Michigan Garden Plant Tour starts July 28

Commercial greenhouse growers, retailers, and landscapers of ornamental plants are invited to participate in the 11th annual Michigan Garden Plant Tour, a free, coordinated open house of leading young plant producers and Michigan State University (MSU). The objective of the tour is to educate growers and industry professionals about new and existing plant selections and learn about how they perform in a variety of different settings, including in the ground and in containers. The 2014 Tour will run from July 28 to August 8.

 

The participating companies are C. Raker and Sons, Four Star Greenhouse, Mast Young Plants, Pell Greenhouses, Spring Meadow Nursery, and Walters Gardens.  In addition, the Horticulture Gardens at MSU, and for the first time, the MSU Extension Grand Ideas Garden, offer attractive and unbiased displays of garden plants. The Michigan Garden Plant Tour is completely free, but the companies would appreciate a call ahead to know you're coming. For more information, visit the tour website: http://planttour.hrt.msu.edu.

 

Based on a post-tour survey last year, the displays and garden plant trials met or exceeded expectations for 97 percent of attendees, and as a result of participating in the Tour, 88 percent of producers planned to offer new varieties this year. Most importantly, 97 percent of attendees believed they increased their knowledge of plant materials.