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Dec 10, 2019
Get Regional! 2019 Trials Report Part 1
Jeff Gibson Ball Seed Landscape Business Manager

When it comes to plant performance, plants and politics are a lot alike … They are both very local.

This is one of the primary reasons Ball Horticultural Company sends new (and old) varieties to 25 university and public garden trialing sites across the country to gauge regional product performance for our plants.

In the spring and summer of 2019, we sent over 500 different items from the various Ball breeding companies: Pan American Seed, Kieft Seed, Darwin Perennials, Ball FloraPlant, Selecta One, and Ball Ingenuity.

Trials vary in the ways they record plant performance. Most all of them use rating scales to measure how a plant performs over time, then recognize the best with the highest marks.

So no matter where your landscape clients are located, you can be sure Ball varieties are trial-tested and regionally appropriate. Now that's going local!

Some of our top new annual plant performers are listed below.

Colorado State University - Fort Collins, CO

  • Dahlia City Lights Purple (BEST OF SHOW)
  • Petunia ColorRush White (BEST OF ANNUALS - pictured above)
  • Zinnia Zesty Scarlet (BEST OF ANNUALS)

Louisiana State University - Hammond, LA

  • Pentas Lucky Star (TOP TRIAL PICK)
  • Impatiens Beacon Bright Red and Coral (high resistant to impatiens downy mildew)
  • Zinnia Zesty Purple (pictured below)

Michigan State University - Lansing, MI

  • Coleus Heartbreaker (TOP PERFORMER)
  • Petunia Wave Purple
  • Impatiens Beacon Salmon

Penn State - Landisville, PA

  • Coleus FlameThrower Vindaloo Vision Mix
  • Impatiens Beacon Bright Red, Violet and Coral (high resistant to impatiens downy mildew)

University of Guelph - Guelph, Ontario

  • Impatiens Beacon Orange and Violet Shades (pictured above)
  • Salvia Purple in Bloom
  • Zonal Geranium Galaxy Pink

Dallas Arboretum - Dallas, TX

  • Pentas Lucky Star Pink (FLAMEPROOF AWARD)
  • Salvia SkyScaper Purple (FLAMEPROOF AWARD)

Mississippi State University - Crystal Springs, MS

  • Petunia Wave Carmine Velour (Survived and thrived all summer in MS)
  • Zinnia Zesty Scarlet

Visit us at the end of the month for an update on outstanding perennial varieties in the 2019 Trials. And check out our Resources page to download recent trials presentations and find links to plant trials nationwide.


   
Tags: NewPlants trials
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