Trials conducted in the University of Florida's trial gardens are designed to present the latest in industry genetics and provide information for southern growers and landscapers on the performance of new plant materials.
The winter 2002 trial is focused on the winter performance of two of the hottest new vegetative crops on the market, Diascia and Nemesia. Both of these plants belong to the family Scrophulariaceae (the Snapdragon family) and are known for long flowering under cool season conditions. Previous trials at UF facilities have shown that they make excellent winter baskets, and offer an alternative to Pansies and Violas in the winter landscape. Both of these crops have exhibited extended cool season performance in mild winter areas and though they would not make good landscape plants for the far north, they do have some winter landscape potential in southern and western regions of the US. Northern growers will benefit by determining winter flowering potentials and also by widening their early production windows in minimally heated greenhouses.
All cultivars were planted on 12" centers into the landscape directly from the liner flats. Each plant received 5 grams of Osmocote 14-14-14, which was incorporated at planting. The soil in the trial gardens is amended with Mushroom compost at 1 cubic yard per 100 square feet. Overall pH in the trial beds ranges from 5.6-6.4.
The trial will have digital images and notes summarizing conditions in the trial gardens which will be updated every two weeks.
This trial began in Week 44 of 2002 and continues through Week 9 of 2003.
