Articles
PLANT SELECT® A BRIEF OVERVIEW, HISTORY AND FUTURE OF A PLANT INTRODUCTION PROGRAM
Article number
1000_83
Pages
585 – 589
Language
English
Abstract
Plant Select® is a cooperative program administered by Colorado State University and Denver Botanic Gardens working with the green industry professionals in the Rocky Mountain Region and beyond.
The purpose of Plant Select® is to seek out, identify and distribute the very best plants for landscapes and gardens from the intermountain region to the high plains.
Using ornamental plant germplasm from Western United States and regions around the world with semiarid continental climates (steppe), Plant Select® has popularized many plants previously underused or unknown in the horticulture industry.
Plant germplasm for consideration has been obtained from: 1) living collections at Denver Botanic Gardens, 2) existing landscape plants that have local significance; 3) commercial sector and 4) USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service sites.
Only a small percentage of the promotions have been the result of selections from plant breeding programs.
Plants are evaluated in trial plots/production nurseries for several years in multiple locations around the state of Colorado on the following criteria: performance in a broad range of garden situations in the Rocky Mountain region; adaptation to the challenging climate of the Rocky Mountain region; uniqueness; resistance to pest and disease; exceptional performance under low water conditions; long season of beauty in the garden; non-invasiveness; capability of being mass produced; longevity in containers (retail appeal); current availability from current propagators; ease of propagation using basic propagation protocols; and availability of images of established specimens in landscapes (for publications). After 15 years of promotions Plant Select® is looking for new plant material to promote.
Current regions of exploration and research for new plant material are Western North America, South Africa, Central Asia, and Argentina.
The purpose of Plant Select® is to seek out, identify and distribute the very best plants for landscapes and gardens from the intermountain region to the high plains.
Using ornamental plant germplasm from Western United States and regions around the world with semiarid continental climates (steppe), Plant Select® has popularized many plants previously underused or unknown in the horticulture industry.
Plant germplasm for consideration has been obtained from: 1) living collections at Denver Botanic Gardens, 2) existing landscape plants that have local significance; 3) commercial sector and 4) USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service sites.
Only a small percentage of the promotions have been the result of selections from plant breeding programs.
Plants are evaluated in trial plots/production nurseries for several years in multiple locations around the state of Colorado on the following criteria: performance in a broad range of garden situations in the Rocky Mountain region; adaptation to the challenging climate of the Rocky Mountain region; uniqueness; resistance to pest and disease; exceptional performance under low water conditions; long season of beauty in the garden; non-invasiveness; capability of being mass produced; longevity in containers (retail appeal); current availability from current propagators; ease of propagation using basic propagation protocols; and availability of images of established specimens in landscapes (for publications). After 15 years of promotions Plant Select® is looking for new plant material to promote.
Current regions of exploration and research for new plant material are Western North America, South Africa, Central Asia, and Argentina.
Authors
M. Kintgen , S. Krishnan, P. Hayward
Keywords
germplasm, green industry, horticulture, ornamental plant
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