Helianthus 'Sunny'

Trial: Annual

Years Trialed: 2002


Helianthus 'Sunny'

Good Qualities

Short stiff petals, no pollen, good orange color, dark disk single stem; Tall, bright flowers - good for big arrangements; Nice clean stems; Higher production than 'Summertime' and longer stems - Seems to respond well to apical meristem clipping (pinching); Big flower, strong stem, met customer image of "Sunflower" - Pollen free, very attractive large brown disc; Good height, nice dark leaves.

Problems

Too tall and slow to flower - Some flower heads are too large, large foliage, thick stems; Huge heads, thick stems, disks too flat for market.

Comments

Similar to 'Summertime' and 'Sunny Lemon'; A secondary harvest of 15 inch axillary stems (arising from a 5-inch stump) could have been made in the first week of Sept - approximately 3 stems per plant; Later than others in trial, useful for sequential harvest - A nice big flower and strong stem, harvested 8/7-8/14 (Zone 6/7).


Trial Data

Helianthus 'Sunny'
Yield (stems/plant) Stem Length (inches) Market Appreciation Rating¹ Repeat Again Rating¹ Ease of Cultivation Rating¹ Average Spacing (in2)
Wholesale Retail Consumer
Average 1.5 37.6 2.5 3.7 4.0 3.9 4.4 93
Range of Responses 1-5 25-55 2-3 2-5 2-5 2-5 3-5 18-144


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