Agricultural Sciences

Penn State's Trial Gardens Blooming With Information

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Every year around June, July and August the Penn State Horticulture Trial Gardens are in full flower, which is the perfect time for gardeners in search of knowledge and inspiration to visit the renowned garden spot.

The Trial Gardens, at the corner of Bigler Road and Park Avenue on the University Park campus, are open all year from 9 a.m. to dusk. The site comes alive with color in July and August, when such summer annuals as impatiens, geraniums, begonias and petunias are in full bloom.

Gardeners who seek information on early plants such as pansies, snapdragons, violas and spring perennials should visit the Trial Gardens in May and June.

"We refuse to baby our plants," says Robert Berghage, assistant professor of horticulture. "The plants are cared for the way most people do at home. We usually discover several hardy, outstanding plant varieties to recommend to gardeners."

The gardens have been a part of Penn State since 1933. Each year, old and new plants are evaluated for color, fragrance, uniformity, uniqueness, weather tolerance and disease and pest resistance. Because Penn State's Trial Gardens are an All-American Selections testing site, gardeners who explore the various plantings can discover which plant varieties will do best in their home gardens.

"Most plants grown in the gardens are started from seeds or cuttings supplied by commercial companies who want to know how their varieties will perform," Berghage explains. "The plants are established in greenhouses and then transplanted to the gardens after the last frost."

Berghage, who supervises the Trial Gardens, says annuals are grown for just one summer, but perennial evaluations are continued over many years.

Gardeners interested in supporting the research at the Trial Gardens can join Friends of the Gardens, a public support group. Memberships are $35 for individuals or $50 for families. Members receive a newsletter three times a year, a map of the gardens, invitations to gardening workshops and an annual performance report describing the best plants evaluated each year.

"There is a tremendous amount of information generated by the gardens each year," Berghage says. "We want to share that with gardeners everywhere."

###

EDITORS: For more information, contact Robert Berghage at 814-863-2190 or rdb4@email.psu.edu

Contacts: John Wall John_Wall@agcs.cas.psu.edu 814-863-2719 814-865-1068 fax

Last Updated March 19, 2009