Penstemon Final Trials Report

Transcription

1 Penstemon Final Trials Report RHS/ Tim Sandall Author Karen Robbirt,Trials Office The Royal Horticultural Society Garden, Wisley, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB Final Trials Report for Trial Number 1996 Penstemon

2 Trial of Penstemon The RHS Garden Wisley hosted a trial of Penstemon during the period with the aim of assessing the best commercially available cultivars. Over one hundred entries were included in the trial, submitted by various nurseries and breeders in the UK. The judging forum met regularly to assess the trial over three flowering seasons inclusive. The forum had voted on AGM recommendations throughout the trial period and the final trial meeting was used to confirm prior recommendations. In order to receive an AGM a cultivar was required to perform well for two flowering seasons and receive a 3 to 1 voting majority from the forum. The forum recommended plants for the AGM based on the following criteria: habit and structure; floriferousness; quality of flower; length of flowering; foliage quality; hardiness; pest and disease resistance. Horticultural Summary Three plants of each entry were planted on the Portsmouth field at RHS Garden Wisley on 19 June Two days prior to planting sulphate of ammonia and sulphate of potash were applied as a fertiliser at a rate of 40g/m 2. Similar applications were made in spring 2015 and A top dressing of Strulch was applied as a mulch after planting, primarily to control weeds. Spent flowers were deadheaded as necessary during the flowering season. The previous year s growth was cut down to the base each spring. Fungicide and insecticide were applied periodically during each season. The forum recommended the Society s AWARD of GARDEN MERIT (AGM) [H3] to the following entries: Pensham Tiger Belle Coral (Pensham Series) [entry 22] Description: Semi-evergreen perennial. Flowers are vivid pink-purple, 3.5cm long. Corolla colour deep purplish pink, close to N67C. White throat streaked deep purplish red, close to N59B. Height c.90cm. Forum Comments: flowers with exceptionally attractive throat markings. Vigorous sturdy growth, upright uniform habit. 2

3 Pensham Tiger Belle Rose (Pensham Series) [entry 23] Description: Semi-evergreen perennial. Flowers are mid red colour, 4cm long. Corolla red group, closest to N45D. White throat streaked deep purplish red, close to group 59B. Height c.110cm. Forum Comments: Floriferous and long-flowering. Long flower spikes. Good plant vigour and shape. Stands well. Bodnant [entry 30] Sent by: Hoo House Nursery Description: Semi-evergreen perennial. Flowers are a strong purple, 4cm long. Corolla is reddish purple, closest to purple group 77A. White throat streaked with reddish purple markings close to 77A. Height c.90cm. Forum Comments: Stands well. Healthy attractive plants with good shape. Strong flower colour. Dark green foliage. Has been very floriferous over the season. Pensham Avonbelle (Pensham Series) [entry 60] Description: Semi-evergreen perennial. Flowers vivid pink, to 4.5cm. Corolla closest to deep purplish pink N57C. White throat very lightly streaked pink. Height c.90cm. Forum Comments: Striking flower colour. Floriferous over long period. Attractive, clean foliage colour. 3

4 Pensham Just Jayne (Pensham Series) [entry 68] Description: Semi-evergreen perennial. Flowers a vivid purplish red-pink, to 4cm. Corolla closest to red-purple group NN71A. White throat heavily streaked with dark purple-red close to N79C. Height c.100cm. Forum Comments: Floriferous, good late-season flower. Striking pink-magenta flower. Consistently good through the season. Pensham Victoria Plum (Pensham Series) [entry 82] Sent by: Hardy Cottage Garden Plants Description: Semi-evergreen perennial. Flowers a dusky plum to 4.5cm. Corolla a strong reddish purple close to purple group N78B. White throat streaked deep purplish red close to 71A. Height c.110cm. Forum Comments: Lovely flower, floriferous. Attractive plants, strong, healthy, bushy habit. Long flower spikes which tend to dip at the tip, straightening with maturity. The forum recommended the Society s AWARD of GARDEN MERIT be RECONFIRMED for the following entries: Andenken an Friedrich Hahn (Garnet) H [entry 27] Description: Bushy semi-evergreen perennial to 90cm tall, with narrow, dark foliage and erect racemes of tubular bell-shaped, deep wine-red flowers 3.5cm long, marked white in the throat Corolla closest to red-purple 187D. Lax habit. Forum Comments: Lax habit ideal for naturalistic planting. Floriferous over a long season. 4

