
Woody
Ornamentals Thriving in MidwestBy Linda
McElreath January 29, 2002Eleven commercially available plants
are receiving favorable evaluations by cooperators participating in a project
to evaluate ornamental shrubs and trees. The project, called the NC-7 Regional Woody Ornamental Trials, is a
collaborative effort between the Agricultural Research Service and state
agricultural experiment stations at more than 30 sites located primarily in the
north-central United States, New England and Alaska. Since 1954, the goal of
this project has been to identify trees and shrubs that grow well in those
regions. Each year, collaborators collect and submit data to ARS horticulturist Mark
P. Widrlechner and his technician, A. Paul Ovrom, who coordinate the trials at
ARS North
Central Regional Plant Introduction Station (NCRPIS) in Ames, Iowa. Data
are collected for 10 years for each plant. The top 11 accessions, which have good ornamental characteristics and are
now available commercially, include nine shrubs: Nugget, a cultivar of the
ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius); Sakakawea, a cultivar of the silver
buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea); Kentucky wisteria (Wisteria
frutescens var. macrostachya); Cardinal and Ruby, cultivars of red
osier dogwood (Cornus sericea); Indigo, a cultivar of silky dogwood
(Cornus amonum); Konza, a cultivar of fragrant sumac (Rhus
aromatica); Tara, a hybrid barberry (Berberis koreana x thunbergii)
sold under the trademark Emerald Carousel; and White Knight hybrid weigela
(Weigela florida). Two notable trees are western larch (Larix
occidentalis) and Little King river birch (Betula nigra), sold under
the trademark Fox Valley. Information on these accessions and many others can be found at the NC-7
Trials web site: http://www.ars-grin.gov/ars/MidWest/Ames/trialhmpge.html Future plans include testing more woody plants with good adaptation and
ornamental merit obtained from populations native to the central portion of the
United States. ARS is the U.S. Department of
Agricultures chief scientific research agency. Story contacts Linda R Tokarz U.S. Department of Agriculture |