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University of Minnesota West Central

Research and Outreach Center

The 2016 Top Ten

Performing Annual Flowers

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University of Minnesota

West Central Research and Outreach Center

2016 Top Ten Performing Annual Flowers

Steve Poppe, Senior Horticulture Scientist

Esther Jordan, Communications Specialist

One of the largest and most impressive displays of annual flower varieties and cultivars in the Upper Midwest can be found at the University of Minnesota (U of MN) West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) Horticulture Display Garden in Morris, MN.

Annual flowers are evaluated on unique characteristics, exceptional performance, color and vigor under regional conditions. A visual evaluation and score was given three times during the 2016 growing season. Only the highest rated cultivars earn the distinction of a Top Ten Performing Annual. The goal of evaluating this vast array of cultivars is to develop recommendations for Minnesota.

Even though the annual flowers are under evaluation, the plants are placed into an aesthetically pleasing design. All flowers are labeled, allowing visitors to take note of top performing cultivars under regional conditions.

The WCROC Garden is also an All-America Selections (AAS) Display Garden and Trial Grounds. This Garden provides the public an opportunity to view the newest superior performers recognized by AAS judges. The Horticulture Display Garden is open daily from dawn until dusk; admission is free. For a complete list of all trial results, please refer to www.wcroc.cfans.umn.edu/flower-research-results. * denotes top consumer favorites at the 2016 U of M WCROC Horticulture Night

* On the front cover: Ornamental Pepper Sedona Sun (top left), Petunia Damask® White (top center), Begonia Topspin Rose (top right), Marigold Taishan Gold Improved (middle right), and Rudbeckia Tigereye Gold (bottom).

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A ngelonia Angelface® Super Pink is a heat and drought

tolerant plant that blooms all season long with fragrant

grape-scented foliage. This is a low maintenance plant

that requires no deadheading and is a great cut flower. Angelonia’s

are heat-loving plants that will grow most vigorously and bloom

best in the heat of the season.

Angelonia Angelface® Super Pink

Height = 30-40 inches

Spread = 12-18 inches

Bloom Time = Late Spring to Fall

Exposure = Full Sun

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B egonia Whopper Rose Bronze Foliage offers

outstanding performance with extra-large pink

flowers against a background of glossy bronze

foliage from spring through fall. Whoppers are a big

vigorous plant which fills out garden beds and large

containers well.

Begonia Whopper Rose Bronze Foliage

Height = 30 inches

Spread = 18 inches

Bloom Time = Late Spring until Fall

Exposure = Partial Shade

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C oleus French Quarter* is a high impact coleus, perfect

for large pots or in the garden landscape. Elegant pink

and green leaves add a dramatic touch to the garden in

either sun or shade.

Coleus French Quarter*

Height = 30 inches

Spread = 24 inches

Exposure = Full Sun and Shade

Soil Moisture = Evenly Moist

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I mpatiens Interspecific Bounce™ Bright Coral boasts a

massive amount of stunning, bright pink bicolor blooms with

tons of color to brighten your garden, be it in shade or sun.

Bright Coral offers the habit and flower count of seed-grown

impatiens, but with the added benefit of resistance to downy

mildew disease.

Impatiens Interspecific Bounce™ Bright Coral

Height = 18 inches

Spread = 18 inches

Bloom Time = Late Spring

Exposure = Partial sun

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I mpatiens SunPatiens® Spreading Shell Pink delivers

unsurpassed garden performance with season long soft

pink flowers that never slow. These vigorous spreading

plants keep their shape all summer; they do just as well in full

sun as in shade. These low-maintenance plants are perfect for

gardeners looking for impatiens that are resistant to downy

mildew disease.

Impatiens SunPatiens® Spreading Shell Pink

Height = 20 inches

Spread = 24 inches

Bloom Time = Late Spring

Exposure = Sun or Shade

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P etunia African Sunset F1 has an attractive orange

flower color that was outstanding during the

summer of 2016. This petunia grows evenly and

uniformly in the garden as well as in containers, all while

producing a prolific number of blooms all season-long.

Petunia African Sunset F1

Height = 12 inches

Spread = 24 inches

Bloom Time = Late Spring

Exposure = Full Sun

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P etunia Supertunia® Vista Fuchsia (Imp) is very

vigorous and continues to flower with numerous

blooms all season long. Supertunia® Vista Fuchsia has

a mounding habit that can reach up to 1 ½ feet in height in the

landscape and will trail over the edges of baskets and containers

up to 3 feet by the end of the season. Deadheading not

necessary.

Petunia Supertunia® Vista Fuchsia (Imp)

Height = 18 inches

Spread = 32 inches

Bloom Time = Early Spring

Exposure = Full to Part Sun

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V inca Solar Avalanche Red is a compact trailing

plant and an excellent choice for pots and

containers. The large flowers have unique

overlapping petals making it a real eye-catcher in any type

of container. Solar Avalanche Red performs very well in

warm and humid conditions.

