With high temperatures in the 100s all month, what better place than the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden to host the 9th annual Plant Trials Field Day, which is known for testing plants for extreme weather conditions, especially high heat and humidity? More than 400 industry attendees from 20 states and four countries came to learn about new plants on the market.
“The unique climate of north Texas really puts plants to the test,” says Jimmy Turner, senior director of Gardens. “Our tagline ‘Trial by Flower — If we can’t kill it, no one can!’ started as a tongue-in- cheek comment, but really resonated with people who have experienced the weather of North Texas.”
Only the best-scoring heat-tolerant varieties are presented the “FlameProof Plant” award by Turner and his staff each year. This information is then made available to local nurseries as a service to the community and local gardeners.
Watch the local PBS station, KLRU, interview Turner about this year’s winners:
Watch the full episode. See more Central Texas Gardener.
At this year’s trials, Turner and Jenny Wegley, research and greenhouse manager, discussed the highest scoring plants in the Trial Gardens that received the 2011 FlameProof Plant Awards. Turner also spoke about the plants that will be promoted in the upcoming years via articles, web, and presentations.
Dr. Brent Pemberton of the Texas A&M Agrilife Research & Extension facility in Overton, TX, joined the lecture with a presentation on the North Texas Winner’s Circle winners that are a collaborative trial between the two sites.
The Dallas Arboretum Trial Program annually tests more than 5,000 entries including annuals, bulbs, perennials, shrubs, trees, and groundcovers in search of the toughest plants alive.
“No plant, new or old, is excluded from our scope. We are not only looking for the newest and neatest, but also for the best of the old varieties,” says Turner.
The Plant Trials program provides trials for more than 300 plant breeders from across the globe and is supported by funds from the local and national plant industry. Additionally, the All America Selections program, the largest and oldest independent national testing program, uses the Dallas Arboretum as its only Texas test site.
For more information, visit www.DallasPlantTrials.org.
