Note: Information for this trials report was provided by Mark Yelanich, Chief Horticulture Officer at Metrolina Greenhouses.
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This year was largely a normal year for climate and a normal year for challenges for our trials at Metrolina Greenhouses. This is because we work with a lot of great breeding companies that help us put the garden together.
We placed a total of 2,677 plant varieties in the gardens this year, from a number of breeders. This included 1,900+ annuals, 400+ perennials, 300+ second-year perennials, 150+ 2-gallon combos in hanging baskets, and more than 100 planters.
We did try a few new things this year. We did a delosperma comparison trial as well as a verbena comparison trial in pots, and we will report on each of these next year. We also dedicated one bed to native plants and will carry that trial over into next year.
One of this year’s biggest surprises was Bidens ‘Delight White Improved’ from Danziger. We plant bidens each year, and our garden is usually really tough on them. ‘Delight White Improved’ made it through August with high ratings.
Our top performers were:
- Calibrachoa ‘MiniFamous Uno’ (Selecta One): Great performance, with high scores through August
- Petchoa ‘SuperCal Blue Eyed Rose’ (Sakata Ornamentals): SuperCal always does well in the Metrolina garden, and ‘SuperCal Blue Eyed Rose’ had great performance all season
- Petunia ‘SlingShot Lemonberry’ (Ball FloraPlant): It is always nice to see a novelty-type petunia doing well, and this one has a cool flower
- Salvia Skyscraper Series (Selecta One): This one attracted a ton of butterflies this year
- Impatiens ‘Spectra Lavender Shades’ (Syngenta Vegetative): We have been following this variety since it was a numbered one. It did very well in our shade and sun beds.
Find more 2024 field trials information here. In addition, the Greenhouse Grower team visited Metrolina in early June during the Southern Garden Tour. You can find our recap here.
