MSU Announces Garden Plant Tour

The sixth annual Michigan Garden Plant Tour is right around the corner, Aug. 3 to 14.

Greenhouse growers, landscapers, plant retailers, breeders, nurserymen and plant enthusiasts are invited to attend this two-week coordinated open house of young plant producers and Michigan State University. This year, seven leading companies are participating with MSU: C. Raker and Sons, Duwayne’s Greenhouses, Four Star Greenhouse, Mast Young Plants, Pell Greenhouses, Walters Gardens and Zylstra Greenhouses. Each young plant producer showcases their plant specialties and product lines in their outdoor gardens. It’s a great way to evaluate garden plant performance in a variety of outdoor settings and containers.

This year, the presentations at the MSU Garden Plant Showcase include :

• Landscapes for the Future – Plants, People, and Ecosystems (Bob Schutzki)
• Top Trial Performers in 2009 (Chris Noffsinger)
• Favorite Annual and Perennial Plants for the Midwest (Art Cameron)
• Managing Greenhouse Temperature in an Energy-Efficient Manner (Erik Runkle)

Companies are open Monday through Friday during normal business hours, and the MSU Horticulture Gardens are open seven days a week from dawn to dusk.

Participants should contact the sites in advance. For more information, visit the Michigan Garden Plant Tour website or call Sandy Allen at (517) 355-5191 ext. 1339. The website contains highlights of each company’s open house, contact information and interactive maps to help navigate among locations. There is no fee to visit the participating companies, and the MSU Garden Plant Showcase educational program on Tuesday, Aug. 4, is $35 per person and includes lunch.