PPA Names Leucanthemum 'Becky' 2003 

 Perennial Plant of the Year 



The Perennial Plant Association 

 (PPA) has named Leucan- 

 themum 'Becky' the 2003 

 Perennial Plant of the Year. 

 Leucanthemum 'Becky' is praised for 

 its long bloom season and its ability 

 to stand well in heat and humidity," 

 said Dr. Steven Still, PPA Executive 

 Director. 'Becky' can be used in 

 borders, and containers, or in natu- 

 ralized areas." 



'Becky' is a single, white daisy 

 with sturdy stems that do not re- 

 quire staking. The 2 to 3 foot tall 

 plant begins flowering in late June 

 and if deadheaded, flowers into late 

 August and September. This peren- 

 nial performs well in USDA Hardi- 

 ness Zones 4 to 9. It grows in aver- 

 age garden loam and full sun. 



The selection of Leucanthemum 

 'Becky' marks the I4th year for the 

 Perennial Plant of the Year pro- 

 gram. "The Perennial Plant of the 

 Year program helps consumers select 

 plants that perennial industry 

 experts find to be outstanding 

 and easily grown," Still said. "The 



homeowner can have great 

 confidence that the Perennial Plant 

 of the Year will grow well in the 

 garden." Gardeners can obtain this 

 exciting perennial through their lo- 

 cal garden centers. 



The Perennial Plant of the Year 

 program began in 1990 (see sidebar 

 list) The membership of the Peren- 

 nial Plant Association selects a pe- 

 rennial that is suitable for a wide 

 range of climate types, low mainte- 

 nance, easily propagated, and exhib- 

 its multi-seasonal interest. Each 

 year, the PPA membership votes to 

 select the Perennial Plant of the 

 Year. 



The PPA is an international pro- 

 fessional association of 2,200 mem- 

 bers incorporated in 1984. One of 

 the goals of the Association is to 

 disseminate information of benefit 

 to the public regarding the use and 

 care of perennials. Membership in 

 the PPA includes growers, retailers, 

 educators, garden writers, and mem- 

 bers of landscape related industries. 



Cathy Seal, continued 



Field-grown trees, harvested and 

 sold as B & B trees, require heavy 

 equipment and skilled laborers to 

 extract the tree from the site. In addi- 

 tion, the harvest season for most 

 field-grown material is limited to early 

 spring and/or late fall, when trees are 

 dormant. Wet soils and poor weather 

 conditions can severely limit the 

 harvestability of field-grown trees. 



Trees grown in traditional contain- 

 ers above ground are easily blown 

 over in strong winds. Many hours of 

 labor are required to put the tree up- 

 right. The blown down tree is also at 

 risk for injury. These negatives are 

 eliminated with the pot-in-pot system. 



The downside to the pot-in-pot 

 production method is the cost. The 

 investment in two pots for every tree 

 doubles the initial cash outlay, 

 although the outer pot is reusued for 

 many years. In addition, the time 

 required for creating a pot-in-pot 

 installation is substantial. Neal 

 emphasized that this production 

 method was only suited for well 

 drained soils. If heavy wet soils are 

 prevalent, the roots will sit in the 

 ground with permanently wet feet and 

 tree growth will suffer. 



Any root escape can be solved with 

 a geo-textile fabric square placed be- 

 tween the pots, that kills the escaping 



roots on contact. Also the pots are 

 coated with a Spinout TM, a copper 

 hydroxide product that helps prevents 

 the rooting out problem. 



The research project was sponsored 

 by the NH Horticultural Endowment, 

 New England Grows, UNH AG 

 Experiment Station and UNH Coop- 

 erative Extension 



For additional information contact 

 Cathy Neal at 862-3208 or email 

 cathy. neal@unh. edu 



SPRING 2003 



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