The Pennsylvania Gardener Selects (PGS) program represents a unique educational, evaluation, and marketing program that expands the opportunities for Master Gardener input and activity while benefiting the green industry and gardeners statewide. Through the PGS program, Master Gardeners have learned to evaluate plants, develop educational programs for the general public, and participate directly in the selection and marketing of superior plants for the consumer and commercial marketplace. The PGS program has been warmly received by the industry. Since 1999, the PGS program has grown to include 44 gardens in 39 of the 67 counties of Pennsylvania

Berghage, Robert D

Bilik, Toni

Michael, Alan H

Sellmer, James C

English

Clemson University: TigerPrints

The Journal of Extension Volume 41 Number 1 Article 17 2-1-2003 Pennsylvania Gardener Selects Plant Evaluation Program James C. Sellmer The Pennsylvania State University, jcs32@psu.edu Robert D. Berghage The Pennsylvania State University, rdb4@psu.edu Alan H. Michael The Pennsylvania State University, ahm4@psu.edu Toni Bilik The Pennsylvania State University, amb2@psu.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. Recommended Citation Sellmer, J. C., Berghage, R. D., Michael, A. H., & Bilik, T. (2003). Pennsylvania Gardener Selects Plant Evaluation Program. The Journal of Extension, 41(1), Article 17. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/joe/vol41/iss1/17 This Ideas at Work is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Journal of Extension by an authorized editor of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact kokeefe@clemson.edu. 	 JOEHOME JOURNAL GUIDELINES ABOUT	JOE CONTACT NATIONAL	JOB	BANKCurrent	Issues Back	IssuesFebruary	2003	//	Volume	41	//	Number	1	//	Ideas	at	Work	//	1IAW4Pennsylvania	Gardener	Selects	Plant	Evaluation	ProgramAbstractThe	Pennsylvania	Gardener	Selects	(PGS)	program	represents	a	unique	educational,	evaluation,and	marketing	program	that	expands	the	opportunities	for	Master	Gardener	input	and	activitywhile	benefiting	the	green	industry	and	gardeners	statewide.	Through	the	PGS	program,	MasterGardeners	have	learned	to	evaluate	plants,	develop	educational	programs	for	the	generalpublic,	and	participate	directly	in	the	selection	and	marketing	of	superior	plants	for	theconsumer	and	commercial	marketplace.	The	PGS	program	has	been	warmly	received	by	theindustry.	Since	1999,	the	PGS	program	has	grown	to	include	44	gardens	in	39	of	the	67	countiesof	Pennsylvania.	IntroductionPenn	State	University	has	a	long	history	of	independent	evaluations	of	plant	cultivars	forcommercial	producers,	All	America	Selections	(AAS),	seed	companies,	and	plant	breeders.	Thesetrials	have	been	conducted	continuously	since	1932.	Evaluations	provide	valuable	informationused	in	commercial	production	decisions	as	well	as	a	resource	for	professional	horticulturists	andhome	gardeners.	Each	year	a	number	of	plants	in	the	trials	stand	out	as	superior	cultivars.	Theseplants	are	promoted	through	published	performance	results,	magazine	articles,	and	seminars;however,	information	only	reaches	a	fraction	of	the	people	who	could	use	and	benefit	from	it.The	Pennsylvania	Gardener	Selects	(PGS)	plant	evaluation,	display,	and	promotional	program	wasinitiated	to	use	this	information	to	expand	Pennsylvania	plant	markets	through	education,evaluation,	and	display	gardens.	The	strength	of	the	PGS	program	lies	in	two	areas:An	integrated	marketing	program	for	plants	suited	to	Pennsylvania	conditions.An	emerging	opportunity	for	Penn	State	Master	Gardeners.Marketing	ProgramThe	PGS	program	has	been	warmly	received	by	the	Pennsylvania	Landscape	and	NurseryAssociation	(PLNA),	Pennsylvania	Floral	Industries	Association	(PFIA),	and	the	PennsylvaniaDepartment	of	Agriculture,	Agricultural	Marketing	Board.	During	the	past	3	years	the	associationsJames	C.	SellmerAssistant	Professor	of	Ornamental	HorticultureInternet	Address:	jcs32@psu.eduRobert	D.	BerghageAssociate	Professor	of	HorticultureInternet	Address:	rdb4@psu.eduAlan	H.	MichaelOrnamental	Horticulture	Extension	Agent,	Dauphin	CountyInternet	Address:	ahm4@psu.eduToni	BilikPenn	State	Master	Gardener	CoordinatorInternet	Address:	amb2@psu.eduThe	Pennsylvania	State	UniversityUniversity	Park,	Pennsylvaniahave	committed	$15,000,	which	has	been	matched	by	the	Department	of	Agriculture	to	result	in	atotal	of	$30,000	for	promotion	and	marketing	of	the	program	and	selected	plants.The	marketing	program	for	PGS	gets	its	direction	from	a	grower	guidance	committee	composed	ofindustry	members	and	directors	of	PFIA	and	PLNA.	This	committee	sets	the	timetable	for	notifyinggrowers	of	newly	selected	plants.	Lead-time	for	annuals	is	currently	1	year,	with	theannouncement	of	selected	plants	announced	to	commercial	growers.	The	following	year	they	areannounced	to	the	gardening	public.For	example,	plants	evaluated	and	selected	during	the	2001	growing	season	were	announced	togrowers	in	January	2002	and	will	be	promoted	to	the	gardening	public	in	spring	of	2003.	