Evaluations
Two sets of evaluations were done;
OSU
Trial
Gardens
staff evaluation and the
Consumer Preference evaluation. The both
sets of evaluations were measured using a relative scale of 1-5 (1 poor-5
excellent).
The OSU evaluation focused on specific
criteria including: flower number,
flower quality, vegetative vigor, uniformity between the individual plants of
the same variety, and an overall aesthetic performance. Some plants were not able to be judged by all
criteria (not blooming plant like coleus), and occasionally, some plants would
have one or two features that were so impressive, that the overall score may end
up being higher than the average of the other scores. Evaluations were done TABLE 1, TABLE 2,
and TABLE 3. Click on these dates to be taken to the
tables conating all of the scores for that
evaluation.
Some of the top performing varieties from the OSU
evaluations, with scores above 4.50, are Heuchera ‘Dolce
Black Currant’, Cardoon, Petunia ‘Supertunia
Vista Bubblegum’, Pelargonium ‘Dolce
Vita’, Petunia ‘Opera Supreme
Purple’, Solenostemon ‘Curly Speckles’, Lamium ‘Pink Chablis’, Pelargonium ‘Americana Dark Red’, Impatiens ‘LoGro
Deep Salmon’, Cyperus ‘King Tut’, and Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’.
Other varieties that rated very well, above 4.25, that
are worth mentioning are Coprosma ‘Coppershine’, Cleome ‘Spirit
Appleblossom’, Vinca ‘Cora White’, Petunia ‘Mystic Dark Pink’, Penstemon ‘Pheonix Red’, and Lantana ‘Sonshine’. The companies that produced this material can
be found on evaluations listed above.
The
Consumer Preference evaluation is based simply on the same 1-5 scale, but it is
more of an aesthetic appeal judgment. If
the consumer likes the plant, it scores high, if they do not care for it, it
scores lower. Four separate evaluations
were done on 6/26/2007, 8/1/2007, 8/29/2007, and 10/31/2007. The table containing a summary of these results
can be seen here TABLE 4.
Some
of the top performing varieties from the Consumer Preference evaluations, with
an average score from the four evaluations ranging from 4.42 to 4.29 are Petunia ‘Opera Supreme Purple’, Petunia ‘Supertunia Raspberry Blast’, Phlox ‘Intensia
Neon Pink’, Carex ‘Grasshopper’, Salvia f. ‘Sallyfun Blue Emotion’, Lantana ‘Red Spread’, Petunia ‘Opera Supreme Blue’, Plectranthus ‘Cerveza ‘n Lime’, Phlox ‘Intensia Star Brite’, Basil
‘Pesto Perpetua’.
Other
Varieties that rated very well, above a 4.00, that are worth mentioning are Petunia ‘Patio Blue’, Bracteanthea ‘Helica
Bicolor
Orange
’, Vinca ‘Cora Violet’, Double Impatiens ‘Musica Bicolor Pink’, Cyperus ‘King Tut’. The companies that produced this plant
material can be found on the tables listed above.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the
following companies for participating in this year’s trial.
Ball Horticultural
Co.
Ernst Benary of Amercia Inc.
Bodger Botanical
D.S. Cole
Growers
Danziger “Dan” Flower Farm
Dümmen USA
Fides North
America
Fischer
USA
Floranova
Goldsmith
Seeds
Grimes Seeds
Grolink
Jackson &
Perkins (Suntory)
J.P. Bartlett
Co., Inc.
McGregor Plant
Sales
PanAmerican Seed Co.
Park Ave.
Farms
Proven Winers
Sakata Seed
Syngenta (S&G Seeds)
American Takii Inc.
We would like to thank the
following companies for donating materials, time and/or labor.
Bioworks
Buckeye Resourses
Sungro Horticultural
Bioworks
BFG Supply Co.
Thanks also to the fantastic
staff that helped to make this year’s trial a reality: Jim Vent and Dave Snodgrass, our student
workers; Lindsay Davis and David Lukas. As
well as an extra special thanks to our committed core of volunteers that do
everything from plant, photograph and produce the exceptional plant in our
trials and a fond farewell to Stephanie Burns who committed herself and her
time to making this trial work for the past two seasons, may she find success
and fortune in her future endeavors.
