The North Dakota State University Plant Sciences Department will host a public garden event called Plants, Local Foods and Outdoor Spaces on Thursday, Sept. 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the NDSU Horticulture Research and Demonstration Gardens.

The gardens are on the corner of 12th Avenue and 18th Street North in Fargo.

The event will feature walking tours of the All-America Selections bedding plant display garden and the NDSU Historic Daylily Display Garden. The NDSU daylily garden is an official display garden of the American Hemerocallis Society and features more than 1,700 daylily cultivars.

“This is the largest public daylily collection in the nation,” says Esther McGinnis, NDSU Extension horticulturist and associate professor in the Plant Sciences Department.

The event this year will take on extra significance as NDSU pays tribute to the life and contributions of daylily aficionado Bryce Farnsworth.

“Bryce was very instrumental in the founding of the NDSU daylily garden and its subsequent expansion,” McGinnis says. “He passed away last fall and we are still grieving his loss. We will have a special plaque dedication at 4 p.m. to honor his memory.”

In addition to garden tours, three activities will occur under the big tent. Photographer Bob Splichal will teach a macro photography class at 4:30 p.m. Subsequent activities include a terrarium-building demonstration and a pollinator lesson for children.

To conclude the event, NDSU faculty will lead a special riding tour of fruit and high tunnel research projects at 5 p.m. and vegetable research projects at 6 p.m.

Extension Master Gardeners will be on site to accept donations of fresh garden produce and canned goods to benefit the local food pantry.

“This is a great time to share excess garden produce with those individuals who are less fortunate through the Master Gardener initiative, Veggies for the Pantry,” McGinnis says.

Extension Master Gardeners also will be on hand to answer plant questions.

For more information, contact McGinnis at 701-231-7971 or esther.mcginnis@ndsu.edu.

NDSU Agriculture Communication - Aug. 30, 2019