Caryopteris 'First Choice'

Trial: Perennial

Years Trialed: 2003, 2004

Good Qualities

Year 1

Great blue color (2); Might be a good late bloomer; Late summer bloomer and it's blue; Nice flower, ok vase life.

Problems



Year 1

Too short to sell (2); If this plant survives the winter and gets more stem length it will be a good cut.

Year 2

None of these made it through the winter, too wet?


Comments

Year 1

Similar to Caryopteris Hclandonensis ‘Longwood Blue’ Retail florist were asking for more; All the plants I have listed from the perennial trials as 100% dead, may still be alive under mulch, I will know in the spring (Zone 6b); These plants are growing but still small – excessive rain, hurt development and killed some; I lost a lot of these, I think they just stayed too wet this summer; Second season will tell all for this plant.

Trial Data



Year 1

Caryopteris 'First Choice'
Plants flowering (%) Plants dead at end of summer (%) Yield (stems/plant) Stem Length (inches) Market Appreciation Rating¹ Repeat Again Rating¹ Ease of Cultivation Rating¹
Wholesale Retail Consumer
Average 55 35 5.0 15.5 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.8 4.0
Range of Responses 0-100 0-100 0-15 12-20 1-5 1-5 1-5 1-5 3-5

¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.


Year 2


Caryopteris 'First Choice'
Yield (stems/plant) Stem Length (inches) Market Appreciation Rating¹ Repeat Again Rating² Ease of Cultivation Rating² Average Spacing (in2)
Wholesale Retail Consumer
Average 25 50 15 - - 3.0 3.0 4.0
Range of Responses 0-100 50 15 - - 3 3 4


¹Data shown are from those respondents who harvested stems. Some respondents may not have harvested stems because they were too short. Flowering stems may be longer next year after plants are established. See comments section for more details.

²1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.



Supplier

Walters Gardens (WG) P.O. Box 137 Zeeland, MI 49464 888-925-8377 FAX 800-752-1879 sales@waltersgardens.com