sweet Pink	3.7
Famous Pink	3.7
Picnic Light Pink	4.0
Picnic Purple	3.7
Picnic Violet	4.0
Picnic White	3.7
Pop Rocks Coral	3.7
Pop Rocks Lavender	3.7
Pop Rocks White	3.7
Sanguna Atomic Blue	3.7
Sanguna Blue Vein	4.3
Sanguna Burgundy	3.7
Sanguna Light Blue	3.7
Sanguna Lipstick	3.7
Sanguna Plum Vein	3.7
Sanguna Rose	4.0
Sanguna White Pearl	4.3
Shock Wave Buzz Mix	3.7
Shock Wave Rose Improved	3.7
Sweet Pleasure Patio Cassis	4.3
Sweet Pleasure Patio White Lilac Eye	4.0
Trilogy Lavender Blush	4.0
Trilogy Rose	3.7
Trilogy Salmon Morn	3.7
Trilogy White	4.0
Viva Burgundy	3.7
Viva Rose Star	4.0
Whispers Amethyst	4.0
Whispers Appleblossom	3.7
Whispers Bright Pink	3.7
Whispers Purple	3.7
Whispers Red 11	4.0
Whispers White	4.0
Whispers Star Rose	4.7

Regards,

Mark Yelanich Ph.D.

Friday: Sun Caladiums

Past Plant of The Week!

Week 30: AAS Canna and Echinacea

Week 29:Trailing Begonia  ‘Santa Cruz’ Sunset from Benary

Week 28: Gomphrena Experimental from Sakata

Week 27:  Cleome Clio ‘Magenta’  from Danziger

Week 26: Angelonia Archangel Raspberry Improved from Ball FloraPlant.

Week 25: Open House Week

Week 24: Incarvillea (Incarvillea delavayi) Cheron Pink from PanAmerican

Week 23: Mecardonia  Magic Carpet Yellow from Sakata Ornamentals.

Week 22: Hibiscus “Mahogany Splendor” from Pan American Seed