Cold Hardiness: Successes and failures at the University of Delaware Botanic Garden

摘要

Botanic gardens and arboreta have always played an important role in the maintenance and testing of novel germplasm. By their very nature, the diverse collections of plant material provide germplasm to the trade, an opportunity to assess cultural requirements and information regarding the adaptability of diverse plants to varying environments. Structured programs such as the Plant Collections Network sponsored by American Public Gardens Association and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service seek to coordinate a network of gardens to build a national collection of plants and facilitate access to these plants and information generated by the program. Whether collections in public gardens are part of a larger regional, national or international efforttheir value is increasing rapidly as the nursery industry evolves to maintain economic viability. Nurseries that maintain diverse inventories have significantly reduced their diversity toincrease efficiency and maximize profits. Many nurseries that historically produced amazingly diverse plant lists have either greatly reduced the selection or even gone out of business. The result of this economic reality results in an ever-increasing role for public gardens to maintain diverse collections and provide basic information on the adaptability of the collections.