Welcome
The UMES Floral Trial Garden was created in June 2007 to provide information and services to enhance the profitability of the lower shore region's green industry, and improve the quality of life for residents living in this area. The green industry is the second largest agriculture sector in Maryland, however, the lower shore region, which includes Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worchester counties, only represents a small portion of horticulture sales and services in the state. The University Floral Trial Garden was developed to enhance ornamental horticulture by providing growers, retailers, and home gardeners with unbiased evaluations of plant cultivar performance in the landscape under local growing conditions. The function of the trial garden is research, education, outreach, and evaluation and introduction of new plant cultivars to the greenhouse and landscape industries. Undergraduate and graduate students also gain practical experience in research and plant evaluation protocols. The trial garden is used as a living laboratory to enhance our academic courses in the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Resource Sciences, and to attract the campus and local community to the university for leisure recreation, open houses, and educational and outreach initiatives. The university trial garden is open to the public everyday from early morning until dusk.
In 2009, the UMES Floral Trial Garden became an All-America Selections Display Garden www.all-americaselections.org.
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