Cultivar Trials of Bedding Plants

Abstract

Continued growth of over 15 percent per year has marked the bedding plant industry since 1978. On the wholesale level, producing annuals and perennials has become a billiondollarbusinessnationally.The Universityof Minnesota supports this growing industry in Minnesota in various ways, among which are the cultivar trials conducted on Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Stations at Morris, St. Paul, and Grand Rapids. At these sites, new and old cultivars are grownfromseeddonated byseed companies, planted out, and rated periodically for field performance. The gardens are open to the public and industry for self-guided tours throughout the growing season, providing a unique opportunity to compare performance of bedding plant cultivars under regional conditions . In this publication, results from all three sites are summarized. The data reflect the groWing conditions at each site during 1992 only; cultivars may have performed quite differently in previous years. For results from earlier trials, contact the site supervisor directly, or obtain earlier editions of this publication from the MES Distribution Center. Not all years may be available.