5 Evelyn AGM 1993 H4 [entry 36] Description: Compact and bushy semi-evergreen perennial to 60cm tall, with narrow foliage and slim panicles of tubular rose-pink flowers 2.5cm long, the throat white with dark red lines. Corolla closest to red purple group 67B. Forum Comments: Attractive damson-pink flowers, corolla fairly elongated. Floriferous and holds flowers well. Hewell Pink Bedder AGM 1993 H4 [entry 42] Description: Semi-evergreen perennial to 80cm tall, with grey-green foliage and narrow panicles of bright reddish-pink, tubular bell-shaped flowers 4.5cm long. Corolla strong reddish pink close to 52A. White throat. Forum Comments: Good vigour and habit. Flowers sit up nicely. Floriferous over a long period. Hidcote Pink AGM 1993 H3 [entry 43] Description: Semi-evergreen perennial to 90cm tall, with narrow grey-green leaves and slender panicles of rose-pink flowers (54B) 3.5cm long, streaked with purple on the creamy-white throat. Forum Comments: Vigorous, healthy, uniform plants. Very floriferous, attractive rose-coloured flowers. 5

6 Stapleford Gem AGM 1993 H4 [entry 49] Sent by: Worlds End Garden Nursery Flowering time: mid-summer to autumn. Habit: bushy, semi-evergreen perennial to 75cm (30in) tall. Frost hardy. Foliage: opposite, lanceolate leaves, deep green (147A) with hairs on both surfaces. Stems: strong, light green, pubescent stems arise from a small base. Flowers: narrow panicles of tubular, bell-shaped flowers, each 3.5cm (1¾in) long. Each is purple flushed with blue with the lower lobes becoming whitish. There are purple guidelines on the throat. Calyx green Forum Comments: Floriferous over the season. Distinctive blue-purple flowers. Healthy, uniform, vigorous plants. Rich Ruby AGM 2012 H3 [entry 89] Sent by: Hardys Cottage Garden Plants Flowering time: mid-summer to autumn. Habit: semi-evergreen perennial forming a dense, leafy shrub to 90cm (36in) high. Foliage: lanceolate leaves. Olive-grey (146A) above and slightly glaucous below. Stems: moderate yellow-green with a purplish tone to one side. Flowers: panicles of large, tubular, bell-shaped flowers, each to 4.5cm (1¾in) long. Each is deep red closest to red-purple group 59A. The white throat is heavily lined with dark purple patches. Anthers dark purplish grey. Forum Comments: Steady flowering through the summer. Velvety texture to rich red flowers. Upright clean foliage with reddish stems. Schoenholzeri (Firebird) AGM 1993 H4 [entry 92] Flowering time: mid-summer to autumn. Habit: bushy, semi-evergreen perennial to 80cm (32in) high. Frost hardy. Foliage: narrow foliage, toothed green (137A), opposite leaves. Stems: lax, brown-toned stems. Flowers: panicles of tubular, bell-shaped, crimson flowers, each 3.5cm (1¾in) wide. Each flower is close to red group 53C with a white throat heavily streaked deep purplish red (close to 61A). Calyx dark purplish brown. Forum Comments: Very floriferous over a long period. Lax habit, good for naturalistic planting. Vibrant pink flowers contrast well against pale green foliage. 6

