Helianthus 'Del Sol'

Trial: Annual

Year Trialed: 1997

Good Qualities

Early flowering (2); Excellent color (3); Good vase life (2); Florists love them; This sunflower was a nice medium size head, it was good in solid sunflower bunches; Longer petals looked lacier; Produced over a pretty long period; Good all around plant; This one was a bit earlier than all other varieties and sunflowers. Good single sunflower form; Long lasting; Nice size head; Strong stem; Nice sunflower; No problems.

Problems

Too much variation in stem and bloom size; Tiny head-3 across on single stalk; Grasshoppers; Because they stayed in the greenhouse (we have a lot of wind and no protection for very tall plants) I believe the stems were a little weaker than they would have been if grown outside; Cool wet summer caused early mildew and browning of flowers; Petals fell from head quickly after harvest; Sunflowers are losing favor, not many side shoots; No vigor, stunted, weak.

Comments

I liked this sunflower. It was a nice medium head type; To my customers, a sunflower is a sunflower, they couldn't tell any difference in them; This is the only thing the deer ate in the field this year; Loses too many petals to be a good dried flower; I preferred the smaller flowers from pinched plants; Very similar to lots of other sunflowers; Very nice sunflower; Looked liked Sunbeam but did not act like them--ie. did not hold petals.


Trial Data

Helianthus 'Del Sol'
Yield (stems/plant) Stem Length (inches) Market Appreciation Rating¹ Repeat Again Rating¹ Ease of Cultivation Rating¹
Average 2.7 35 4.0 3.7 4.8


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


Supplier

PanAmerican Seed P.O. Box 438 West Chicago, IL 60186