Marketing Name: Sunrise

Id-Code: TA 098
Family: Papilionaceae, Leguminosae
Origin: Central and Eastern China
Special Features: Low maintenance perennial with lovely grey-purple flowering buds and panicles with brilliant yellow blooms
Colour: Yellow
Natural Flowering Period: May - June
Winter Hardiness Zones: Z3-8
Growth Habit: Bushy and upright
Foliage: Oblong-shaped leaves
Height with Flowers: 60 cm (24'')
Spacing between Plants: 60 cm (24'')
Soil Requirements: Well-drained soils, pH 5.5 - 6.5
Location: Full sun
Use: Plant in the border with early spring bloomers - Baptisia australis, ECHINOPS 'Blue Glow' and Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Rote Glocke' (Red Bells)
Specialities: Lovely for beds and borders and long-lived

Cultural Tips:
Grams per 1000 Seeds: 10
Seeds per Gram: 100
Seeding Recommendation: 20 g / 1000 plants
Sowing Rate: 3 seeds per cell
Plug tray recommended size(s): 72 or 128
Germination: For these bigger hard-shelled seeds, mechanical damaging of the shell is helpful for quicker swelling. One method is to grind the seed in dry sharp sand. They can also be treated for several hours in a "softener" (Polyethylenglycol 6000), which is used for the production of plastic material.

Scheduling:
Best Sowing Dates: Anytime
Sowing to Germination: 2 - 3 weeks
Germination to Transplant: 4 - 6 weeks
Transplanting to Salable Plant: 6 - 8 weeks
Cutting-Back at Transplanting: Not necessary

Growing On:
Container Size(s): 1 plug per 8/9 cm (3 1/2''); 1-2 plugs per 11/12 cm (4 1/2''); 2-3 plugs per 15 cm (6'')
Vernalization: There is no current research on vernalization but a prudent recommendation for any perennial would be 6-12 weeks (a few might need 15 weeks!) at an average daily temperature of 40°F (5°C). Exposure to cold may not be necessary for flowering but might improve quality.
Forcing: An obvious place to experiment - following vernalization - would be raising daytime temperatures to 60° - 65°F (15° - 17°C). Provide 16 hours of continuous lighting. During the short days of winter, provide a night interruption lighting of 4 hours between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.
Fertilization: Medium (150-200 ppm)