Kansas State University Is Conducting Trial Gardens
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Founded in 1871, the Horticulture and Natural Resources Department at Kansas State University is one of the oldest departments in the university and has brought people and nature together more than 150 years later. The department has award-winning faculty, staff and students with a passion for discovering new and existing plants to benefit Kansas communities through trial gardens.
Part of the extension program entails more than 1,200 active volunteer Master Gardeners in 72 of Kansas’ 105 counties. These experts receive classroom training while representing the interests of the K-State Research and Extension program. Master Gardeners need 40 to 50 training hours during their first year, a passion for gardening, and a desire to improve their community.
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Along with coordinating the Master Gardener program, faculty in the department conduct ongoing plant research trials in Haysville, Olathe and Manhattan.
Training and Trial Gardens
“We have historically supported Kansas horticulture in many ways,” says Cheryl Boyer, professor and extension specialist at K-State.
Because Kansas homeowners always want new plant varieties to choose from, K-State trials include active turf trials, fruit and vegetable trials and ornamental trials, but finding plants that will grow in all of Kansas’ wide-ranging geographical regions is challenging.
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Other challenges include a drier climate in western Kansas, woodlands in eastern Kansas, elevation changes from the northwestern part of the state to the southeastern part of the state, temperature extremes, wind and high pH soil levels.
Turf trials consist of buffalograss, zoysiagrass and tall fescue at the Olathe, Haysville and Manhattan Research and Extension stations. Fruit and vegetable trials include grafted tomatoes, strawberries and pumpkins, mainly at the Olathe station. Ornamental trials in Haysville include red maples and evergreen trees, with plans to add more shrub trials.
Plants are put through many tests as part of the trial gardens to ensure they can tolerate conditions the average homeowner will put them through, such as minimal fertilizer, water and pest management.
“These trials are helpful because we don’t want to recommend plants that won’t grow in specific regions,” Boyer says.
K-State’s Horticulture and Natural Resources Department wants to expand its plant trials as funding increases.
“We have ideas and are working on grant proposals, but right now, we need more resources and specialists,” Boyer says.
To become a Master Gardener or find plant recommendations in the KansasRoots web directory for various regions in Kansas, visit hnr.k-state.edu.