Trial: Annual

Years Trialed: 1997

Good Qualities

Wonderful color both fresh and dried (3); No negative comments (2); Nice long 8-10 inch stems. Great in dried bouquets as it was taller than other species; The vase life was over 14 days. My customers loved this globe in both fresh and dried designs; Fantastic germination-all strong/healthy, good foliage. Strong stems. blooms held well during harvest and after; Very large heads, maybe it's my imagination but this seems a little easier to handle than other varieties. (Better growth habit). Not even deer will eat it; This is the best gomphrena color I have seen. It is great; Heavy yield. Retained color well when dried.

Problems

Stems brittle (unlike other gomphrena I grew); Drought. I have planted these in my area and never had much luck; I need support for the plants. I thought they would have more of an erect growth habit. That was my fault; I believe this would sell better in our area if it were presented dried instead of fresh. Not much market interest here; Stems weren't as strong as I'd like.

Comments

This is a super plant that is sure to be a star; I would love to grow it again with the proper support and giving it the attention it needed; Not viable as a field grown cut in this area as we don't have the heat required for it to mature. Our plants came along some in the greenhouse but growth was greatly retarded once planted into the field.

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

Kieft Seeds P.O. Box 618 Conway, WA 98238