Display Gardens for 2017

Coordinating colors is important—notice how the reds and blacks tie together

If you’ve never been to Field Day, ask someone who has and they just might tell you they look at plants a bit differently now. Sure, you read about our beautiful cultivars each week in Field Notes but touring our Display Gardens puts you smack dab in the middle of them and allows you to experience their true height, bushiness, and habit. Observing a plant in its mature state can change your opinion of how you plan to use it.

A peek at how it all comes together

Now these are designed gardens as opposed to stuffy, sterile clinical trials—we want to see how a plant works in real life with other plants. Experiments for us consist of mixing different kinds of plants together in a bed, and combining sizes, shapes, textures, and colors from a range of classes: grasses, sunflowers, ipomoea—you name the crop. 

How does a coleus react when planted in full sun? How does the same coleus respond to shade? Is the color as vivid? Does it grow as tall or as full? How does it adapt to a larger or smaller space? These are the types of questions that pique our curiosity. Sometimes the failures are more important than the successes—we think of them as learning opportunities, and as always our aim is to inform as well as to inspire you.  

Mixing different textures—flower, foliage, grass—adds dimension

All of our beautiful arrangements can be adapted for your own projects—they are built for easy installation and follow basic design principles. They’re also inexpensive to put together so they’re suitable for a variety of applications. 

An extra level of interest: experimenting with height—high to low

Keep in mind that we change our designs from year to year without repeating any of them. We make a point of trotting out the season’s new material to see it in action—because even the trendiest plant has to live up to our high standards. If it passes our test, consider adding it to your tool box.

Field Day offers a rare opportunity for total immersion: getting up close with vibrant, mature plants while networking with peers, and absorbing a flood of information from someone who’s been growing plants in the local area for—well, for a long time. Take this day to hone your skills and let the beautiful Display Gardens recharge your creativity—I know they recharge mine. Come and see what’s new!