October 23, 2016
Open house visitors tour the many changes made to the Milton site earlier this year.
Trial Garden open house
The morning seminars included an update on the changes to the trial garden site by LO property manager, David Turnbull, and a presentation on Rain Garden Solutions for Water Management in Municipalities by Chris Denich and Sean James.
Event partner, the Ontario Parks Association (OPA), handed out awards to several municipalities for a floral display competition where municipal parks staff submitted photos that showcased their horticultural talents in several categories.
After an open forum to discuss various gardening topics, attendees headed outside for a tour of the gardens by University of Guelph trial garden manager, Rodger Tschanz. Armed with flags to vote on their favourite cultivars, visitors selected the following plants as the most popular:
Top annual: Zahara XL Fire Improved Zinnia, PanAmerican Seed.
Top perennial: Echinacea ‘Supreme Elegance’, Blooms of Bressingham.
Top rose: Livin’ Easy Floribunda rose (apricot), J.C. Bakker & Sons.
Top hydrangea: Hydrangea paniculata ‘Candlelight’, Van Belle Nursery.
The program concluded at Landscape Ontario shortly after noon and continued at the main trial garden site at the University of Guelph.
