Abstract
Rooted cuttings of vegetatively propagated annuals from Danziger "Dan" Flower Farm, Fides North America, Euro American (Proven Winners), and Fischer were planted over three planting dates (26 August, 21 October, and 8 December, 2004). The plants were planted as three groups of six plants, with the groups being randomly placed in the garden. All of the cutlivars were planted under 30% shade. Plants were watered three times per week for 30 minutes using overhead irrigation. Monthly evaluations were conducted to record plant height, plant width, flower number, number of plants with flowers, insect and disease damage, and quality rating. Quality was rated on a scale of 0 to 5 with 5 = top performance, 3 = plants of interest, 1 = poor performance, and 0 = dead. One consumer preference survey was conducted with in March 2005. Results from the consumer preference survey and from the monthly quality ratings are presented in the text.
