Trial: Annual

Years Trialed: 1999

Good Qualities

Great color (3); Double (3); Customers loved it (2); Good flower size (2); Tallest stems of all my sunflower trial seeds, sturdy, thick stems, large flower heads, good looking double-rowed flowers, 6; across on heads branched when cut, with short internode length (6; or so). Great character; Stands out for miles around! Customers couldn't get enough. It's a winner; Long vase life. Heads held up or out. Attractive; Flowers just kept coming; A very strong growing double sunflower. Good size plants. Beautiful flowers. Also dries well; Liked the branching and cluster at top. Liked double centers. Produced long into season; Nice flower, unusual; Highly marketable; Looks very good.

Problems

Not as heat or drought tolerant as other cultivars, but still a good performer; None; Didn't like it at all. Customers wouldn't touch it; Rust in foggy areas, disease on leaves. Stems can be thick and heavy. Took a long time to bloom due to cool summer; Very susceptible to rust; Small plants, branched, semi-double flower.

Comments

Similar to Goldburst (2); Similar to Teddy Bear; No fertilizer or chemicals used. They just kept blooming each week. Customers at Farmers Market looked for these. Other flower growers there wanted to know where I got seed, told her nothing!; Had trouble figuring out when to cut; Long bloom period all August into September; Goldburst is far superior to this cultivar.

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