Published by Communications and Public Affairs 519 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338

News Release

August 10, 2006

Trial Garden Open House Set

The University of Guelph is holding its annual trial garden open house Aug. 17 from noon to 8 p.m. at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, 328 Victoria Road. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is designed to encourage the community to familiarize itself with the facility and will include hour-long guided tours. Master gardeners will also be on hand to provide information about the various plant and flowers and answer questions from visitors, said Rodger Tschanz, a U of G plant agriculture technician who manages the trial garden.

Located along the entrance to the turfgrass institute, the trial garden's 1,400 square metres of growing space allows gardeners to see what flowers and plants perform best in southwestern Ontario's climate. It's the only university operated ornamental trial garden in Ontario and is part of a network of research centres across North America set up to determine which plants grow higher and fuller, bloom quicker, stand up in extreme weather conditions and resist common plant diseases.

Greenhouse growers, seed companies and landscapers can use the trial garden's results to choose species that will be successful in and around Guelph, said Tschanz.

"The public will also have the opportunity to vote on their favourite plants and this information helps greenhouse growers and garden centres to decide which plants to carry in 2007," he said.

This year's garden will also feature the All-American Selections flower and bedding plant trial. The program was established in 1932 to promote new seed varieties with superior garden performance. At the end of the season a panel of judges will submit their rating scores and the winner is allowed to advertise this distinction on their packaging.

In addition, turf specialists will be discussing home lawn care with the public and teaching people how to achieve healthy lawns using regular fertilization and proper mowing techniques to crowd out weeds, said Tschanz.

Contact:
Rodger Tschanz
Trial Garden Manager, Department of Plant Agriculture
(519) 824-4120, Ext. 52788, rtschanz@uoguelph.ca