AGM Final Report for Trial of Perpetual Flowering and Spray Carnations Under Glass 2008-2010 The Perpetual Flowering Carnation Trials Assessment Panel recommended the Society's AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT (H1), given to plants which have proved to be excellent for garden use, to: Viana 'Kovian' AGM (H1) 2010 (Trial Entry No. 6) Sent by and available from: P Kooij & Zonen B.V., Hornweg 132 / Postbus 341, 1430 AH Aalsmeer, Holland Panel comments: Really has the wow factor. Lovely flower colour combination. Good plant growth. Flowered well in the trial. Has always been in flower and performed very well throughout the trial. Description: Perpetual flowering carnation. Vigorous plant with glaucous grey-green foliage. Fully double flowers, yellow ground (1D) broadly edged and with numerous ticks and short stripes of deep red (60A). Margins shallowly toothed. Flowers 9cm in diameter. The following entries have been recommended for the AGM but cannot receive the award until they are available to the public in retail catalogues. It is the responsibility of the sender to inform the Trials Office at Wisley that all queries have been resolved. AGM Subject to Registration Capri 'Kocapri' AGM (H1) 2010 (Trial Entry No. 3) Sent by and available from: P Kooij & Zonen B.V., Hornweg 132 / Postbus 341, 1430 AH Aalsmeer, Holland Panel comments: Very attractive flower with a lovely colour. Free-flowering and a very prolific flowerer. Flowers haven't lost their colour through the seasons. Plants have plenty of nice strong growth, with good strong stems. An all round good example of a spray carnation. Description: Spray carnation. Vigorous plant with glaucous grey-green foliage. Floriferous with fully double flowers. Flowers yellow-green (4C) blushed with orange (30D), to give the overall effect of a pale orange self (25C). Margins very shallowly toothed. Flowers 5cm in diameter. 1
AGM Subject to Registration and Availability 'Ruby' AGM (H1) 2010, Subject to Registration (Trial Entry No. 5) Sent by: M. Lek V.O.F., Nieuwveens Jaagpad 47, 2441 EK, Niewveen, Holland. Panel comments: Flowers have unusual markings. Incredibly good plant growth. Flowers have a lovely scent. A good size flower for this colour combination, although flower colour can be inconsistent. Didn't flower at the start, but was perpetual after that. Description: Perpetual flowering carnation. Vigorous plant with glaucous grey-green foliage. Fully double flowers. Ground vivid red (52A) paling to deep pink (52B) towards the base; broadly edged with white. Margins toothed. Flowers 8cm in diameter. 11 December 2008 18 January 2010 4 March 2010 Other plants included in the trial, but not recommended for the Award of Garden Merit: Alicia 'Baralicia' (Trial Entry No. 1) was not recommended for any award because it did not reach the required standard. Panel Comments: The flower is good but the plants do not have very good flower production. It is a slow starter with inconsistent flowering during its first year but it flowered every month during its second year. The plants have grown well; good strong plants with nice vigorous growth and foliage. Type: Perpetual flowering carnation Sent by: M. Lek V.O.F Lagos 'Barlagos' (Trial Entry No. 4) was not recommended for any award because it did not reach the required standard. Panel Comments: Flowered well all the way through the trial. Plants are very vigorous. Flowers are prone to fading. Type: Spray carnation Sent by: M. Lek V.O.F 2
