Trial: Annual
Years Trialed: 2001
Good Qualities
Great burgundy color (4); Stiff stem, attractive landscape plant; Good garden annual; Foliage - good contrast - mixes well in garden, plant had good branching - filled in space well and made for less weeding; Good height for mixed bouquets; Spike; Strong grower; Good flower, however, will try this one again, - or, maybe it will winter over and perform well next season; Nice foliage.
Problems
Poor germination (2); Too short (2); Few harvestable stems (2); Variation for stem color, flower color, some chlorosis, would need STS; To grow as a cut, need to sow early (IL), otherwise too small and does not amount to anything; Flower spikes tend to grow one-sided; Uneven.
Comments
Not burgundy as it is named; Lobelia is a perennial in N.H., will report 2002 when in bloom; Similar to other perennial lobelia=s; Fan series are rated for zone 6 -?, we are zone 5, lobelia bloom late September for us, these new trial plants bloomed very short stems; non-useable for 2001, we expect useable stem for 2002; Not tall enough the first year; Too hot, blooms dried up.
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 | 2.4 | 13.9 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 180 |
| Range of Responses | 0-7 | 8-24 | 1-3 | 1-4 | 4 | 2-5 | 3-5 | 64-432 |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Benary Seed 1444 Larson St. Sycamore, IL 60178
