Along with a wide collection of rose cultivars, this year’s trial gardens will feature a multi-year hydrangea trial.Photo: Landscape Ontario
The Landscape Ontario trial garden’s open house features 164 rose cultivars this year and will take place on Aug. 18.
Guests will be able to peruse the rows of roses more easily as the rose trial planted in 2012 has been removed and replaced with a new planting pattern, with each cultivar in its own row.
Weeks Roses, Star Roses/Conard-Pyle, Bailey Nurseries and J.C. Bakker and Sons all supplied roses for the trial garden, from hybrid teas to grandifloras.
The deluge of donated roses prompted Landscape Ontario to build a 1,200-square-foot garden bed for the hybrid tea and climbing rose cultivars.
Another expansion to the trial garden is the multi-year hydrangea trial, which has been planted with 17 different cultivars. Sheridan Nurseries supplied the hydrangeas that will be used, including both existing and new varieties. The soil acidity will be altered to create side-by-side comparisons in shades produced.
Visitors can see how the plants hold up against real-world challenges like poor soil and wind.Photo: Landscape Ontario
Annuals and perennials are still an integral part of the trial gardens. Among this year’s new releases are fresh colors of verbena, calibrachoa and petunia, along with a Proven Winners display bed, seed propagated canna lilies and Garvinea gerberas.
The open house program will start at the Landscape Ontario site in Milton at 9 a.m. and last until noon. From 1-3 p.m., the event will move to the Guelph trial garden.
Guided tours through the gardens will be available, along with a short speaker program that will focus on rain gardens and garden planning for Canada’s 150th birthday.
The joint effort is conducted by Landscape Ontario, the University of Guelph and the Ontario Parks Association.
The trial gardens are open in Milton from Monday to Friday during normal business hours and in Guelph the gardens are always open.
