Note: Information for this trials report was provided by John Ruter, Armitage Endowed Professor of Horticulture and Director, Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia.
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The University of Georgia Trial Garden experienced a mild spring, a hot summer, and minimal rainfall. Plants had perfect growing conditions and were picture-perfect throughout June and into July. The only significant rainy period occurred in mid-July and lasted about a week. Some plants, such as vinca and petunia, do not tolerate these long rainy spells due to too much water in the soil. Irrigation was needed for the majority of the growing season.
Our Trial Garden grew this year, with 490 trials, including 296 in-ground, 112 containers, 84 hanging baskets, and 50 All-American Selections ornamental in-ground seed trials. This year, we saw many entries for interspecific impatiens, geraniums, cuphea, and combos.
We rolled out our newly updated website this season, which allowed us to collect and present more detailed evaluations and high-resolution photos for our industry partners. This summer, we had a large enrollment in our internship class, which was great for the garden. Our interns learn the ins and outs of greenhouse production, spring planting, data collection, watering, and weeding assistance.
Our biggest challenge has become weed control in our garden beds. Our staff and students spend countless hours on weed control, but we strive for perfection. This fall, we aim to combine solarization and pre-emergent treatments to combat the chamber-bitters and mulberry weed for next season.
From day one, the Catharanthus roseus ‘Nirvana XDR’ and ‘Cora XDR’ from Syngenta Flowers gave us a fantastic example of a delicate plant breeding success story. Not all vinca hybrids can tolerate the heavy clay and pathogen load in the Southeastern region, but XDR has shown 100% resistance in both cutting and seed varieties.
Ageratum ‘Monarch Magic’ from Ball FloraPlant has provided show-stopping, densely packed blue flowers that attract butterflies and people alike. The habit is large and shrub-sized with soft round edges that fill the space.
The Trial Garden received more combos than ever in 2024. Thanks to Sakata Ornamentals, we have some great examples of perfectly balanced ‘SunPatiens Pop Life’ in ‘Compact Red Candy,’ ‘Compact Classic White,’ and ‘Compact Hot Coral’ from their Playlist Combo Series.
The UGA Trial Gardens invites growers and other industry members to visit our new website at https://ugatrial.hort.uga.edu/ for trial data, updates, and upcoming events. Thank you to all who came to visit during our 2024 Industry Open House, and we look forward to seeing you all next year.
Find more 2024 field trials information here. In addition, the Greenhouse Grower team visited the University of Georgia in early June during the Southern Garden Tour. You can find our recap here.