7 The forum recommended to RESCIND the Society's AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT from the following entries: Alice Hindley AGM 1993 H4 [entry 24] Forum Comments: Lacks consistency, yellowing foliage, tired, disappointing. Generally poor performance although attractive pretty purple flowers. Overall not AGM worthy. Perhaps the stock has not been maintained well but generally plants do not perform well. A lot of brown leaf toward the base. Tired, leggy and looking poorly. The plants were quite variable. Good habit but little flower. Apple Blossom AGM 1993 H3 [entry 28] Forum Comments: Although fairly consistent and uniform habit, plants have been very shy on flower through the season. Not a good enough grower. Prone to dying out in the centre of the plant, lacking flowers. Yellowing leaves which is common with this variety. Cherry AGM 1993 H3 [entry 33] Sent by: Hardy Cottage Garden Plants Forum Comments: Struggling, poor growth. Very poor plants here. Not healthy - stems brown off regularly. Lax habit and only a few flowers, better varieties of the same colour available. Looks wilted and dying off at base. heterophyllus Catherine de la Mere AGM 1993 H4 [entry 32] Sent by: Hardy Cottage Garden Plants Forum Comments: Severe yellowing of the foliage. Early to flower but doesn t hold flower or foliage for long. Early flowering, no repeat flowers. Great flower colour but poor foliage and unreliable flowers. Spreading habit and so becomes bare in the centre. Good vigour but flower only round edges. Naturally short flowering season and very poor appearance later. Chester Scarlet (Joy) AGM 1993 H3 [entry 47] Forum Comments: Struggling here throughout the trial. Plant splitting in the centre, yellowing of foliage. Poor, although reasonable foliage colour. Very small plants. Lax habit. Leaf yellowing, plants bare at centre, improved but not until late in season. Pennington Gem AGM 1993 H3 [entry 57] Forum Comments: Plenty of good foliage, but not a lot of flower or bud. Breaks in the centre of the plant. Attractive pink flowers but shy on flower. Very little flower, good colour but didn't improve till late in season. White Bedder AGM 1993 H3 [entry 98] Forum Comments: Shy on flower. Very small plants not growing well. Dead flowers hang on detracting from overall impression. Affected leaves also detract. Very little flower, poor display. H3 = Half hardy mild winter. Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK except in severe winters and at risk from sudden (early) frosts. May be hardy elsewhere with wall shelter or good microclimate. Likely to be damaged or killed in cold winters, particularly with no snow cover or if pot grown. H4 = Hardy average winter. Hardy though most of the UK apart from inland valleys, at altitude and central/northerly locations. May suffer foliage damage and stem dieback in harsh winters in cold gardens. Some normally hardy plants may not survive long wet winters in heavy or poorly drained soil. H5 = Hardy cold winter. Hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters. May not withstand open/exposed sites or central or northern locations. 7

8 Index of plants in the trial No Name AGM Source 1 Blueberry Fudge (Ice cream series) Thompson & Morgan 2 Bubblegum (Ice cream series) Thompson & Morgan 3 Juicy Grape (Ice cream series) Thompson & Morgan 4 Melting Candy (Ice cream series) Thompson & Morgan 5 Strawberries and Cream (Ice cream series) Thompson & Morgan 6 Sweet Cherry (Ice cream series) Thompson & Morgan 7 Vanilla Plum (Ice cream series) Thompson & Morgan 8 Blue Riding Hood PBR (Riding Hood Series) Fairweathers 9 Delft Blue Riding Hood PBR (Riding Hood Series) Fairweathers 10 Hot Pink Riding Hood PBR (Riding Hood Series) Fairweathers 11 Purple Riding Hood (Riding Hood Series) Fairweathers 12 Red Riding Hood PBR (Riding Hood Series) Fairweathers 13 Elgar Firefly (Elgar Series) Cotswold Garden Flowers 14 Elgar Light of Life (Elgar Series) Cotswold Garden Flowers 15 Elgar Nimrod (Elgar Series) Hayloft Plants 16 [Etna] = Yatna Kernock Park Plants 17 [Etna] = Yatna Hayloft Plants 18 [Fujiyama] = 'Yayama PBR Kernock Park Plants 19 [Fujijama] = 'Yayama PBR Hayloft Plants 20 [Kilimanjaro] = Yajaro Kernock Park Plants 21 [Vesuvius] = Yasius Kernock Park Plants 22 Pensham Tiger Bell Coral (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 23 Pensham Tiger Bell Rose (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 24 Alice Hindley 1993 Hoo House Nursery 25 [Phoenix Magenta] = Pheni Magna (Phoenix Syngenta Series) 26 [Phoenix Violet] = Pheni Vio (Phoenix Series) Syngenta 27 Andenken an Friedrich Hahn (Garnet) 1993 Hayloft Plants 28 Apple Blossom 1993 Hayloft Plants 29 Blackbird Hoo House Nursery 30 Bodnant Hoo House Nursery 31 Unknown rogue Hayloft Plants 32 heterophyllus Catherine de la Mare 1993 Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 33 Cherry 1993 Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 34 Countess of Dalkeith Hayloft Plants 35 Dark Towers PBR Hayloft Plants 36 Evelyn 1993 Hayloft Plants 37 Flamingo Hayloft Plants 38 Pensham Freshwater Pearl (Pensham Series) Hoo House Nursery 39 George Elrick Hoo House Nursery 40 George Moon Hayloft Plants 41 heterophyllus Heavenly Blue Hayloft Plants 42 Hewell Pink Bedder 1993 Hayloft Plants 43 Hidcote Pink 1993 Hayloft Plants 44 Hidcote Purple Hoo House Nursery 45 P. digitalis Husker Red Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 46 Huskers Red Hayloft Plants 47 Chester Scarlet (Joy) Hayloft Plants 48 King George V Hayloft Plants 49 Stapleford Gem 1993 Worlds End Garden Nursery 50 Pensham Capricorn Moon 1993 Hayloft Plants 51 [Phoenix Appleblossom] = Pheni Ablos (Phoenix Syngenta Series) 52 Midnight Hayloft Plants 53 Mother of Pearl Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 54 Hidcote Pink 1993 Hayloft Plants 8