Vinca Solar Avalanche Red

Height = 8 inches

Spread = 18 inches

Bloom Time = Late spring

Exposure = Full sun

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Zinnia Solmar Rose

Z innia Solmar Rose is an early flowering and large

flowered zinnia variety that will provide a fabulous

display of color in a garden display. Zinnia Solmar Rose

is a vigorous variety with good disease tolerance and is well

suited to challenging weather conditions. Solmar Rose was a

stunning performer in our 2016 garden beds.

Height = 24 inches

Spread = 24 inches

Bloom Time = Spring

Exposure = Full Sun

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Z innia Zahara XL Fire Improved is an ideal choice for

a disease resistant zinnia with reliable, season-long

performance. These 18-24” tall plants offer

exceptional uniform plant habit, growth and vigor with a knock

-out orange/red color. For optimum performance, plant

zinnias in a well-drained garden soil.

Zinnia Zahara XL Fire Improved*

Height = 20 inches

Spread = 10 inches

Bloom Time = Spring

Exposure = Sun

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Honorable Mentions

Variety Name Height Spread Bloom Time

Exposure

Argyanthemum Grandessa™ Pink Halo

18-24” 18-24” Spring to late Summer

Part Sun to Sun

Argyranthemum White Butterfly™

18-24” 18” Spring to Late summer

Part Sun to Sun

Begonia Topspin™ Rose 12-18” 10-12” Spring to fall Partial Sun to Sun

Begonia Megawatt™ Rose Green Leaf

24” 16” Spring to Summer

Partial Sun to Sun

Calibrachoa Superbells® Coralina

6-12” 20-24” Spring to Fall Part Sun to Sun

Calibrachoa Superbells® Yellow (Imp)

6-12” 20-24” Spring to Fall Part Sun to Sun

Calibrachoa Cabaret® Lemon Yellow

6-10” 12-18” Spring to Fall Part Sun to Sun

Canna Toucan™ Scarlet 30-48” 18-24” Late Spring to Fall

Full sun

Geranium Pinto™ Premium White to Rose F1

14-16” 12-18” Late spring to Fall

Full sun

Impatiens Interspecific Bounce™ Violet

20-30” 24-30” Late spring to Fall

Partial Sun

Marigold Taishan® Gold Improved

10-12” 8-10” Spring to Late Summer

Full Sun

Ornamental Pepper Sedona Sun

12-14” 14-16” Summer to Fall

Full Sun

Petunia Radiance Lilac 6-8” 2-3’ Spring to Fall Full Sun

Petunia Tidal Wave® Red Velour F1

18-24” 24-30” Spring to Fall Full Sun

Petunia Supertunia® Vista Bubblegum

12-18” 24-36” Spring to Fall Full Sun

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Honorable Mentions

Variety Name Height Spread Bloom Time

Exposure

Petunia Damask® White 8” 12” Spring to Fall Full sun

Rudbeckia TigerEye™ Gold 16-24” 16-20” Early Sum-mer to Fall

Full to Part Sun

Verbena EnduraScape™ Pink Bicolor

8-12” 18-24” Late Spring to Fall

Full Sun

Verbena Superbena™ Royale Red

10” 18-24” Late Spring to Fall

Full sun

Zinnia Profusion Double Deep Salmon

14” 24” Spring to Late Sum-mer

Full Sun

Zinnia Profusion Double Hot Cherry

14” 24” Spring to Late Sum-mer

Full sun

Begonia Megawatt Rose Green Leaf

Calibrachoa Cabaret® Lemon Yellow

Argyranthemum Grandessa™ Pink Halo

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The Horticulture Display Garden is a participating garden in the

National Plant Trials Database, which is a central repository for trial

plant data. Participating gardens adopt

standardized trialing protocol along with

evaluation criteria. At the conclusion of each

growing season, trial managers upload trial data into the database

making cultivar evaluations available to industry professionals. For

more information on annual flower research at the WCROC, please

visit our website at wcroc.cfans.umn.edu.

Steve Poppe, Senior Horticulture Scientist

University of Minnesota

West Central Research and Outreach Center

46352 State Hwy. 329

Morris, MN 56267

Phone: (320) 589-1711

Email: poppesr@morris.umn.edu

Esther Jordan, Communications Specialist

University of Minnesota

West Central Research and Outreach Center

46352 State Hwy. 329

Morris, MN 56267

Phone: (320) 589-1711

Email: ejordan@morris.umn.edu

Verbena EnduraScape™ Pink Bicolor

Impatiens Interspecific Bounce Violet

Petunia Supertunia® Vista Bubblegum