Plants on trial

Brand new, improved, and the latest version updated with new features, are the usual claims for laundry soap, smartphones, and yes, plants. The claims, valid or not are simply part of marketing techniques and the consumer has to deal with the promises.

There’s a difference with plants. They’re alive, despite how you feel about Siri, and once they’re in the garden they can perform quite differently. It depends on weather conditions, seasonal plagues, and especially the gardener.

It’s good to know then that plants are well-tested — put on trial, you might say — before they land in a garden centre. Besides, recalls would be a challenge. Last week I visited the local trial gardens at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, the only university-operated ornamental trial garden in Ontario. With 1,400 square metres of growing space it’s part of a network of research centres across North America. These are set up to determine which plants grow higher and fuller, bloom quicker, stand up in extreme weather conditions, and resist insects and common ailments.

The trial garden is managed by Roger Tschanz, and as he kindly showed me around, he explained the challenges of propagating and caring for the more than 500 varieties of bedding plants he grows from seed or vegetative cuttings provided by industry leaders. He too faces the same issues as the home gardener.

Not all the plants are new varieties — some have been around for a couple of years but have not always been widely available. Older, established varieties are also grown alongside to provide comparisons. Besides enjoying a sneak preview, visitors were encouraged to participate in judging the best in show by planting a coloured pennant beside their selections. It’s unofficial, but it does provide feedback on which plants truly stand out.

For me, there were a few that that especially caught my attention — a hybrid Phlox drummondii with the name ‘Pop Stars.’ It’s a low growing annual covered in small flowers, each one a multi-pointed star. A pinky blue and a white variety were on display but an array of other hues is available.

One plant that breeders have been ceaseless in expanding the range of colour and form is coleus. I like them, especially the smaller, fine leaved ones, but I’m almost at the point of saying OK guys, that’s enough. I confess to feeling that way about any new flowers that feature only a slight colour shift. If they’re not side by side, I’m challenged to see the difference.

This wasn’t the case with a new Eustoma grandiflora. The unique colour of the one on display especially caught my eye. It was from a range originally developed by Sakata Ornamentals of Japan. Rosanne 1 has pale green flowers, an odd shade that did cause my eyebrows to oscillate between surprise and what the heck before settling on well, OK.

Despite my ambivalence, I’ve since been assured that the shade is an elegant one that brides will love in a floral bouquet. Eustoma, with their long-lasting, full, double flowers on strong stems are well-suited for that purpose.

I’m not sure about a wedding role for the new ornamental millet Pennisetum glaucum ‘Copper Prince.’ If you like cats, you’ll love it. The foliage on Copper Prince gradually darkens to a deep copper as it sends up rosy panicles that are so like a cat’s tail it’s hard to resist stroking them.

The open trial garden was a great success, and is one annual event that should not to be missed by plant lovers. Final results of the people’s choice were: 1) Salvia ‘Mystic Spires Blue’ 2) Echinacea ‘Sombrero Salsa Red’ 3) Echinacea ‘Supreme Elegance’

To chat with local gardeners, share tips, pics, or discuss plant trials, see Grand Gardeners on Facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/Grandgardeners/.