2017 trial participants:

• Ball FloraPlant
• Ball Ingenuity
• Ball Horticultural Company
• EarthWork Seeds
• Floranova
• Kieft Seed
• PanAmerican Seed
• Proven Winners
• Selecta

Galleries:

• Top performers
• Field day favorites
• Consumer favorites

About the trials:

Each summer the Floriculture Program at Cornell University conducts garden performance trials of annual plants at our Bluegrass Lane Research Facility adjacent to the campus in Ithaca, N.Y. (Hardiness zone 5b/6a). Every two weeks after planting outdoors, cultivars are evaluated based on foliage appearance, flower display, uniformity, and landscape value. At the end of the season, they are given an overall performance score. The plants below represent our top performers for 2017.

The annual trials are featured at our summer Floriculture Field Day, at which industry professionals and educators tour the gardens and attend talks from invited speakers. The summer trials and Field day would not be possible without the help and support of our industry sponsors, who help us to cover the significant costs of continuing this program.

Sponsor opportunities are offered at three levels: Bronze ($500), Silver ($1000), and Gold ($2000). If you would like to contribute to our program by becoming a sponsor, or if your company would like to participate in our trial program, please contact Kendra Hutchins (koh4@cornell.edu). Thank you!

2017 trial season

After the severe drought of the 2016 season, it was a relief to have precipitation again in Ithaca. But when it rains, it pours!

June was about average, but in July we had 174% of normal precipitation. Fortunately, most of our 125+ varieties seemed to adapt well, and it was a good trial season for us.

Nearly 100 growers and educators who attended our annual Floriculture Field Day on August 1 chose our field day favorites, and attendees at our August 1 in-house open house chose our Consumer favorites.

Click on images for larger view.