Trial: Perennial
Years Trialed: 2000, 2001Good Qualities
Year 1
Survived the summer (Zone 7a), let's see how they do next year; Unique gray/blue color - nice flower shape.Year 2
Interesting flower - more gray than species; Tall stems, good white thistle color.Problems
Year 1
Painful to handle, research technicians had a fit that I was growing thistle, I'll not be surprised if there's some Round Up sabotage next spring; Didn't take the heat; Too short first year - needs 2nd season to evaluate; I await - this one tough as nails!Year 2
Not very vigorous; Very large plant, needs some support, difficult to cut, spiney.Year 2
Well received by retail florist; Similar to Echinops retro; Nothing special here, just a little more gray.Trial Data
Year 1
| Plants alive at end of summer (%) | Plants flowering (%) | Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating¹ | Repeat Again Rating¹ | Ease of Cultivation Rating¹ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Retail | Consumer | |||||||
| Average | 75.0 | 51.5 | 3.5 | 15.5 | 0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 3.0 |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Year 2
| Yield (stems/plant)¹ | Stem Length (inches)¹ | Market Appreciation Rating² | Repeat Again Rating² | Ease of Cultivation Rating² | Average Spacing (in2) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Retail | Consumer | ||||||
| Average | 75 | 9.3 | 46.0 | 2.7 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 4.3 |
| Range of Responses | 0-100 | 4-16 | 30-60 | 2-3 | 3-5 | 3-0 | 1-5 | 4-5 |
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.
Comments
Year 1
Maybe good in 2nd season.