02. Mauve Majesty
Mark Bridgen
Mark P. Bridgen, Horticulture, patented Cornell’s first ornamental plant, Mauve Majesty. The plant, a hybrid of Alstroemeria, is a nonfragrant perennial with a lavender-lilac flower. It blooms throughout the summer until the first hard freeze in the cooler climates of northern states, grows year-round in the greenhouse, and its flower can last for two weeks in a vase. It is one of the first in its color class to be hardy in zones five and six (the northern states) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Bridgen developed the plant over five years, including testing it and growing it in large enough quantities for the market. It is now widely available through nurseries and mail-order catalogs. Alstroemeria flowers, native to South America, are the fifth most popular cut flower in the United States.