Thegrower	guidance	committee	has	also	registered	a	domain	name	and	begun	developing	a	Web	sitepromoting	PGS	plants	<http://www.gardenerselects.com/>.PGS	plants	are	promoted	to	commercial	growers,	garden	centers,	and	landscapers	in	regional	andstatewide	Extension	grower	meetings,	through	PFIA	and	PLNA	member	newsletter	articles,	and	in	amailing	promoting	point-of-purchase	material.	In	addition,	the	program	and	selected	plants	havebeen	highlighted	in	feature	articles	in	local,	regional,	and	statewide	newspapers.	Ball	Horticulture,a	national	plant	and	seed	producer,	prepared	and	distributed	a	national	press	release	that	resultedin	several	national	grower	magazines	developing	articles	on	the	PGS	program,	for	exampleGreenhouse	Manager	Pro	(GM	Pro).The	program	has	been	promoted	to	consumers	through	newspapers,	displays	at	the	PennsylvaniaFarm	Show,	the	Philadelphia	Flower	Show,	and	numerous	local	and	regional	gardening	eventsconducted	by	Master	Gardeners	involved	in	the	program.	The	statewide	Master	Gardener	manageddisplay	and	educational	gardens	expand	visibility	and	accessibility	of	superior	selected	ornamentalplants	to	every	corner	of	the	state,	providing	home	owners	and	local	landscape	and	garden	centerpersonnel	a	place	to	see	and	learn	about	these	plants.Master	Gardener	ProgramThe	PGS	program	began	in	the	summer	of	1999	with	29	gardens	in	26	of	the	67	counties	in	theCommonwealth.	Twenty-two	annuals	and	six	herbaceous	perennials	were	evaluated.	By	2001,	theprogram	grew	to	44	display	gardens	in	39	counties.	To	date,	the	program	has	evaluatedapproximately	60	plants,	of	which	22	have	been	named	to	the	PGS	list.The	strength	of	the	Pennsylvania	program	and	its	innovation	is	local	involvement	of	Penn	StateMaster	Gardeners.	They	provide	a	local	focus	to	generate	community	interest	and	local	publicity.Master	Gardeners	benefit	from	the	program	through:Direct	involvement	in	the	evaluation	and	decision	making	process,Expansion	of	their	role	in	educating	gardeners	and	green	industry	personnel	on	the	suitabilityand	qualities	of	PGS	plants,	andEnhanced	local	and	statewide	visibility	of	the	Master	Gardener	program.Participating	Master	Gardeners	are	trained	to	conduct	plant	evaluations	during	a	series	ofmeetings	in	spring	and	are	responsible	for:Location	of	their	garden;Garden	design;Preparation,	maintenance,	evaluation	of	the	plants;	andArranging	and	staffing	educational	events	at	their	gardens.Many	individual	PGS	garden	sites	throughout	the	state	hold	open	houses,	and	several	are	featuredas	demonstration	sites	during	local	home	and	garden	shows.	These	gardens	also	provide	a	uniquevenue	for	introducing	new	plants	and	cultivars	to	the	market	and	provide	local	garden	centers,landscape	contractors,	nursery	producers,	and	designers	an	opportunity	to	see	first	hand	andevaluate	products	that	can	add	to	their	marketing	mix.	In	addition,	display	and	evaluation	gardensare	stable	statewide	locations	for	educating	consumers	on	quality	horticultural	products.Ultimately,	the	Master	Gardeners	are	perhaps	the	best	endorsement	possible	for	the	selectedplants,	yielding	word	of	mouth	recommendations	by	respected	community	leaders.General	Program	ManagementThe	Penn	State	trial	garden	or	commercial	grower	cooperators	provide	seedling	plants	for	eachgarden.	Cooperating	gardens	receive	materials	for	planting	in	the	spring	between	May	and	June.Evaluation	occurs	throughout	the	growing	season.	Plants	are	evaluated	on:Flowering,Plant	habit,Uniformity,Foliage,Growth,Vigor,Insect	and	disease	resistance,	andOverall	appeal.Each	character	is	rated	on	a	0	to	5	scale	with	0	=	dead,	1	=	unacceptable,	2	=	poor,	3	=	fair,	4	=good,	and	5	=	excellent.	Evaluators	for	each	garden	tally	ratings	and	submit	them	to	theDepartment	of	Horticulture,	where	they	are	tabulated	to	reflect	average,	maximum,	and	minimumratings	in	each	category.In	the	fall,	evaluators	meet	and	discuss	the	overall	outcome	of	their	evaluations,	educationalactivities	organized	around	evaluation	gardens,	and	number	of	visitors	attending	gardens	in	theircounties.	Decisions	are	also	made	on	"Plant	of	the	Year,"	Gardener	Selects	Plants	for	PennsylvaniaGardens	and	on	plants	to	evaluate	during	the	coming	growing	season.Copyright	©	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Articles	appearing	in	the	Journal	become	the	property	of	theJournal.	 Single	 copies	 of	 articles	may	 be	 reproduced	 in	 electronic	 or	 print	 form	 for	 use	 in	 educational	 or	 trainingactivities.	Inclusion	of	articles	in	other	publications,	electronic	sources,	or	systematic	large-scale	distribution	may	bedone	only	with	prior	electronic	or	written	permission	of	the	Journal	Editorial	Office,	joe-ed@joe.org.If	you	have	difficulties	viewing	or	printing	this	page,	please	contact	JOE	Technical	Support©	Copyright	by	Extension	Journal,	Inc.	ISSN	1077-5315.	Copyright	Policy

Pennsylvania Gardener Selects Plant Evaluation Program

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Pennsylvania Gardener Selects Plant Evaluation Program

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