Establishing Sustainable Demonstration Gardens and Cataloguing Plant Species atKentucky State University

The College of Agriculture, Food Science, and Sustainable Systems of the Kentucky State University (KSU) has undertaken a responsibility of establishing demonstration gardens on its main campus. The first step was a site selection. Three sites were selected for accessibility and aesthetic reasons. The second step was plant selection, and plants that would sustain with a minimal labor and resource input were selected. Seeds and plants have been purchased and they are in cultivation at campus site, in the field and the greenhouse at the KSU Research and Demonstration Farm. Our special focus was on daylily cultivars (Hemerocallis hybrids). Daylilies can tolerate a wide range of growing conditions, but still perform well. Our collection consisted of approximately 70 cultivars bred by two of the premiere daylily breeders in the nation. Spring blooming bulbs were planted and those include Anemone blanda, Crocus chrysanthus, Hyacinthoides hispanica, and Narcissus jonquilla. In addition, seeds of Kentucky native species have been started, and performance of seedlings at campus site were evaluated. A database has been developed as a part of a class project with additional information to catalogue species present on KSU campus. Approximately 40 tree species have been identified, including sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana), Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima), Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata), and willow oak (Quercus phellos), to name a few. Creation of demonstration gardens provided valuable hands-on experience and opportunities for our students, Master Gardeners and residents of neighboring communities.