Native Perennials Go High-Tech

Posted by Brian Sparks|July 26, 2020

The demand for low-maintenance, drought resistant, low-input plants in the greenhouse has converged with the trend to the use of more natives and pollinator plants in gardens and landscapes. However, as any garden center owner or landscape designer knows all too well, aesthetic attributes on the sale’s bench or in the landscape plan are important. And, from the perspective of greenhouse growers, cost-effective propagation and production technologies are an absolute must if these otherwise desirable plants are to find a way to the consumer’s garden.

Exploring a variety of integrated systems designed to overcome the obstacles that are generally associated with the efficient production of native species, “Integrated techniques for efficient breeding, production, and transplant survival of unique ornamental species” is an ambitious research project currently underway at the University of Guelph. The project is part of the Cluster Project and is funded by the Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance (COHA-ACHO) and by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriScience Program.

The project has two goals: the accelerated breeding and introduction of exciting new perennial plants to the marketplace, and the development of efficient propagation and production technology. The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed the project down just a bit, as additional greenhouse space is required to accommodate social distancing requirements, and extra costs are incurred for more vehicles and trips.

Learn more about this exciting new project here.