Echinacea Purpurea 'Ruby Star'

Trial: Perennial

Years Trialed: 2004, 2005


Echinacea purpurea 'Ruby Star'

Good Qualities

Year 1

Good stems and flower size; Good for the seed pod dried.

Year 2

Nice seed pod


Problems

Year 1

Insects like echinacea as do deer.

Comments

Year 1

One trialer noted a vase life of 7 days.

Year 2

One trialer reported the postharvest life as 6 days.



Trial Data

Year 1

 
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 100 0 5.5 22.6 2.0 3.0 3.7 3.8 4.3
Range of Responses 100 0 3-8 16-32 2 3 3-4 2-5 4-5
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.

Year 2

Echinacea purpurea 'Ruby Star'
Plants surviving (%) Yield (stems/plant)¹ Stem Length (inches)¹ Market Appreciation Rating² Repeat Again Rating² Ease of Cultivation Rating²
Average 100.0 14.7 25.3 3.5 3.7 5.0
Range of Responses 100 4-30 20-36 3-5 3-5 5


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

Grow'n Sell/Benary (GS) 320 Lower State Rd. Chalfont, PA 18914 215-822-1276 FAX 215-997-1770