Trial: Annual

Years Trialed: 1997

Good Qualities

Beautiful dried burgundy color (3) to the seed heads; Dries well (2); Very nice mixer for our mixed bunches. The variety had great germination but I have never had luck growing this species. A friend in the dried flower business took some of the plants and had good luck with them and they have been a marketable dried for her; The dark colored pods are excellent. High design potential. They also have a long vase life as a fresh cut; Many blossoms per stems; No problems.

Problems

Seeded into garden but only 2% was plum colored, most of the plants must have reverted back to parent plants and were blue. Unlike my other nigella these had small 1/2 pods and spindly stems; Short-may have been caused by our excessive drought. It was irrigated but is never quite the same.

Comments

Could these be fall planted? Fresh sales of seed pods were dismal, too dark was the comment, but it was the Queen of dried sales, people loved the Victorian coloring; It was too late to direct sow the seed in the spring and since I haven't had luck with transplants I chose to plant the seed this fall so I will have results next year; Fair germination.

Trial Data

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

Supplier

Cramers' Posie Patch 116 Trial Rd. N. Elizabethtown, PA 17022 717-367-9494 FAX 717-367-8666