Trial: Perennial
Years Trialed: 1999, 2000Good Qualities
Year 1
Unique seed head. Best cut when green for my market; Needs to wait until next year; No pests or diseases to date; It’s great fresh or dried; Would make nice greenery for arrangements. Most plant look excellent; Showy seed head, easy to grow.Year 2
Nice astilbe, easy from seed; None - These must take a long time to look good; Nice flower.Problems
Year 1
Planted too late (4-1) to flower first year; It’s easy to grow but I think it likes more organic matter in the soil than where I had it. It should be much taller than 14; Stems need larger amount green which may happen in coming years.Year 2
Hard to keep them happy in this climate (Zone 7a), poor competitors against weeds, and managing water requirements tricky; Slow grower - flowers not vigorous; why grow these when there are good cultivars?; In full sun and not at its best; Needs shade to increase stem length, poor stem length in shade.Trial Data
Year 1
| Yield (stems/plant)¹ | Stem Length (inches)¹ | Market Appreciation Rating² | Repeat Again Rating² | Ease of Cultivation Rating² | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 5.0 | 19.3 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
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.
Year 2
| Plants Surviving (%) | Yield (stems/plant)¹ | Stem Length (inches)¹ | Market Appreciation Rating² | Repeat Again Rating² | Ease of Cultivation Rating² | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Retail | Consumer | ||||||
| Average | 90.0 | 16.6 | 20.7 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
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.
Comments
Year 1
I will plant this fall and get reading next year but I like it; A December planting is 3' tall and has immature flowers (seed heads) on September 1.