Aug. 12, Guelph, Ont. – This year’s Ontario "Trial Garden Open House for the Horticultural Industry" will be held Friday, Aug. 20 in Milton and Guelph.

The event is co-hosted by Landscape Ontario, Ontario Parks Association and University of Guelph.

The day begins at 9 a.m. at the Landscape Ontario offices and trial beds at 7856 Fifth Line South in Milton, just minutes of Hwy. 401. There is plenty of free parking, but please note there is no access from Steeles Ave. due to road construction on Fifth Line South. See detour instructions here.

Speaker sessions include:

• “Soil Amendments for Healthy Plants – The Basics of Soil Enhancement,” by Keith Osborne.

• “Understanding Soil Nutrition – Getting the Most out of a Soil Analysis Report,” by Jack Legg.

A tour of the trial garden will be led by trials coordinator Rodger Tschanz of the U of Guelph, assisted by industry representatives. Over 400 different bedding plant cultivars (annuals and perennials) and a vegetable garden will be highlighted. Included are bedding plants from the Vineland/OMAFRA/Guelph greenhouse trial.

The Ontario Parks Association is hosting a hanging basket display from participating municipalities. Attendees can vote for their favourite containers. There will also be a chance to test your plant ID skills.

Light refreshments at noon will be sponsored by Gro-Bark (Ontario) Ltd.

The afternoon portion of the event will be hosted from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Guelph Trial Garden at the Turfgrass Institute, 328 Victoria Rd. S., (at College Avenue.) in Guelph. Note: attendees must provide own transportation from Milton to Guelph.

The Flower Program includes:

• All-America Selections Flower and Bedding Plant Trial.

• New plant cultivars for containers and ground beds.

• Perennials from Blooms of Bressingham, Jelitto Seed, Vanhof & Blokker, and Ball.

• Bulb crate gardening ideas and vegetables for small urban spaces

A Turf Program will be held in conjunction with the Guelph Turfgrass Institute.

Admission is free with plenty of free parking. For more information and to send your RSVP, contact Kathleen Pugliese at 800-265-5656, ext 309, or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Plant material from Ball Horticulture, Blooms of Bressingham, Dummen, Floranova, George Sant Greenhouses, Goldsmith Seeds, Jelitto Seeds, Ontario Seed Company, PanAmerican Seed, Proven Winners, Seeds of Change, Suntory, Syngenta, and American Takii will be at both the Milton and Guelph sites. You can vote for your favourites. Containers and potting mix have been provided by the Myers Industries Lawn and Garden Group and Sun Gro Horticulture.

The Open House is sponsored by Gro-Bark (Ontario) Ltd., A.M.A. Plastics Ltd., Goldsmith Seeds, Inc. Agri-Food, Agrium Advanced Technologies, Fafard, KAM’s Growers Supply, Perlite Canada Inc., Plant Products, and Land Source Organix.