Trial: Annual
Year Trialed: 2004 Year of Trial: First (from 2004 report)Good Qualities
Beautiful color (8); Great fragrance (3); Strong stems (2); First field grown stock we could use in our bouquets (stems longer than most field grown stock in our area); Best performing stock I have grown (Zone 5), I will grow stock again with this newly restored faith in the plant; Eagerly snapped up by the first customer in the shop! Strong stems evenly covered by florettes the full length of the stem, individual petals are smooth, not crinkled like so many other stocks; We had given up on growing Matthiola, but this variety has once again changed my mind and gives me hope; I have tried many varieties, we got pretty good stem length, and I thought an entirely acceptable number of doubles, we really like these for some of our first bouquets; Nice for an early crop; Easy to grow, customers like flowers with scent; A gorgeous cut overall.Problems
Spikes had very few flowers; Never got tall enough for florists; None, have fall crop planted that is coming on well; Would like a longer harvest window, but this could be a function of hotter climate (west, Zone 4-5); A lot of effort for one stem; I need to learn how to select for doubles; Laterals sometimes came before main stem.Postharvest
Stocks need to have water changed frequently to prolong vase life; Bleach to prevent water clouding or delay.Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating¹ | Repeat Again Rating¹ | Ease of Cultivation Rating¹ | Average Spacing (in2) | Average Postharvest Life (days) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Retail | Consumer | |||||||
| Average | 0.9 | 16.1 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 70 | 9.0 |
| Range of Responses | 0-1 | 8-24 | 4 | 1-5 | 2-5 | 1-5 | 3-5 | 36-192 | 6-15 |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Comments
Similar to other stocks; Cuts available third week of June (early for field flowers in N.H.); We will certainly grow this one next year and want to try other colors in this series; Sowed in the greenhouse in 2/3/04, transplanted to 200 cell tray, good germination, harvest period from 6/22-6/29/04.