9 55 glaber Roundway Snowflake Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 56 hartwegii Albus Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 57 Pennington Gem 1993 Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 58 Newbury Gem Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 59 Pensham Amelia Jane (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 60 Pensham Avonbelle (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 61 Pensham Blackberry Ice (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 62 Pensham Blueberry Ice (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 63 Pensham Capricorn Moon (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 64 Pensham Czar (Pensham Series) Thompson & Morgan 65 Pensham Eleanor Young (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 66 heterophyllus Margarita Bop Wyevale Nurseries 67 Pensham Great Expectations (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 68 Pensham Just Jayne (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 69 Pensham Kay Burton (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 70 Pensham Laura (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 71 Pensham Loganberry Ice (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 72 Pensham Louise Wilson (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 73 Pensham Marilyn (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 74 King George V Hayloft Plants 75 [Phoenix Pink] = Pheni Pinka (Phoenix Series) Syngenta 76 [Phoenix Red] = Pheni Reeda (Phoenix Series) Syngenta 77 Unknown rogue Hayloft Plants 78 Pensham Saint James s (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 79 Pensham Skies (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 80 Pensham Tayberry Ice (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 81 Pensham Teds Purple (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 82 Pensham Victoria Plum (Pensham Series) Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 83 Pensham Wedding Day (Pensham Series) Hayloft Plants 84 Pershore Pink Necklace Hayloft Plants 85 Hewell Pink Bedder Hayloft Plants 86 Precious Gem Hayloft Plants 87 Port Wine Kernock Park Plants 88 Purple Passion Hayloft Plants 89 Rich Ruby 1993 Hardys Cottage Garden Plants 90 Unknown rogue Cotswold Garden Flowers 91 Unknown rogue Hayloft Plants 92 Schoenholzeri (Firebird) 1993 Hayloft Plants 93 White Bedder (Syn. Snowstorm) 1993 Kernock Park Plants 94 Pensham Skies Hayloft Plants 95 Stapleford Gem 1993 Hayloft Plants 96 Storm Hayloft Plants 97 Thorn Hayloft Plants 98 White Bedder 1993 Hayloft Plants 99 Windsor Red Hayloft Plants 100 Woodpecker Hayloft Plants 101 Osprey 1993 Hayloft Plants 102 Pensham Westminster Belle Delamore Young Plants 103 Pensham Westminster Belle Delamore Young Plants 104 Unknown rogue Hayloft Plants 105 Hidcote Pink 1993 Hayloft Plants 9

10 Senders to the Trial: Cotswold Garden Flowers Sands Lane, Badsey, Worcestershire WR11 7EZ Delamore Young Plants Now incorporated into Volmary. Fairweather s Wholesale Nursery Hilltop, Beaulieu, Hampshire SO42 7YB Hardys Cottage Garden Plants Priory Lane Nursery, Freefolk Priors, Whitchurch, Hampshire RG28 7NJ Hayloft Plants The Pack House, Manor Farm Nursery, Pensham, Pershore WR10 3HB Hoo House Nursery Gloucester Road, Tewkesbury, Gloucester GL20 7DA Kernock Park Plants Pillaton, Saltash, Cornwall PL12 6RY Syngenta Thompson & Morgan Worlds End Garden Nursery Now closed Wyevale Nurseries 10