Sep 26, 2008

University of Florida Discontinues Variety Trial Garden in GainesvilleSource: University of Florida

The University of Florida is canceling its popular Variety Trial Garden in Gainesville due to recent budget restrictions.

The trial garden in Gainesville was started eight years ago by Proven Winners’ Rick Schoellhorn and was managed by Jennifer Boldt, with the assistance of Jessica Boldt, while they were graduate students at the University of Florida. Costa Farms was a main financial sponsor of the garden.

“We are very appreciative of the dedicated efforts and leadership of these individuals and of the many students who worked with them to make the garden a success,” says Dr. Jim Barrett, professor of floriculture at the University of Florida. “”¦We also want to express appreciation to the many companies who subjected their varieties to independent evaluation in the trials.”

The Floriculture Field Day program taking place in May and jointly sponsored by FNGLA and the University of Florida will continue with some changes to the schedule. The program is being finalized and will be announced soon, Barrett adds.

In addition, the university plans on maintaining the trial gardens website, which contains a great deal of information on the performance of many different species and varieties. The 2008 trial results will be up soon, he says.

Current private breeder trials with several companies are not affected by the discontinuance of the public trial gardens.

For more information, e-mail Jim Barrett at jbarrett@ufl.edu.