Colors, Combos Stand Out in Massachusetts Field Trials

The 2022 growing season at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society was difficult because of the extreme heat and humidity as well as the lack of rain.

“We struggled initially with getting our irrigation up and running,” says Karen Daubmann, Director of Garden. “We were able to hand irrigate during the driest spells and get our system working in late July.”

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The trials are planted in rows surrounding the Hartley Greenhouse.

“We try to organize the plantings so that they seem cohesive and planned. The Trial Garden is the first garden our visitors view after coming through the admissions area,” Daubmann says. “The trials are extremely colorful, and because they are planted in blocks, the colors seem more intense. Visitors love that they can get up close to the plants and as a result the Trial Garden is our most instagrammed garden space.”

There were only a few challenges in 2022, namely heat and drought. Though the trial team struggled with keeping the garden watered, it had great success with plants that like it hot and dry.

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“Peppers thrived in the garden; we had a record yield and struggled to provide recipes for the bushels of peppers that came out of the garden every week,” Duabmann says.

Many plants didn’t miss a beat and looked amazing for the entire season, including:

  • Begonia ‘Surefire White’ (Proven Winners)
  • Gomphrena ‘Truffula Pink’ (Proven Winners)
  • Helianthus ‘Suncredible Yellow’ (Proven Winners)
  • Heliotropium ‘Augusta Lavender’ (Proven Winners)

“Also, we noticed some really wonderful combinations, like Salvia ‘Unplugged Pink’ planted next to Ipomoea ‘Sweet Caroline Medusa Green’. The new growth of the potato vine coordinated incredibly well with the fuchsia of the Salvia flower,” Daubmann says. And Heliotropium ‘Augusta Lavender’ looked cute growing next to Cyperus ‘Queen Tut’; the bold spiky flowers folded in with the soft ribbons of heliotrope flowers.”

The team had the opportunity to visit Pleasant View Gardens in Loudon, NH, for its early August field day.

“We loved the different ways in which the plants were displayed, and we hope to diversify our trial display in the future,” Daubmann says. “Plants like Tradescantia ‘Purple Queen’ and Muehlenbeckia ‘Big Leaf’ are incredible performers, but don’t look like anything significant when they are planted in the ground. I love both of those plants and hope to use them in containers and baskets in the future.”

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