Administrative staff in CALS School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS) took a quick field trip August 11 to learn more about the Bluegrass Lane Turf and Landscape Research Facility located adjacent to campus near the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course.
SIPS floriculture research technician Kendra Hutchins explained the trials she manages, including evaluations of the latest annual flower varieties coming onto the market, pollinator-friendly plants, and mixed container plantings that include vegetables, herbs and flowers in a single pot. They also perused perennial flower plantings and rose test plots.
“The trials there are beautiful,” says Tara Reed, SIPS event coordinator. “But it was also great to see how the research we support connects with the plants we see in the garden center every spring.”