Sep 29, 2021

CSU Trial Garden Announces 2021 “Best of” Winners

The Annual Flower Trials at Colorado State University are well-known and well-attended each year by industry professionals across the country.

Evaluation days took place this year on Aug. 3 and Sept. 10, and the votes are in! Votes have been counted and the various winners have been determined for each category.

More information on the trial can be found at flowertrials.colostate.edu.

Best of Show – Rudbeckia ‘Sunbeckia Ophelia (Flamingo Holland). Gigantic yellow flowers attracted attention from across the garden. The huge flowers create a near solid canopy of yellow color that creates enormous flower power. Foliage that is visible is very attractive and clean. Plants require no pinching and matures at a nice medium height. The long-lasting flowers keep a fresh look and stay low maintenance by “burying its dead.” Performance was excellent both in ground and containers.

Best Novelty – Heliotropium ‘Augusta Lavender (Proven Winners). Prolific flowering was sustained throughout the entire growing season. The soft lavender flowers were very showy and had a slight fragrance in the heat of the afternoon. Plants had good uniformity and were a favorite of pollinators.

Best New Variety – Bidens ‘Brazen Imperial Luck’ (Syngenta Flowers). The vigorous plants were densely branched and created a solid mound of flowers across the canopy which created an impressive display of color. Blooms maintained a uniform pattern and had a rich saturated red color that paired well with the dark green foliage.  This entry was also very popular among the bees.

And “Best of” by Class:

Angelonia – Archangel ‘Dark Rose’ from Ball FloraPlant

Begonia (container, upright) – BK Collection ‘Vermillion Hot Pink’ from Beekenkamp

Begonia (container, seed) – ‘Nonstop Joy Orange’ from Benary

Begonia (container, trailing) – ‘Shine Bright White’ from Westhoff

Begonia (Rex) – ‘Jurassic Pink Splash’ from Ball Ingenuity

Begonia (wax, ground) – ‘Tophat Rose Bicolor’ from Syngenta Flowers

Bidens – ‘Brazen Imperial Luck’ from Syngenta Flowers

Calibrachoa – ‘Cabaret Good Night Kiss’ from Ball FloraPlant

Coleus – ‘Main Street Orchard Road’ from Dümmen Orange

Combination – Kwik Kombos Blue Lightning Mix Imp. from Syngenta Flowers

Geranium (container) – ‘Mojo White’ from Syngenta Flowers

Geranium (ground, Interspecific) – ‘Calliope Large Orange Splash’ from Syngenta Flowers

Geranium (ground, Zonal) – ‘Galaxy Violet’ from Ball FloraPlant

Impatiens – ‘Beacon Rose’ from PanAmerican Seed

Impatiens (vegetative, sun) – ‘SunPatiens  Compact Deep Red’ from Sakata Seed America

Lantana – ‘Hot Blooded Red’ from Syngenta Flowers

Lobelia – ‘Hot Waterblue’ from Westhoff

Marigold – ‘Marvel II Gold’ from Pan American Seed

New Guinea Impatiens (shade) – ‘Sonic Orange’ from Syngenta

Osteospermum – ‘Gelato Prune’ from Westhoff

Petunia (container, vegetative) – ‘Bee’s Knees’ from Ball FloraPlant

Petunia (ground, seed) – ‘E3 Easy Wave Blue’ from PanAmerican Seed

Petunia (ground, vegetative) – ‘Supertunia Vista Bubblegum’ from Proven Winners

Portulaca (container) – ‘Mega Pazzaz Purple’ from Danziger

Portulaca (ground, seed) – ‘Sundial Pink’ from Benary Plus

Rudbeckia – ‘Sunbeckia Ophelia’ from Flamingo Holland

Scaevola – ‘Indigo Touch’ from Danziger

Verbena (container) – ‘Lanai Upright Twister Watercolor’ from Syngenta Flowers

Verbena (ground) – ‘EnduraScape Pink Bicolor’ from Ball FloraPlant

Vinca – ‘Soiree Kawaii Coral Reef’ from Suntory Flowers

Zinnia – ‘Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor’ from Sakata Seed America