Re: trial plants?

**h* v* g* <g*@lists.ibiblio.org>**

I don't trial any annuals or tender plants so I give those to one of our gardeners and I ask her to use them on the property...but in most cases she's already  bought the varieties I've gotten to trial as they've been on the market for a year already.

In the case of perennials, trees and shrubs...these all go into a 'trial' garden that's set apart from everything else.  Since I only get one or two of a variety from about a half dozen vendors it didn't take up much space.  I think this spot started off as a 20x10 rectangle that's now 30x30.  Garden tours come by to see the other gardens and the visitors wonder by the trial garden and I explain its purpose.

When a plant fails, performs poorly or just doesn't meet what I'd think are market standards the appropriate notes are made in the database, the vendor gets a note and the vacant space gets recycled.  Unfortunately I'm not as fastidious about pulling out the metal markers that I put in with each plant and years later the label will show up when the soil is being prepped for a new plant.  This usually results in a scream of WTF and hours of confusion when the label can't be matched to an existing plant and of course the database was never updated.  

The bottom line though is that these plants are given to us to trial and evaluate...not to enhance our gardens.  You get one for free.  Three makes a garden planting.  If you like the one you got for free then hopefully a local garden center has two more.  I wish it were that easy though.

Andrew
_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters
GWL list website  http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters
GWL has searchable message archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters
If you have photos for GWL, send them to gwlphotos@hort.net and they can be viewed at  http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos