1. Industry
The Trial gardens at UGA are known far and wide, and every year our Open House for Industry allows us the opportunity to see what catches the eyes of industry people (breeders, growers, retailers, brokers, etc).
Everyone who attends is provided with about 5 flags and asked to select plants they are drawn to. This year (June 15, 2011), approximately 250 people wandered through the garden, and a good deal of stabbing was done. – in fact over 60 plants had at least one flag, but we have listed only the top 30, every one is special, remember there are at least 2000 choices.
Here are the flag bearers, in groups of 10, based on the number of flags per plant:
The top 10: Many, many, many flags
Phlox paniculata ‘Peacock White’ Syngenta
Caladium ‘Pink Splash’ Classic Caladium
Angelonia Carita Purple 09 Syngenta
Heliotropium ‘Scentropia Dark Blue’ Syngenta
Ptilotus ‘Joey’ Benary
Echinacea ‘Cranberry Cupcake’ Terra Nova
Rudbeckia ‘Denver Daisy’ Benary
Scaevola ‘Bombay Dark Blue’ Syngenta
Coleus ‘Wasabi’ Ball Floral Plant
Hibiscus ‘Cranberry Punch’ Walters Gardens
The next 10: Many, many flags
Rudbeckia ‘Pot of Gold’
Angelonia ‘Archangel Purple’ Ball Horticulture (Ball Floral Plant)
Colocasia ‘Mohito’ GroLink
Mimulus ‘Buttercup’ GroLink
Geranium ‘Caliente Orange’ Syngenta
Ipomoea ‘Sweet Caroline Bewitched Imp’ Proven Winners
Hibiscus ‘Royal Gems’ Fleming Flowers
Verbena ‘Temari Patio Blue’ Suntory
Salvia ‘Sallyfun Blue Tune’ Danziger
The other 10: Many flags
Salvia ‘Sallyfun Blue Emotion’ Danziger
Bracteantha ‘Helica Purple Halo’ Danziger
Begonia ‘Whopper Rose Bronze Leaf’ Ball
Coleus ‘Henna’ Ball Horticulture (Ball Floral Plant)
Lantana ‘Bandana Rose Imp Syngenta
Acalypha ‘Ceylon Lime’
Verbena ‘Fuego Denim Blue’ Ball Horticulture (Selecta First Class)
Dahlia ‘Goldalia Scarlet’ Syngenta
Verbena ‘Lanai Upright Rose with Eye’ Syngenta
Verbena ‘Princess Dark Lavender’ Athens Select
On July 25, 20121, we will host over 400 home gardeners and they too will be stabbing. Stay tuned to see if the gardening public has similar choices to our industry friends.