University of Georgia
See the newest plants for gardens and landscapes as you tour the
University of Georgia gardens at the annual UGA Trial Gardens
Open House July 10.
The event will include self-guided tours of the gardens, a plant
sale including Athens Select plants, and a book signing and
personal guided tours by world-renowned UGA horticulture expert
Allan Armitage.
The tours are on the hour and book signings on the half-hour
between 8:30 a.m. and noon. Tickets are $5 at the gate.
The gardens, on the UGA Campus in Athens, Ga., were created in
1983 and serve as a testing ground for more than 600 kinds of
annual and perennial plants. The primary functions of the
gardens are research and teaching, and detailed information on
all plants is provided to all who are interested.
The gardens are planted twice a year. The summer trials are
usually planted in April and May and have major and minor bedding
classes, plantings of specialty annuals, many free-standing
containers and two large perennial beds.
Each type of plant is evaluated every two weeks to provide
detailed information on the cultivars being tested. Performance
ratings are collected based on flowering, leaf color, uniformity
of habit and flower, resistance to insects and diseases and
overall appearance.
Researchers also select the best cultivars for each color in each
class of annuals and list them under “Best of the Best.” Each
year they select the four to six recipients of the Classic City
Awards, the very best plants in the gardens over the entire
season, well worth a place in any landscape.
The winter trials are planted in October and November.
The gardens serve research and teaching and are an important
resource for breeders, retailers, growers, landscapers and
consumers.
For more information and directions to the gardens, visit the UGA
Trial Gardens Web site .
