Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 1999Good Qualities
Great colors (3); Very bright flowers, Great straight bunched and excellent in bouquets; Hardly any aster yellows disease. Consistent yield; When whole stems were cut, they added great fullness to bouquets; Very showy. Takes only a few stems for a nice bunch; Great Asters - not very susceptible to aster yellows. Large flowers, great for wedding work. Good vase life; Very uniform, good stems.Problems
Aster yellows (3); Our very dry summer may have caused the plants to grow abnormally. Many stems, but very “clumpy”; Drought all summer, therefore, no height; None; Didn't do well in cold wet conditions; Rust appeared in hot, dry weather. Drip irrigation just wasn't enough; Black beetles kept eating the petals, which explains the poor yield; No white in the mix, more blue than pink; Hot temperature, so bloomed short, many pests.Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating¹ | Repeat Again Rating¹ | Ease of Cultivation Rating¹ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 5.0 | 13.9 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Comments
Similar to Matsumoto; I'm more inclined to suggest that this makes a better garden plant then cut flower. The ultra thick stems are hard to cut; If irrigated, flowers were about 3/4; across, while non-irrigated flowers were about 1½; Colors were rosy pink, blue, white. Pink/Blue received, white okay. If you need a big splash of color or an eye catcher in a bouquet, this is the flower to grow; I like 'Serenade' series much better, more useable stems; A nice aster for cuts; Nice flowers.