Editors’ Note: This is the fourth in a six-part series on research being performed at Michigan State University in East Lansing.
research
MSU Plant Trials Report
A
By Art Cameron
s the new annual plant trial director at Michigan State University, I was in rapid- learning mode during the 2009 growing season. But I was looking forward to watching, up close and personal, the performance and ornamental character of new annual introductions. In particular, I was interested in learning which annuals were both
tough and great performers, considering this has been a focus of mine through the years with herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses. Rating plants every few weeks all summer long, I found plenty of interesting annuals well worth further consideration. And some were even tough enough to make it into my own home garden!
Plant Culture and Weather
In 2009, all our annuals were transplanted
into ground beds between May 19 and June 1. Soil temperatures in mid-Michigan typically rise above 60° F in late May. Plants were spaced on 8- to 12-inch centers. Every other week, from June 25 to September 15, Chris Noffsinger (2009 trial garden manager), Ashley Whalon (summer intern, sponsored by Michigan Greenhouse Growers) and I rated the plants as a group to reduce bias. At the alternative rating periods, Ashley rated the plants. Plants were subjectively rated based on vigor and ornamental performance. Top per- formers received a 5 rating; plants with passable performance received a rating of 3; and underper- forming varieties received a 2 rating. In 2009, we tested nearly 400 annuals, about
two-thirds of which were grown in the ground. (The other third were grown in containers.) In general, plants grown in containers outper- formed the same plants grown in the ground, most
likely because they were better watered
and fertilized than those in the ground. Ground beds were hand watered as needed and ferti- gated with 19-4-23 (250-ppm nitrogen) water- soluble fertilizer every two or three weeks. No treatments were given this year for disease con- trol, and there was more root-disease pressure in ground beds.
The Toughest Annuals at MSU
Performance of plants grown in the ground
Carex ‘Toffee Twist’ and grasses
seemed to give us a better indication of “tough- ness” because they received less irrigation and fertilization in our trials. Still, under these con- ditions, several plants we tested received ratings of 5 on nearly every rating date and averaged 4.7 or better (see Table 1). Each of these 24 plants looked great to the judges from less than a month after planting to mid-September. I think it’s fair to say that many home gardeners are looking for plants that provide interesting ornamental char- acters for most of the season without being too fussy in a garden setting.
18 GPN May 2010
Texture and Form
Perhaps it is not surprising that many of our
top long-term summer performers have orna- mental leaves, texture and form. Starting at the top of the list, alphabetically, is
carex ‘Toffee Twist’. In mass, this plant sets up a fi ne spray of texture that combines well with color or other textural plants. I’ve grown ‘Toffee Twist’ for years in my home garden alongside herbaceous perennials and have found that it is perfectly tough and can often overwinter in mid-Michigan. It is typically rated as hardy to USDA Zone 6. Carex are native to open areas in New Zealand, thrive with full sun and well- drained soils, and tolerate a fair amount of drought stress. Many colocasia have performed well in Mich-
igan through the years and can provide a pow- erful and bold tropical element to a garden. Some can grow to more than 6 feet tall by the end of the season. Somewhat surprising to many, they do not need to be grown in water, and in fact can be fairly drought tolerant. ‘Heart of the Jungle’ was the only cultivar submitted to our trials this past season and it put on a great show, particularly when paired with cyperus ‘King Tut’. Cyperus, like colocasia, do not need constant moisture and can easily be grown as bedding plants in our climate. Several other colocasias have done well here in the past, including ‘Black Magic’, ‘Violet Stem’, ‘Tea Cup’ and ‘Coffee Cup’. New cultivars
Colocasia ‘Heart of the Jungle’
www.gpnmag.com
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