Trial Garden Hosts Annual Open House
August 14, 2013 - News Release
The University of Guelph will hold its annual trial garden open house Tuesday, Aug. 20, from noon to 8 p.m., at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute (GTI), 328 Victoria Rd.
Free and open to the public, the event will feature Guelph and Wellington County master gardeners answering gardening questions and the Guelph Healthy Landscape Team discussing natural pest control and wise water use.
“For the first time, we are selling some of our surplus plants,” said Rodger Tschanz, a U of G plant agriculture technician who manages the trial garden. “We will also have lots for people to see. Every year we show new flowers that will potentially be available to the public in upcoming years.”
The trial garden draws about 400 people each year, depending on the weather. Tours will take place during the day, with Tschanz explaining the various plants. People can also explore the various plants on their own.
Tschanz said: “One of our newest plants is Pumpkin-On-A-Stick – an ornamental with dramatic thorns on its leaves. There will also be more than 500 cultivars in the trials, primarily annuals and perennials.” He adds that the perennial collection continues to grow, including many new coneflowers and coral bells.
Locally made garden supplies will be available for sale.
The annual event also includes an open house in Milton at 7856 Fifth Line South, which will take place on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Details are available on the Trial Garden website.
Contact:
Rodger Tschanz
Trial Garden Manager
Department of Plant Agriculture
University of Guelph
rtschanz@uoguelph.ca
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338, or lhunt@uoguelph.ca; or Kevin Gonsalves, Ext. 56982, or kgonsalves@uoguelph.ca.
