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 F I E L D
T R I A L S
Illinois
About half of the growing season was cool and damp at Ball Seed’s trial gardens in West Chicago, Ill. The first sunny and warm day was June 20 when the temperature reached 93F, said Jim Nau, trials and varieties manager. It remained in the 90s through the rest of June and July with limited rainfall. Chicago reported 17 days with temperatures above 90F during June and late July, he said.
This year, area garden centers brought busloads of consumers to Ball’s trial gardens. They made notes about their favorite varieties on index cards. Millet ‘Purple Majesty’ and rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’ were favorites with consumers, Nau said.
“This is very useful information for a breeder since we don’t have a retail outlet to judge what the favorites are,” he said.
Angelonia: ‘AngelMist Lavender Improved.’
Dianthus: ‘Amazon Neon Duo.’
Dichondra: ‘Silver Falls.’
Lantana: ‘Lucky Lemon Cream,’ ‘Lucky Yellow.’
Millet: ‘Purple Majesty.’
Perilla: ‘Magilla.’
Petunia: Blue Wave, ‘Suncatcher Pink Vein.’
Rudbeckia: ‘Prairie Sun.’
For more: Jim Nau, Ball Seed Co., 622 Town Road, West Chicago, IL 60185; (800) 879-2255; fax (630) 231-1383; jnau@ballseed.com; www.ballseed.com.
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