Trial: Perennial
Years Trialed: 2002, 2003Good Qualities
Year 1
Profuse yellow flowers, thick stems!, some side shoots long enough to use; Nice plant, branches well; Very good vase life like H. kanara, better than H. magnificum, nice even color; Nice for fall color, late blooms; It was very tough and durable, the colors were wonderful in both varieties, did not seem to have any noticeable pest problems - I liked these very much and will definitely use again, sold every stem; Beautiful color, large healthy plants, strong stems, vigorous.Year 2
Great color (2); Branches well (3); Healthy plant; Not much; Very nice plant, customers liked it a lot; Strong growing plants; Vigorous plant, blooms late in the summer; Great vase life like Helenium kanaria, but with different colors, very popular for fall design work, and back to school, if cut back when last 10% of flowers are still blooming, we have enough time to get a second flush of about 20 inch tall stems.Problems
Year 1
Some sprays hard to cut - either too large or too small; Massive stems, need to be pinched, have to let all flowers open and groom off spent ones; Army worms.Year 2
Post harvest not great; It bloomed in early August but would be better in September – if I grow it as an annual, I can get it to bloom later; This plant just blooms at the wrong time – in mid August the gold colors are just “too” fall like, the flower is difficult for florists to use; Staking or netting necessary to prevent wind and rain damage.Year 2
Similar to Helenium kanaria and Helenium magnificum; Color is not very popular for the time of year of flowering; Growing this as an annual-planting early and blooming in Sept. might make it more salable, it grows very well and makes many long stems.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 | 6.5 | 3.3 | 27.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Range of Responses | 100 | 0-39 | 0-10 | 15-40 | 3-5 | 5 | 4-5 | 4-5 | 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
| Plants Surviving (%) | Yield (stems/plant)¹ | Stem Length (inches)¹ | Market Appreciation Rating² | Repeat Again Rating² | Ease of Cultivation Rating² | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Retail | Consumer | ||||||
| Average | 100 | 13.4 | 41.2 | 4 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.6 |
| Range of Responses | 100 | 2-40 | 24-50 | 3-5 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 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
Editor note: See the Postharvest Report in this issue for vase life and handling information. Very similar to Helenium kanaria, but different color, kanaria is lemon yellow; Need to pinch early (10 inches) to get more usable stems, otherwise, produces massive stems almost too big to use; I have grown helenium in the past - It is not a great cut, but would be ok if it bloomed in Sept/Oct - It blooms in Aug. when color doesn't sell.