Alberta Perennial Trials

On Thursday I drove up to Olds and Edmonton to see the other two Alberta Perennial Trial garden sites. It was a beautiful,  sunny and warm day. I am very grateful to my friend (and volunteer in the trial garden) Anne, who accompanied me on the trip!

Daniel Chappell and Wendy Daley at Olds College gave us a great tour of the perennial trial garden and the other gardens and greenhouses at Olds College. The gardens are beautiful and their containers are stunning! It was the first day of classes, so it was fun to see all the new students trying to find their way around. It was also great to see Jillian and Glen who worked at the zoo this past summer and are back at college now.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great day to take pictures; it was a bit too sunny and windy. I took some, especially of the plants that are doing better at these sites than at the Calgary Zoo site, but the quality of the images isn’t great.

Alberta Perennial Trials - Olds College site

The Heliopsis ‘Tuscan Sun’ was flowering prolifically in the Olds garden. I am very hopeful that this new dwarf false sunflower from Proven Winners will be successful. It will be a great alternative for smaller gardens.

Heliopsis 'Tuscan Sun'

Leucanthemum ‘Broadway Lights’ was also much more floriferous at both the Olds and Edmonton sites. This may be because it was planted a little later at the Calgary site. It has been a visitor favourite, for good reason!

Leucanthemum 'Broadway Lights' - Olds

 We haven’t seen Phygelius ‘Passionate’ blooming yet in Calgary, so it was exciting to see these interesting flowers in Edmonton.

Phygelius 'Passionate'

  

Echinacea ‘Double Delight’ was certainly blooming delightfully in Edmonton.

Echinacea 'Double Delight'

Many thanks to our wonderful site representative in Edmonton, Jane Huggan, for showing us around the Alberta Perennial Trial garden at Muttart. 

Muttart Conservatory

© Alberta Perennial Trials, 2010