Ohio State University Extension2007 Herbaceous Ornamental Field Trial Results |
Extension Agent, Horticulture, Clark County
 IntroductionClark County Extension Master Gardener volunteers have evaluated annuals at the Clark County Extension office site in Springfield, Ohio since 1995. Carolyn Allen (OSU Extension Program Assistant Horticulture/Master Gardener Volunteer), Barbara Brown (Master Gardener Volunteer), and Sally Day (Master Gardener Volunteer) were co-chairs of the project. The field trial plots are located in the Gateway Learning Gardens and are planted and maintained by volunteers. Approximately 40 volunteers work on this project, starting plugs and seeds in the greenhouse to planting and weeding the plots.The plots are typical of the west-central Ohio area; the soil is predominantly clay with a pH of 7.3. The current plots were established in the fall of 1996. The beds were tilled to a depth of 14" and 2" of compost was added. Compost was added when new beds were established; additional compost is added every 3 years. It was last added to all beds in the spring of 2006. There is approximately 5000 square feet of bed space in full sun and approximately 1000 square feet in shade. New top soil was added to all beds this year to a depth of 6" for the purpose of raising the beds to their original soil depth. The selection of plants to be trialed in the garden varies from year to year. The selection is based on entries from seed companies, performance in prior years, on current trends, and on industry recommendations. In this section, the results of performance for the plants are based on the data collected at the plots. The data reflects the growing conditions of 2007. The purpose of the evaluation is to provide growers, landscapers, and homeowners a guide for plant selection for Ohio. MethodThe plants were started from seeds, plugs or cuttings, depending on the species, according to the recommended starting dates. They were planted in the plots on May 24, 2007. Rows were spaced 1.5' apart with 6 plants of each variety in a row. Trailing or vining plants were spaced 2' apart in the row with 4' between rows.Osmocote? (14-14-14) fertilizer was incorporated into the soil prior to planting at the labeled rate. No additional applications of fertilizer were made. Irrigation was applied during dry periods so that plants received at least 1" of water per week. See the weather information below for details. No mulch was used; Treflan (e.g. trifluralin) was incorporated in between the rows 6 weeks after planting. Hand weeding was completed as needed Plants were grown in full sun, unless otherwise indicated. (Note, the plants in BOLD in the list below were those in the shade house). The material for the shade house provided a 70% shade. No insecticides or fungicides were applied. The plants were not deadheaded or pruned during the growing season. Three people conducted visual evaluations in June, July, August, and September. The entire row was given a visual rating from 1 to 5. If there were less than 3 plants remaining in one row at any time during the evaluation, the variety was dropped from the trials and the result is listed as “dead.” A rating of 5 was considered to be excellent and a rating of 1 was considered to be poor. The 3 individual evaluation ratings were averaged for the monthly rating figure. The monthly evaluations (June-September) were averaged for the overall rating for each variety. Weather InformationPrecipitation at planting time in May was slightly below normal and temperatures were normal. The annuals were planted under good soil conditions; plants were irrigated in the first weeks in order to establish a good root system. Temperatures in June were above normal with a few 90ºF days, July was close to normal, and August had 14 days of 90ºF temperatures. In 2007, there were a total of 23 days over 90ºF compared to 12 days 2006, 26 days in 2005, 0 days in 2004, and 3 days in 2003. This growing season started out on the dry side, was fairly dry in July, and was below average in terms of soil moisture in August and September. The following indicates weather conditions for this growing season as well as normal average temperatures and precipitation. ResultsFollowing are the varieties in the 2007 field trials and their monthly ratings and overall rating. They are in order of highest to lowest overall rating. The plants listed in BOLD are those varieties that were grown under the shade structure (70% shade cloth).The supplier for each variety is listed in the table; the supplier key is at the end. The plants are listed in order of Overall Rating from highest to lowest. A rating of 5 is the highest; a rating of 1 is the lowest. 5 - 4.5 | 4.49 - 4.0 | 3.99 - 3.5 | 3.49 - 3.0
| 2.99 - dead Suppliers
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