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K-State Olathe Center hosting Horticulture Field DayKansas Area gardeners can talk with experts and get a look at what's new for yard and garden July 26. Kansas State University's Horticulture Research and Extension Center near Olathe will be hosting its once-a-year public field day. "The field day's most popular showcase is probably the flowering plant trials. Companies from around the world submit their newest developments for testing in Olathe. The center has thousands of annuals growing on two acres," said K-State horticulturist Dennis Patton, whose Johnson County Extension Master Gardeners cosponsor the event. The center also has extensive turf plots. It's known for the "high tunnels" used in fruit and vegetable research projects. Plus, it serves as one of the nationwide network of test trial sites for All-America Selections. "The facility is an important part of how K-State keeps updating its horticultural plant recommendations," Patton said. "The field trials are a clear illustration of the fact that not all varieties are created equal. Visitors will see firsthand that some do well but others just aren't suited for our climate." New on the program for this year's field day is a hot pepper planting that starts with the mildest and progresses up to the world's hottest pepper. To help celebrate the International Year of the Potato, visitors can see and taste more than 50 varieties of potatoes grown in the Kansas City area. The center's demonstration plot of ornamental grasses now includes more than 100 different varieties as possibilities for the smallest to the largest landscape. "Our Master Gardeners will be staffing a plant clinic, too," Patton said. "Visitors can bring ailing houseplants. They can bring garden plant, disease or insect specimens for help with identification." Johnson County EMG's also maintain their own demonstration plot at the center, which they simply call The Backyard Garden. They'll have guides there to answer questions during the field day. "Their aim is to provide an interesting display of the diversity possible in any home garden if you just apply research-based techniques. They have flowers, vegetables, herbs, and small fruits," Patton said. The Olathe center is at 35230 West 135th--about 9 miles west of Kansas Highway 7 on 135th Street. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., for its July 26 field day. Admission for the event is $5 at the gate. It includes bottled water, as well as hourly seminars and printed plant recommendations. For more information, gardeners can contact center director Alan Stevens at 913-856-2335 or horticulturist Dennis Patton at 913-715-7000. Johnson County's K-State Research and Extension office also offers a Web link to an overview of the field day's events at www.johnson.ksu.edu/. 8/4/08 Date: 7/28/08 Advertisement
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