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Top 10 choices a challenge
Narrowing down the top performers |
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Written by Melhem Sawaya
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 What’s the hardest part of covering the Sawaya Garden Trials, or any other trial, for that matter? How about compiling a Top 10 List from 2,000 cultivars? This is especially difficult when so many of the existing cultivars have been improved and so many excellent new ones have been introduced.
For me, the characteristics of a top variety are:
• Healthy foliage through the whole growing season, unaffected by less-than-optimum water quality factors such as high pH or alkalinity levels.
• If it is a flowering plant, it should flower from the first day in the garden until the end of the season.
• The flower power does not disappear under high temperatures.
• It has the ability to recover from a short wilting period.
• The plant can survive low temperatures.
• It is resistant to insects and diseases.
• There is a good balance between vegetative growth and flower power.
• It does not require any dead-heading or self-cleaning. As well, the new buds and flowers cover the old ones before they die back.
• Minimal, or no, special growing treatments are required (easy care).
The Top 10 varieties I chose show these characteristics. Even the osteospermum flowered the whole summer long with minimal dead-heading.
The ivy geranium ‘Acapulco’ flowered all summer and the new buds covered the old ones.
You would think the argyranthemum ‘Molimba’ is indestructible because it always showed nice, clean-white flowers and we never had to dead-head it.
All the angelonias are excellent. ‘Alonia Pink’ showed a nice balance between the foliage and the flower power.
Lantanas are always a favourite species among all trials visitors. Lantana varieties are all excellent. They flower the whole summer with no dead-heading, and attract a lot of birds. I chose ‘Landmark Blaze’ because it has a balance of not being too compact or wild-spreading.
So many petunias have been strong performers for the last three years and this continued in 2007. They all had good flower power but some are too much, just about to the point where you don’t see any foliage! These varieties might not be the best in either the greenhouse or the garden, as a good petunia has to have a balance between vegetative growth and flower power. Supertunia ‘Bermuda Beach’ perfectly displayed that balance.
By far, the top species in all the trials is the calibrachoa. After walking the trials, you might even wonder why anyone would grow anything but a calibrachoa! We saw excellent breeding from almost all breeders, some more compact than others, but let us not fall into the trap of growing products with too high a density because this crop is going to end up in somebody’s garden, where density is a negative characteristic. Calibrachoa ‘Cabaret White Improved’ was a very nice shape and an excellent pure-white variety; as well, the flowers looked fresh every day. ‘Mini Famous Compact Burgundy’ was not as vigorous but it grows well in the garden.
Begonias are the number one species and yet we shortchange their potential by advertising them as only shade plants. And while begonia is an average performer in the shade, it truly dazzles in full sun. There are many forms of begonia and that is why, in next year’s trials, we are featuring them on a larger scale.
We will also be featuring the Wave-type petunia from seed. You will be surprised how many there are and how every one of them has its own characteristics.
Here is the Top 10 List. Note that the numbers attached to them do not mean their standing in the list, but are simply references to the corresponding pictures.
• Ivy Geranium ‘Acapulco Compact’ (1)
• Petunia Supertunia ‘Bermuda Beach’ (2)
• Calibrachoa ‘Cabaret White Improved’ (3)
• Calibrachoa ‘Mini Famous Compact Burgundy’ (4)
• Angelonia ‘Alonia Pink’ (5)
• Osteospermum ‘Symphony Orange’ (6)
• Osteospermum ‘Zion Pink Sand’ (7)
•Argyranthemum ‘Molimba Mini Double White’ (8)
• Lantana ‘Landmark Blaze’ (9)
• Begonia ‘Bonfire’ (10).
This year, for the first time, we added a contest to the trials for combination hanging baskets Attendees voted for their favourites. The combinations were put together by different growers and grown the whole summer at the trials location.
The outcome for the first year was excellent. It added a new deal of excitement to know the winners also provided growers with an educational opportu-nity as they were able to get ideas on which items to include in their own trials. The prizes were donated by Vacform/Concept Plastic Company, and we are grateful to them for their support.
Placing third was a combo of two mandivella (11), submitted by Northend Gardens. (12) The second place combination was an argyranthemum centre, (13) submitted by Lees Nursery. (14)
The first place combination, with a mix of begonia, ipomea, bacopa, petunia, calibrachoa, plectranthus and coleus (15), gelled together for an excellent show the entire season. This combination won by a large margin over the second place and was submitted by Nicol Florist. (16)
We will build on this competition next year, so start planning your displays!
Also next season, we will have many more perennials, a large number of tropicals, and some caladiums.
Trials require complete dedication to keep the displays looking good. Fortunately, we have staff members who fill that requirement. As you can see, Imrie (17) is happy to dead-head some geranium combination baskets but dedication to plants has a limit as Imrie and Gregory collaborated to kill this plant (18) rather than dead-head it! That shows a plant like this has no place in the market.
The trials would be useless if it weren’t for the people who attend, which also makes it worthwhile. From breeder representatives (19) who check the performance of their varieties and how they compare to the competition, to growers (20) who show extreme interest in checking the plants and take note of every cultivar and spend five to six hours of continuous investigation.
Growers and industry supporters combine business and pleasure by riding their motorcycles (21) as they come to see the trials, talk to their customers, do a little business, socialize, and relax in a very informal atmosphere.
The excellent attendance and obvious interest of the attendees is very gratifying to the people who have been so dedicated to the success of the trials. (22) Thomas grew the trials this summer with the help of his sister, Nadia, who backed him up when needed. Also, he talked his friends (23) into helping him so they could all go to a concert the next day.
It was a few family members and friends who took care of these trials, but it is a much larger family involved in making these trials a real success.
We have many breeders, sponsors and growers (all listed in the Greenhouse Canada website – www.greenhousecanada.com – sidebar feature) who are involved. Like every project, job or activity, “many hands make light work.” I am personally thankful to all the people involved. Their support and participation encourages me to expand these trials to even greater success.
We are always open for suggestions on how to improve or add to the existing structure so please feel free to contact us at
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and we look forward to seeing you next year. n
Melhem Sawaya of Focus Greenhouse Management is a consultant and research coordinator to the horticultural industry. Comments on this or any other article are always welcome via
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