By Lori Williams, CSU Extension – Denver County Master Gardener since 2016
Have you enjoyed or wondered about CSU’s campus Flower Trial Garden in Fort Collins? It’s a flower-lover’s paradise where 1000+ bountiful and bodacious annual and perennial flowers are performance tested annually. A team of evaluators recently reviewed this year’s entries, and the winners will be announced shortly. These champion flowers will be making an appearance near you soon!
Here is a sample of stand-out flowers from the 2022 trials.
What You’ll Find if You Visit
The Trial Gardens together with University Center for the Arts is called the Garden Arts District. Passersby, astute and curious gardeners, lucky students, staff and faculty enjoy the area routinely. The gardens are open for viewing through October. If you visit, you’ll find:
- Perennial Trial Garden is directly in front of the Center for the Arts building. Handsome perennial container trials stand in impressive rows.
- Perennial Demo Garden on the building’s north side is robust in color and texture.
- Vibrant rows and swaths of annual trials wind around the center park.
- Shade annuals are on trial under the stately, northern Shade House.
- Next to that, the All-America Selections® display and trial ground is showy and full.
- Plant Select’s Demonstration Garden, adjacent to the gazebo, features an outstanding array of plant, butterfly, and bee varieties.
You’ve likely seen a divine flowering something in a public garden that immediately and deeply dives into your heart, and you ask, “What is that?!” only to discover no label or information. CSU has signage noting plant name/species and variety at every planted grouping. It’s a wish-list maker’s dream come true! Obviously and absolutely essential for evaluations and voting.
History, Mission and Trial Criteria
The Flower Trial Garden is a seriously revered testing ground for seed companies, industrial growers, and horticultural researchers. To learn more about the garden’s history, the evaluation process and how trial research and data are used, watch this short video narrated by Dr. Jim Klett, CSU Professor Emeritus.
Colorado State University’s overall mission is simple: to provide education, research and outreach to anyone with a desire to learn. The trial gardens are an exceptional example of the University’s commitment to this mission.
According to CSU, the purpose of displaying and evaluating performance of annual and perennial cultivars in Colorado’s unique environmental conditions “allows students, researchers, industry representatives, homeowners and extension personnel to learn, teach and evaluate through horticultural projects conducted in the unique environmental conditions of the Rocky Mountain/High Plains region.”
Trialing Cultivars: Will You Grow in Colorado?
Approximately 25 different companies submit seeds or rooted-cutting entries annually. Find criteria here.
Colorado industry professionals work with CSU ensuring trials are scientific and participants receive performance results.
Evaluation Day in early August involves Colorado Master Gardeners, community members and horticultural leaders evaluating and creating “Best Of” entries lists.
CSU promotes the “Best Of” varieties to growers and sellers, encouraging them to bring these winners to market.
What Makes a Winner?
Not all flower varieties can withstand Colorado’s unique growing conditions, which include high altitude, intense solar radiation, drying winds, severe hailstorms, large fluctuations between day and night temperatures and a season-long need for irrigation. Plants are closely monitored for their ability to withstand these factors. Perennials are trialed for three summers.
In addition, genetic changes have occurred during trials. With more intense light and weather, sea level-growing, shade-loving New Guinea impatiens were trialed in Fort Collins and genetically became a NEW sun-loving, high altitude, outrageously popular plant! That’s the value of CSU’s trial gardens.
CSU’s efforts, along with help from the Larimer County Master Gardeners, reward Colorado plant enthusiasts with complete findings on trial favorites. Find the last three years “Best Of” Annuals, “Top Performer” Perennials, and “Cool Season” winners here.
Watch for the announcement of the 2023 winners soon!
Denver Gardeners 