Teaching Gardens

It was a great day with great people

Those who attended our recent Field Day event had the opportunity to tour our extensive Display Gardens. Actually, we think of them more as teaching gardens, because when it comes to learning how plants behave in the landscape these beds are valuable tools. They’re set up in a variety of real-life circumstances, intended to replicate some of the conditions we’re faced with on a daily basis. Let’s take a walk through one of them.

‘Solar Power Lime’

If you were here for Field Day you got an up-close look at our new ipomoea series from Ball—Solar Power. As we mentioned, we’re growing these sweet potato vines at the front of a bed full of assorted cultivars to see how well they get along with others. They’re supposed to be a little more compact than ‘Blackie’.

This series was bred to keep its shape and color through the extreme heat of high summer. Recently the weather has been pretty hot here in Cincinnati so we’re watching how these plants hold up to the extreme temps. We do like the lush, dense foliage; it looks like we’ve been trimming the vines but we’re letting them do their own thing.

 ‘Solar Power Black’ for a spooky Halloween vibe

Black and Lime are the two colors we’re growing to complement autumn accents—and spill elegantly out of hanging baskets and combinations for fall. Both varieties are available in the 4.5-inch pot.

The results are in…

Thank you to all who came out for Field Day—once again it was a lively affair, filled with plant talk, camaraderie, and delicious food. Thank you also to the hard-working UC horticulture students who planted our special pollinator bed. We hope you took away lots of useful information and creative inspiration; I especially enjoyed touring the Display Gardens and listening to your feedback. 

How did you like our coleus garden? With 34 varieties in one bed it was more like a coleus festival! All those vibrant colors, unique leaf patterns, and funky shapes made a striking display placed side by side. It was difficult to single out any one variety as a favorite…but that’s what each of you did. We’ve counted your votes and the suspense is over—here are your top picks:

First Place (3-way tie): ‘Alabama Sunset’, ‘Inferno’, and ‘Premium Chocolate Splash’ (10 votes each)

Second Place: ‘Indian Summer’ (9 votes)

Third Place: ‘Coleosaurus’ (7 votes)

Fourth Place (3-way tie): ‘French Quarter’, ‘Twist and Twirl’, and ‘Premium Sun Chocolate Mint’ (5 votes each)

Field Day 2016 may be a fond memory now, but our Display Gardens continue to grow and mature; we monitor their progress each day. Please stop by when you have a chance, to see how the material has developed and update your notes—as you know, we welcome any and all opportunities to talk plants!