On August 3, 2021, approximately 150 professional and advanced master gardeners rated over 1,000 flowering and foliage plants during the return of the in-person evaluation day at Colorado State University (CSU). Many of CSU’s seed and vegetative company cooperators visited the trials and evaluated at least a portion of the 1,000 varieties. A luncheon was served, and the university president and dean of college of agricultural sciences spoke.

The trial garden is planned and maintained each year by the department of horticulture and landscape architecture with guidance from a committee of growers, flower seed companies and public garden horticulturists.

Presented here are just five of the favorites from the professional judging. View these and many more outstanding annuals from the 2021 trials at flowertrials.colostate.edu.

From left to right, the plants pictured are:

Calibrachoa Cabaret® Good Night Kiss from Ball FloraPlant
The flower color was quite novel, having a darker star-shaped center and vibrant pink, purple and yellow tricolor blooms. The growth habit was trailing and covered container well. Makes an excellent container or hanging basket plant and a breakthrough in color with unique star-shaped center.

Lantana Hot Blooded® Red from Syngenta Flowers
This Lantana is another repeat winner from previous years. The plant was covered with bright red and orange flowers along with a more dense, uniform growth habit. Excellent plant for more hot, drier sites that provides color later into the season.

Coleus Main Street Beale Street from Dümmen Orange
This vigorous grower, with attractive deep burgundy red foliage that stayed vibrant late into the season, was a repeat winner from 2020. There is basically no flowering. The plant does well in the ground and makes a great, taller patio plant for containers.

Rudbeckia hirta Sunbeckia Ophelia from Flamingo Holland/Bulb
This Rudbeckia stood out from others due to numerous large yellow flowers with a yellow center. The growth habit was uniform and more compact than others in the trial.

Scaevola Indigo Touch™ from Danziger
This Scaevola stood out from other entries in this category due to deep purple flowers that complemented the dark green foliage. The compact mounding growth habit makes it an ideal container plant.

This excerpt originally appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of Colorado Green magazine.

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OSHA emergency temporary standard requires COVID vaccine or weekly testing in the workplace
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ALCC scholarship program supports the future and honors those who value education
Alpenglow Sprinkler still committed to irrigation efficiency after 36 years