Abstract

Rising costs of container substrates and increased interest in use of native wildflowers for landscapes necessitates the continued evaluation of production methods. The composition of a container substrate can directly affect not only propagation success but also future growth, development, and establishment. Thus, a number of container substrates have been formulated and marketed for improved drainage, root distribution, and plant growth. We evaluated performance of 9 wildflower species native to Florida in 4 commercially available substrates. Within each substrate treatment, plants were evaluated in the greenhouse for 20 wk prior to an additional 40-wk landscape evaluation. Survival, performance, and flower duration varied by treatment and species.

AMSmithSBWilsonMThetfordKLNolanCRAdams 2014.

Performance of nine Florida native wildflower species grown in varying container substrates