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Metrolina Greenhouses to hold Mum Trials open house in early October

Metrolina Greenhouses will hold its annual Mum Trials open house for members of the floriculture industry from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.  on Thursday, October 6. The annual event will kick off in the morning with breakfast sandwiches and coffee, followed by a walk-through of the trials with breeder representatives beginning at 8:30 a.m. The trials will be open for industry members to come and go throughout the rest of the day.

The Mum Trials, held on the MX3 pad at the Huntersville, NC, will evaluate plants from Ball Horticultural Co., Dummen Orange, Gediflora and Syngenta Flowers, including:

• 419 mum varieties in 1.5-gallon pots
• 98 bicolor and tricolor mums in 3-quart pots
• 160 bicolor and tricolor mums in 2-gallon pots

This year Metrolina Greenhouses celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Established in 1972, Metrolina Greenhouses has held plant trials for the past 40 years, beginning in the driveway at Tom and Vickie VanWingerden’s house.  Today, Metrolina’s expert research and development team evaluates more than 15,000 varieties in both public and private trials each year. The team’s work provides critical analysis of varieties that will grow best in real-world consumer garden conditions.