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New York Farm Viability Institute

A Strong Future for New York Agriculture

Project Profiles

NYFVI-Funded Perennial Gardens Project Responds to Nursery Operators’ and Buyers’ Needs
 

Land on Long Island is in limited supply for nursery operators who would like their own display gardens. To help them showcase the perennial plants that are increasingly popular with wholesalers and consumers, the New York Farm Viability Institute provided a specialty crops grant (with New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets funding) to establish display gardens and evaluation trials at the Cornell University Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center (LIHREC). Center Director Dr. Mark Bridgen says, “These gardens provide nursery operators with a place where they can bring their buyers to view plants under consumer-style growing conditions in a garden-like setting.”

Perennial wholesaler June Croon of The Plantage in Cutchogue says, “Display gardens are very important for showing our customers how plants integrate with their surroundings. Many times a plant that has great value in the landscape will be snubbed by those who have not seen it command a presence in a garden setting.” 

The design of the LIHREC display gardens allows buyers to compare “apples to apples”, or daylilies to daylilies and coneflower to coneflower.

“It is difficult to compare different plants of the same genus if one is planted on the north side of a garden and one on the south side. Here, the buyers can see the plants of a particular genus grouped together and all treated under the same conditions of light, compost, watering, etc.,” Bridgen says.

He adds, “At a nursery, landscape designers see young plants available in quart or gallon pots. Here they can visualize how the mature plants would look in an actual garden setting.” (Photo: Photo: Long Island Horticultural Research and Educator Center)

To date, 600 perennials have been evaluated for flower, foliage, and bloom quality; flowering dates, and the maintenance required for optimal growth. Bridgen says, “We evaluate the plants under average homeowner conditions, using a general purpose fertilizer and organic compost before planting, and not using pesticides.”

The second year of the trials provided the opportunity to evaluate the plants for winter hardiness. Plans are to add two additional acres for trials of more varieties of perennials and shrubs.

The Plantage; Glover Perennials and David Rose Perennials of Mattituck, NY; and Connecticut’s Sunny Border Nurseries (Kensington) and The Plant Group (North Franklin) supplied plants; Southold Compost Facility donated more than $5,000 worth of compost for the project start-up.

For More Info:
Dr. Mark Bridgen, Long Island Horticultural
Research & Extension Center
631-727-3595, mpb27@cornell.edu