Trial Started: 2005
Year of Trial: First (from 2005 report)Good Qualities
Striking bi-color (5); Vigorous seedlings, good germination; Fast.Problems
Too short (6); Not attractive (2); Lost small percent (10 - 15%) to crown rot; Not as vigorous as other dianthus; Spindly heads in field, grown right next to a crop of luscious 'Amazon', it wasn't worth harvesting; Difficulty propagating in greenhouse; Didn't like it at all! - wirely stems, not thick, color looked dirty, muddy, old when stem was young, total waste of space; Browned out prior to cutting; Nothing special; 1st florets starts to turn brown too soon; In general the Radiant series was not as good in the field as the Sweet series - the flowers were smaller and not as well filled, the plants had a less healthy appearance, it shows no frost tolerance.Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating¹ | Repeat Again Rating¹ | Ease of Cultivation Rating¹ | Average Spacing (in2) | Average Postharvest Life (days) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Retail | Consumer | |||||||
| Average | 4.5 | 12.1 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 86 | 8.0 |
| Range of Responses | 1-10 | 7-20 | 2-3 | 2-4 | 1-4 | 1-4 | 2-5 | 16-288 | 7-10 |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Comments
Weak bloomer; Get another 12 inches and could be great; All dianthus were transplanted late into the high tunnels and were shorter than desired, would have done better in field which was cooler in the spring; Short stemmed and short lived; Florists consistently ignored them.