Barb Laschkewitsch is a busy woman. As the trial garden manager for the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Horticulture Research and Demonstration Garden, she is busy sowing thousands of annual
photo: Josh Merideth
Sure, we all recognize certain familiar things about the Kentucky Derby (the horses! the juleps! the hats! the seersucker!), even if we’ve only ever watched the Run for the Roses through a television or tablet. But part of the pageantry of the day also comes from the majestic architecture of Churchill Downs and the unending sea of flowers in and around every event leading up to the most famous two minutes in sports.
Director of horticulture Matt Bizzell is the man behind it all. For months, he and his team quietly tend thousands of specimens for planting in nearby greenhouses. And then the rollout begins: Five thousand burgundy lace tulips in the Aristides Garden (named after the first Derby winner), a giant four-panel living wall at the track, not to mention all the hanging baskets, planters, and beds that can be found throughout the grounds.
High performing trial favourites February 9, 2021
All photos: R Tschanz
It is fortunate that plants can always provide us with moments of pleasure and joy in the face of pandemic gloom and uncertainty.
In spite of COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, the University of Guelph was able to host a small open house at the Landscape Ontario and Guelph Turfgrass locations during the second week of August in 2020. Approximately 520 annuals and perennials were trialed in beds and containers, where appropriate.
In this article, I will highlight particular plants which exhibited unique ornamental displays and above average garden performance in the 2020 trials. The elevated temperatures of early summer, in combination with spotty, but at times intense rain and wind, had a significant impact on the performance of each individual trial entry.