The Young’s Plant Farm trial backyard is positioned in Auburn, AL (UDSA Zone 8). It is 26,000 sq. ft of raised beds that embody solar and shade trials. Each season 432 particular person varieties, 40 mixture panorama beds, 56 hanging baskets, and 180 combos planters are evaluated.
This yr, everything in the backyard was put in on April 19, 2019. Summer temperatures ranged from 75ºF to 97ºF levels and relative humidity was regular with a excessive of 90% in July. Rainfall this summer time was decrease than regular; the manufacturing crew measured 18 inches for April by way of August, in comparison with an common quantity of 21 inches.
Data and photographs have been collected biweekly from planting till the tip of the expansion season. A ranking is given to every plant based mostly on flower amount, flower high quality, vegetative vigor, uniformity, and total plant well being. Data and photographs might be seen on the trial garden website.
In the backyard, varieties new to the market have been trialed alongside varieties which can be at the moment within the Young’s program for a comparability. This yr, the panorama beds have been used to illustrate present gardening developments that included tropical gardening, vertical gardening, and pollinator gardening with perennials.
Top varieties might be seen within the slideshow above. Here’s an inventory of the highest performers and shopper favorites.
Top Performers:
- Caladium ‘Bottle Rocket’ (Classic Caladiums)
- Coleus ‘ColorBlaze Wicked Witch’ (Proven Winners)
- Lantana ‘Gem Compact Orange Fire’ (Danziger)
- Braceantha ‘Granvia Gold’ (Suntory Flowers)
- Geranium ‘Calliope Large Orange Splash’ (Syngenta Flowers)
Consumer Favorites:
- Petunia ‘Wave Carmine Velour’ (PanAmerican Seed)
- Lantana ‘Hot Blooded Red’ (Syngenta Flowers)
- Geranium ‘Galaxy Violet’ (Ball FloraPlant)
- Zinnia ‘Zesty Purple’ (Ball Ingenuity)
- Cuphea ‘Honeybells’ (Ball FloraPlant)
Click here for extra info on different area trials from 2019.
