Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Pretty Much Picasso

The vote is not in yet, but I am not sure Picasso would like his name on a flower that does not deserve the kudos that he normally expects.

This new introduction from Proven Winners has the color attributes that you would Ooh and Ah over but so far I am not seeing the performance.  I have placed it in three different planters around my garden and even though it is growing well, I am not sure what this flower really looks like.  It doesn't seem to open fully and some flowers split when trying to open. 

None of my specimens looks like the photo put out by Proven Winners, and one gardener per Garden Rant asked them if they photoshopped it.  Proven Winners denied that it was anything but the real thing.  It is touted as a vigorous grower supertunia but it won't matter if it does not have a distinguished flower.  The colors are wonderful, magenta with a lime green border - so the jury is still out.

What do you think?

7 comments:

joey said...

If these are your planters, they look pretty stunning to me and might be on my wish/must have list next time at the nursery!

allanbecker-gardenguru said...

A lot of us eager gardeners are prone to forgetting that new introductions are not created by nature but by humans, working in a lab. Such plants are never as reliable or as hardy as the mother plant from which they were cloned.

I would get onto Proven Winners back and relentlessly remind them how disappointed you are. If they are staking their reputation on a new introduction, they should have done their due diligence before bringing it to market.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Joey, they are beautiful but defective. It is a shame that this introduction was not a "proven winner." I will wait until the end of the season to make a final judgement.

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Allan, I think your judgement is correct. I looked at them again this am after a major storm and they are all contracted and split. There is something wrong with this new supertunia.

Eileen

Rebecca Grace said...

It's so refreshing to hear that I'm not the only one who has been tempted by a fancy new plant introduction, only to end up disappointed! Several years ago I paid top dollar for a new saucer magnolia introduction from Wayside Gardens, "Yellow Bird," and I tended it for two years before it finally bloomed. And, get this: the blooms were not yellow, but plain old pink like every other stinking saucer mag in town that I could have bought for half the price. Hopefully since you're a nursery owner (rather than a mere lone gardener like myself) Proven Winners will take your complaints more seriously than Wayside Gardens did mine.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Rebecca I am not a nursery owner but I did write to Proven Winners today. I am not sure it will do any good, but obviously their new introduction was not tested or proven.

Eileen

Unknown said...

Eileen - Thank you for your feedback on Pretty Much Picasso. I see that John Gaydos has responded to your questions on our website. I hope his email will bring some clarify to the issues you are experiencing with Pretty Much Picasso. We look forward to your future feedback on this plant.

Danielle Ernest
Proven Winners
Public Relations