College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Horticulture

Evaluation of Plant Performance

Trials are submitted by private breeding companies, All American Selections, and Fleuroselect. Companies have the choice of testing in containers or in the ground. Performance of each plant in the trials is evaluated bi-weekly by staff on vigor, uniformity, and ornamental value - flowers and/or foliage depending on the plant. We also take note of susceptibility to diseases and insects, and tolerance to changes in climatic conditions when appropriate. Plant performance depends on a number of factors including genetics, soil and weather conditions. A summary of this evaluation information is published in the fall as a booklet for the participating companies and posted on the web for professionals and the general gardening public.

Many Different Types of Plants are Trialed

Traditionally, annual and tender perennial plants grown for a single season have been the primary focus of the plant trials. Most of these trials are conducted in the "formal" gardens to the west of the Plant and Soil Science Building. Recently, we have begun to include more vegetables, herbaceous perennials, and even native plants as we expand the scope of our trialing process. These exciting new additions were included expand the value of these trials to an even larger gardening audience. The vegetables have been moved to our new Vegetable Demonstration Garden which is just south of the rose gardens (see maps). The native plant trials are located in beds just to the east of the Food Safety and Toxicology Building.

The Process of Plant Trialing

Seeds or young plants are sent in the early spring. Plants are then grown in our MSU greenhouses and transplanted into ground beds or containers after the last frost; typically late May or early June.

Companies are given the choice of whether they would prefer their plants to be grown in ground beds or in 22" containers - in some cases both are tested. In the ground beds, plants are typically planted at 8" to 12" spacing depending on the species with at least 24 plants per trial entry. Due to space restraints, fewer plants were used of each native plant and vegetable entry. Note that some entries perform remarkably better in containers than in the ground.

Funding of the Plant Trials

Funding to support our trials come mostly from Plant breeding companies, Michigan Greenhouse Growers and Nurseries, and Garden-sponsored events. We are looking for additional sponsors as we continue to expand the scope and nature of our trial gardens.

History

The Amien A. and Florence M. Carter Annual Trial Garden is an All-American Selection (AAS) Display and Trial Garden that showcases more than 1,000 different cultivars tested for their performance in central Michigan’s climate. The gardens contain many special features including the conservatory plaza, lower lawn gardens, sunken garden, fountain, gazebo, sunseed sculpture, plaza, north entry arch, and hidden garden. The Horticultural Gardens were originally located on north campus and were later moved to the center of East Circle on campus in the 1940's. The area was originally part of a field test plant for horticulture crops and gradually evolved into its present formal development around 1943. In 1978 Michigan State was asked by All-American selections and professional seed producers to begin participating in a network of floral trial gardens across the United States collecting data on the vigor, height, color, uniformity and disease resistance of the trial plants. Plants undergoing AAS trials are placed next to similar plants for comparison and evaluated by a judge three times during the summer with results being posted at the end of the season. Plants that have performed well all over the country are awarded as AAS winners and their seeds become readily available to the public. Trial gardens serve a very important purpose for breeders using the data to improve plants, seed producers and nurseries helping the choose which cultivars to sell based on plant performance and how well they grew in different parts of the country and they help promote the bedding plant industry, which is especially important in states like Michigan who is third in the country’s production.

Sculptures

There are three pieces of sculpture in the annual trial garden, the most notable being a full-size statue of Liberty Hyde Bailey sculpted by Linda Ackley. Bailey is known as the father of American Horticulture and was a 1882 graduate of Michigan Agricultural College (later renamed Michigan State University). In 1885 Bailey became Department Chair at MAC where he transformed the department and pushed for an emphasis on research and to “bring science into the garden”. His experiments ranged from stock/scion interaction and varietal testing to influence of latitude on flowering time of fruit trees, and hybridization. In 1888 Bailey designed the first horticultural lab building in the nation, originally called Horticulture Laboratory but later renamed Eustace Hall. That same year he left his position as Department Chair and took a professorship at Cornell. The remaining 69 years of his life were devoted to teaching, and writing at Cornell, plant exploration, and administrative work. Bailey was a pioneer for horticulture, and his writings and research have helped shape the industry into what it is today.

The second sculpture, a stainless-steel piece entitled “sunseed,” was sculpted by Owen Vernon Shaffer, an MSU alum. The third sculpture, a ceramic cylinder sculpted by Mel Leiserowitz, professor emeritus MSU art department, reflects the images as seen through the windows of the country farm house in Mason Michigan.