Trial: Annual

Years Trialed: 1998

Good Qualities

Good color (3); Great bedding plant (3); Very dense with flowers (2); Grew well in field; Easy to grow; Good if just picking heads for drying; Lots of heads, good for selling by the pound; Good sturdy blooms, large in size; Holds well for dried use, if cut a bit early and allowed to open as it dries; Wonderful dry

Problems

Too short (10); Dull color (2); Some stunting of growth- kept too long in plugs; Damping off in transplants; Not good for drying; Plants so compact you had to cut really hard to get a harvestable stem and then it was a clump all at once

Comments

Okay for nosegay type bouquets, dried nosegays, in garden borders, but not for me as a cut flower- Grew side by side with 'Woodcreek Rose'; 'Woodcreek' had much longer stems and better color; 'Buddy Rose' formed plants that looked like a pink ball 12; tall and 12-15; in diameter. Excellent landscape plant, but no cut flower use; Superior short bedding Gomphrena; In our experience this rose color does not sell well. We stopped growing this color a couple of years ago because we couldn't move it; I would have liked to have seen longer stems; Market mostly for dried instead of fresh. Good value for dried markets, potpourri, dried arrangements - little interest as a fresh cut. Great use in landscaping.

Trial Data

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

Supplier

Benary Seed 1444 Larson St. Sycamore, IL 60178