Evaluating Woody Plants for Hardiness and Landscape Quality in Alberta

Since 1983 the Regional Woody Plant Test Project (RWPTP) has been evaluating new woody plant species and cultivars in Alberta. It is a cooperative trial between Alberta Agriculture and Food Crop Diversification Centre South (CDCS), the Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association Growers Group and Research Committee and five current and four past nursery cooperators. The nursery cooperators donate the space and maintain the plant material on their site.

In the RWPTP, plants are monitored for landscape quality and hardiness for six years. At the end of the evaluation period, recommendations are made about the suitability for growing in the following regions which represent much of the climatic diversity of Alberta: Fairview, Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Brooks and Lethbridge areas. Plant material for the trial has generally been chosen from North American nurseries with a few selections from around the world.

The RWPTP was terminated in 2009, with the last data being collected in the fall of 2009.

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to all of the people who have directed, cooperated, or contributed to this project since its inception in 1983.

Brendan Casement	Retired leader Agro Foresty Program, CDC North, Edmonton		Han Kuperus	Coaldale Nurseries, Coaldale
George Granger	Retired leader Agro Foresty Program, CDC North, Edmonton		Lemoine Maryniak	CDC North, Edmonton
Karen Barby	Green Haven Garden Centre, Lethbridge		Bev Minsky	City of Edmonton, Old Man Creek Nursery
Dwayne Beck	Parkland Nurseries, Red Deer		Dr. Christine Murray	CDC South, Brooks
Doug and Chris Berggren	Alberta Nurseries and Seeds, Bowden		Herman Oosterhuis	CDC North, Edmonton
Tom Bidart	Fairview College, Fairview		Thean Pheh	CDC North, Edmonton
Simon Bos	Simon Bos Nurseries, Coaldale		Bev Rogerson	Willow Valley Nursery, Grande Prairie
Don Hay	Lacombe Nurseries, Lacombe		Cathy Safronovich	CDC South, Brooks
John Helder	City of Edmonton, Old Man Creek Nursery		Nigel Seymour	CDC South, Brooks
Henry Heuver	Foothills Nurseries, Calgary		Angela Spencer	CDC South, Brooks

Trial Location	Cooperators		Trial Locations	Cooperators
Bowden	Alberta Nurseries and Seeds		Edmonton	Crop Diversification Centre North
Brooks	Crop Diversification Centre South		Fairview	Fairview College (beginning 1994)
Calgary	Foothills Nursery		Grande Prairie	Willow Valley Nursery (terminated 1992)
Coaldale 1*	Coaldale Nurseries (terminated 1992, collected final data 1994)		Lacombe	Lacombe Nurseries (terminated 1991)
Coaldale 2*	Simon Bos Nurseries (beginning 1994)		Lethbridge	Green Haven Garden Centre (beginning 2004)
Edmonton 2	Old Man Creek Nurseries (beginning 2003)		Red Deer	Parkland Nurseries (beginning 1991)