North Park’s Demonstration Garden a proving ground for flowers of the future
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The trial, or Demonstration Garden, near the veterans memorial in North Park is planted each spring with flowers and plants sent by growers to determine if they are suitable for sale to the public in the future.
Penn State Master Gardeners cultivate the 1,800 -square-foot plot throughout the spring and summer and monitor how well the plants are flowering, how large they grow and whether they are susceptible to disease and pests.
That information is relayed back to growers so they can who use it decide if they should be supplied to local garden centers for sale.
The raised beds at the base of the stone monument are used as a demonstration herb and basil garden and feature a number of rare varieties.
North Park’s Demonstration Garden is one of only three in the state. The others are located at Hershey Gardens and in Manheim, Lancaster County.
The Master Gardeners also operate a satellite demonstration garden in South Park and an edible teaching garden in Pittsburgh’s North Point Breeze neighborhood.
The trial and demonstration gardens are maintained in partnership with Allegheny County by a team of Penn State Extension Master Gardeners, who regularly conduct educational programs in the park.