Colorado State University’s Annual Flower Trial Garden Winning Flowers [PICTURES]

My wife and I love to visit Colorado State University’s Annual Flower Trial Garden. It's one of our favorite spots in Fort Collins. It's the time of the year when it's just about to get really beautiful.  Also, last year's winning flowers from the Flower Trial Garden have just been announced.

The garden covers three acres on the east side of the Fort Collins campus, right off of College Avenue, next to the Old Fort Collins High School.  The Annual Flower Trial Garden tests and analyzes the performance of more than 1,000 varieties of annual bedding plants in Colorado.

Big winners for 2012 included: Best of Show – Dahlia ‘XXL Hidalgo’ from Dummen USA, Best New Variety – Lantana ‘Luscious Berry Blend’ from Proven Winners, and Best Novelty – Tecoma ‘Bells of Fire’ from Plug Connection

List of Winners from 2012

• Best Angelonia – ‘Carita™ Purple’ from Syngenta Flowers
• Best Argyranthemum – ‘Everest’ from Danziger
• Best Begonia boliviensis – ‘Santa Cruz’ from Benary
• Best Begonia x hybrida – ‘Whopper Rose Green Leaf’ from Ball Ingenuity
• Best Calibrachoa – ‘Superbells Lemon Slice’ from Proven Winners
• Best Combo – ‘Kwik Kombos™ Night in Pompeii™’ Syngenta Flowers
• Best Dahlia – ‘XXL Hidalgo’ from Dummen USA
• Best Diascia – ‘Darla® Deep Salmon 11’ from Syngenta Flowers
• Best Geranium (ivy) – ‘Grand Idols Purple’ from Fides North America
• Best Geranium (zonal) – ‘Caliente® Fire’ from Syngenta Flowers
• Best Impatiens (seed) – ‘Impreza White’ from PanAmerican Seed
• Best Lantana – ‘Little Lucky Pot of Gold’ from Ball FloraPlant
• Best Lobelia – ‘Magadi Blue’ from Selecta
• Best Marigold – ‘Christy Orange Improved’ from Ameriseed
• Best Osteospermum – ‘Serenity Dark Purple’ from Ball FloraPlant
• Best New Guinea Impatiens – ‘Super Sonic® Magenta 08’ from Syngenta Flowers
• Best Petunia (veg-mini) – ‘Littletunia Blue Vein’ from Danziger
• Best Petunia (veg-spreading) – ‘Whispers™ Star Rose’ from Syngenta Flowers
• Best Petunia (seed-spreading) – ‘Trilogy White’ from American Takii, Inc.
• Best Purslane/Portulaca –‘Happy Trails Deep Red’ from PanAmerican Seed
• Best Sun New Guinea Impatiens – ‘Sun Harmony Salmon’ from Danziger
• Best Torenia – ‘Summer Wave Large Amethyst’ from Suntory Flowers, Ltd.
• Best Verbena (spreading) – ‘Lanai® Deep Purple’ from Syngenta Flowers

[Colorado State University]