Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 2002
Good Qualities
Pretty bright yellow with green centers (9); Nice double/form (5); Uniform good color (to me); Nice variation from the more common 'Starburst Aura' - I already grow 'Starburst Aura' and will do this cultivar - good, long stemmed 2nd cuts - (if I can keep the deer away); Unique fluffy texture; great in mixes with other types of sunflowers - Early and fast; Good clean double; Customers seemed to really like it, it did very well; Unique flower but not profitable under dry conditions; Strong stems, thick, attractive layers of petals; Uniform yield in both quality and timing; Bright and cheerful color, long vase life - Number of cuts/plant for grower bunches, fresh looking; Nice form.
Problems
Axillary branching, green center; Small bloom size and stem diameter but again, this could be due to too close spacing; Lighter color (yellow, not gold) tends to attract more bugs, hence more damage; Not a strong, growing plant, tends to be early and short unless in very fertile soil; Germinated poorly under dry conditions - short stems; Deformed heads on several plants, appear oblong and folded, as though two sides of head were squeezed together; Plants produce over short period making multiple plantings necessary; Everything (centers and laterals) seemed to bloom at once; Branches inadequate stem length; Similar to other 'Starbursts'.
Comments
Similar to 'Teddy Bear' and 'Goldburst' but 'Starburst Lemon Aura' is shorter with smaller blooms, yellow, not as spectacular of a bloom; No consumer interest in flower bunches by itself, needs good soil to get longer stems and side branches; Matured in 69 days with 3-inch flowers; one of favorites of everyone - A winner; This was my favorite among the 10 ASCFG sunflowers trialed and also compared to 10 sunflowers from Wildseed Farm (TX); Special note deserves to be made of 'Lemon Aura', its flower color was fabulous, like a fine lemon meringue pie filling; Cut a short stem, had great vase life.
Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating¹ | Repeat Again Rating¹ | Ease of Cultivation Rating¹ | Average Spacing (in2) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Retail | Consumer | ||||||
| Average | 2.7 | 24.8 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 145 |
| Range of Responses | 1-8 | 10-36 | 2-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 16-432 |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Seedsense Ltd. 7, Bradfield Close North Walsham Norfolk NR28 oHL England
