More information:
Melissa Kitchen, 607-280-4898 or mjb239@cornell.edu.
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Right, Floriculture Field Day attendees at Cornell University’s Bluegrass Lane research facility viewed and rated new and recent annual flower introductions.
ITHACA, N.Y. – In July, attendees at the Floriculture Field Day and open houses at Cornell University’s Bluegrass Lane Research Center rated their favorite new and recent annual flower introductions.
“Surprisingly, they agreed on three of the top five choices,” says Melissa Kitchen, who coordinates the trials. “Sometimes what the industry likes doesn’t go over as well with the public.”
But this year, floriculture pros and general public agreed that Zinnia Zahara ‘Fire’, Sanvitalia Cuzco ‘Yellow’ and the ornamental millet variety ‘Jade Princess’ belong at the top of any gardener’s or landscaper’s list.
Lobelia Techno Heat ‘Upright Light Blue’ and Salvia Velocity ‘Blue’ rounded out the industry Top 5, while Lobelia Techno Heat ‘Electric Blue’ and the purple fountain grass Pennisetum Graceful Grasses ‘Rubrum’ made the public list.
“It’s not a scientific test,” notes Kitchen. “But it does give you an idea of what flowers are catching the eyes of pros and the public.”
The raters chose from among more than 240 annual flower cultivars from the seven companies that sponsored trials at Cornell in 2009: Ball FloraPlant, PanAmerican Seed, Syngenta Flowers Inc., Proven Winners, Oro Farms, W. Atlee Burpee & Co. and American Takii, Inc.
You can view images and ratings of previous years’ trials at the Bluegrass Lane Annual Flower Trials website: www.hort.cornell.edu/bglannuals. Results of this year’s trials will be posted there at the end of the season.
The Floriculture Field Day also featured the sixth annual Kathy Pufahl Memorial Container Design Competition. View winners and other entries at www.greenhouse.cornell.edu.
Right to left, Zinnia Zahara ‘Fire’, Sanvitalia Cuzco ‘Yellow’ and the ornamental millet variety ‘Jade Princess’.
Below, Floriculture Field Day attendees at Cornell University’s Bluegrass Lane research facility viewed and rated new and recent annual flower introductions.
