Volume 1, No. 12

Feb 15

Written by:
2/15/2012 5:43 PM

LSU AgCenter’s
Trial Garden Report
February 15, 2012

(Volume 1, No. 12)

Welcome to the February 15, 2012, trial garden report from the LSU AgCenter. This report is published semimonthly and highlights new ornamental landscape plants being evaluated at the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station.

New or Continuing Plant Evaluations for 2012

Many items are on the list of plants to be evaluated in landscape trials at the LSU AgCenter in 2012.

A complete collection of the Buzz, Flutterby and Lo & Behold series of buddleia will be studied.

The Buzz series are dwarf and are from Pacific Plug and Liner. Colors in the series are Sky Blue, Magenta, Lavender, Purple, Velvet and Ivory.

We have had a few of the Flutterby series buddleias over the past year. These have performed well with reliable bloom and little decline due to rainy conditions. This series is from Ball FloraPlant and is available in Petites, Flow and Grande size classes. Over-wintering is good with these cultivars.

The Lo and Behold buddleias are from Proven Winners. This includes the popular Blue Chip and Purple Haze cultivars. In addition, there is Ice Chip, Lilac Chip. Little Ruby is another Proven Winner cultivar we will be evaluating.

It is exciting to see more Encore azaleas coming from PDSI. Four new cultivars for 2012 will be announced soon. Nice plants. All are sports of previously released cultivars.

Gompheras for the trial gardens in 2012 will include the QIS series. Colors are carmine, red and orange.

PanAmerican Seed has added the new Blue and White cultivar to the Kauai series torenia for 2013. This is recommended for part sun to shade landscape beds and for containers, too. The Kauai series is new, and the whole series performed well last year at the Hammond Research Station with season-long bloom from April through first killing frost (in a partially shaded planting).

Vegetative oesteospermum from Ball FloraPlant for 2012 trials at the Hammond Research Station includes the FlowerPower, 3D and Zion series. We are also evaluating a new color in the Serenity series – bronze. Colors in the FlowerPowers are purple, purple red and yellow. Colors in the Zions are apricot pink, red and shadow yellow. Colors in the 3D for 2012 evaluation are berry white and coral sand.

New colors in the Shock Wave petunias for 2013 being evaluated this spring are rose improved and deep purple.

New colors in the Aztec verbenas being planted in landscape beds in February are burgundy wink, violet improved and violet white.

Seed received from American Takii for 2012 trials includes the 2012 AAS winner, Summer Jewel Pink. Also, the Salsa and Cabana ornamental peppers along with the Trilogy petunias.

Butterfly Pentas

The Butterfly series of hybrid pentas is distinctive for its compact growth habit, larger flowers and excellent garden performance. Butterfly pentas were a Louisiana Super Plant spring 2011.

Superb heat and humidity tolerance make this summer bedding plant a reliable choice for Louisiana gardeners.

Clusters of five-petaled flowers are produced continuously all summer from spring to first frost.

The series includes a variety of colors – Butterfly Deep Rose, Butterfly White, Butterfly Blush, Butterfly Deep Pink, Butterfly Light Lavender, Butterfly Lavender Shade and Butterfly Red.

The flowers are rich with nectar and are highly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Plant in full sun to part shade. Limit irrigation.

Snow Princess Lobularia

Snow Princess lobularia has gotten considerable attention over the past 6-9 months. Snow Princess is a unique breakthrough in the genus for heat tolerance and extended-season performance. This sterile Lobularia is extremely vigorous, and because it puts no energy into setting seed, it has an incredibly long bloom time. In Florida and Mississippi trials, Snow Princess displayed mounds of fragrant, white blooms from January through July. It ceates a great hanging basket or window box and is a perfect filler in combinations.