On a beautiful autumn day in early September, a small group of club members make the trek to Fort Collins to Colorado State University to learn more about their Trial Flower Gardens from director Dr. Chad Miller.
“We have more than 11,000 plants currently growing in our annuals trials garden this summer,” said Miller. “We have entries from seed companies from around the world and we provide them with extensive data, photos and feedback on how their plants are withstanding our crazy Colorado weather. We do not provide much pest and disease control because we want to see how these plants fare in real world conditions.”
The trial gardens were initially established in 1971, and moved and expanded to their current location in to Remington Park in 2000. They are open all year long and a free to the public. The gardens feature annuals, perennials and Plant Select plants. The purpose of the annual trial garden is to evaluate the performance of annual flower cultivars in our Rocky Mountain growing conditions. Each year, more than 1,000 varieties of annual plants are evaluated by Dr. Miller and his team based on vigor, uniformity, and tolerance to the environmental conditions. The results of this research are available online and can help garden centers and their customers with selection of the best plants to use in Colorado.
Both national and international flower breeding companies participate in the trials and their submit plants propagated from either seed or cuttings. The breeding and selection process may take years before a new plant variety makes its way to a local garden center.
For more information about the CSU Trail Gardens, click here.
-story and photos by Alice H.