Antigua 'Kotigua' (Trial Entry No. 2) was not recommended for any award because it did not reach the required standard. Panel Comments: Quirky flower colour which could be popular with some. Performed well as a. Untidy plant growth. Flower colour changes as the flowers age. Type: Perpetual flowering carnation Sent by: P Kooij & Konen 27 November 2009 30 April 2010 Trial Notes Objective: Culture: The purpose of this trial is to ascertain the qualities of the plant and flowers over a given period of time and to ensure that they are in fact perpetual flowering. Cuttings were taken in October 2007 and rooted in 100% perlite. These were grown on, stopped once (pinching out the leader at the sixth node to encourage the production of side shoots) and potted into 5-8cm (2-3") pots using peat free compost. They were received at Wisley at this stage on 13 February 2008 where they were kept under glass just frost free. In mid February they were stopped and potted on into 10cm pots, using a peat-free compost. In late May 2008 they were potted on into 25cm clay pots. The plants were supported by canes and plastic rings. Blooms were removed as they faded, cut off at the sixth node below the flower on younger plants or at the eighth node on older plants. Verkon was used on the secateurs before each cut to prevent spread of disease. The glasshouse temperature was maintained at 9 C (48 F) minimum and plentiful ventilation given to maintain a buoyant atmosphere. A liquid feed was applied at every other watering (1N:1P:1K in winter and 3N:1P:1K from spring to autumn). The trial was sprayed weekly with SB Plant Invigorator and regularly treated with Compost Tea. Generally, chemical sprays were used early on in the year to treat pests and diseases and then biological control measures were used to keep pests and diseases under control. However, chemical sprays were also used later in the year if required. Entries: There were six entries submitted for trial as listed above. 3
Records: Findings: A record of the number of flowers removed each week was kept throughout the two year duration of the trial. The plants performed well throughout the course of the trial with very little pest damage occurring. Graphs of cut flower numbers for each month can be seen below. Cut Flower Totals for the 2008-2010 Trial Under Glass 60 No. of Cut Flowers 50 40 30 20 'Alicia' (Cor Lek) 'Lagos' (Cor Lek) Spray 'Capri' (P Kooij & Zonen) Spray 'Rubi' (Cor Lek) 'Viana' (P Kooij & Zonen) 'Antiqua' (P Kooij & Zonen) 10 0 Jun-08 Jul-08 Aug-08 Sep-08 Oct-08 Nov-08 Dec-08 Jan-09 Feb-09 Mar-09 Apr-09 Cut Flower Totals for the 2008-2010 Trial - Under Glass 60 144 162 135 113 No. of Cut Flowers 50 40 30 20 'Alicia' (Cor Lek) 'Lagos' (Cor Lek) Spray 'Capri' (P Kooij & Zonen) Spray 'Rubi' (Cor Lek) 'Viana' (P Kooij & Zonen) 'Antiqua' (P Kooij & Zonen) 10 0 May-09 Jun-09 Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Judging: Members of the Perpetual Flowering Carnation Trials Assessment Panel inspected the trial on the first Wednesday of every other month from August 2008 to April 2010. At the final visit in April 2010 members were asked to comment and vote on each plant. The Panel s recommendation for the Award of Garden Merit to three entries was ratified at the October 2010 meeting of the RHS Herbaceous Plant Committee. 4
Assessment meeting 7 October 2009 The Trials Assessment Panel assessed each entry using the following criteria:- Flower: Form and size 5 points Plant: Habit (incl. stem) 5 points Colour 2 points Health 5 points Scent 2 points Calyx 1 point Plants, Senders and Awards: AGM = Award of Garden Merit H1 = plants requiring heated glass STR/A = Subject to Registration / Availability Award No. Cultivar Sender 1 'Alicia' Alicia 'Baralicia' C Lek 2 'Antiqua' Antigua 'Kotigua' P Kooij & Zonen AGM (H1) 2010 3 'Capri' Capri 'Kocapri' neither pot in the P Kooij & Zonen patio container trial survived the winter 4 'Lagos' Lagos 'Barlagos' C Lek AGM (H1) 2010 5 'Rubi' 'Ruby' one pot in the patio container trial C Lek STR/A did not survive the winter AGM (H1) 2010 STR 6 'Viana' Viana 'Kovian' P Kooij & Zonen N.B. Names that are struck through have been corrected by RHS Botanists Names and addresses of senders of plants to the Trial: C Lek, M Lek V.O.F., Niewveens Jaagpad 47, 2441 EK Nieuwveen-Holland P Kooij & Zonen B.V., Hornweg 132 / Postbus 341, 1430 AH Aalsmeer, Holland Further information on this trial is available from: The Trials Office, RHS Garden, Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB Tel: 01483 224234 & Email: trials@rhs.org.uk More information about RHS Trials and other Trials reports can be found on the RHS Website at www.rhs.org.uk/trials 5