Park Seed Company Gardens facts for kids

The Park Seed Company has its main office in Greenwood, South Carolina. This office is surrounded by about 9 acres (3.6 hectares) of land. For many years, this land was home to beautiful trial gardens. These gardens were a special place where new plants were tested. However, the gardens closed in 2013. The company now sells its products mostly online.

For a long time, the Park Seed Company held an event called Flower Day. On this day, expert gardeners from the company would give tours of the gardens. In 1967, Flower Day grew into something even bigger: the South Carolina Festival of Flowers. This festival is now a three-week-long event. It includes garden tours, art and photo contests, a triathlon, and many other fun activities.

What Was the Park Seed Trial Garden?

The Park Seed Trial Garden was like a living science lab. Here, plant experts from the Park Seed Company compared different plants. They looked at how well new plant types grew compared to older, well-known ones. Each year, the company tested more than 2,000 different kinds of plants. All these plants were carefully planted and cared for by hand.

How Plants Were Tested

The testing of plants happened at different times of the year. Plants that like warm weather were tested from January to August. Plants that prefer cool weather were tested from October to February. Other plants, like perennials, were tested all year round.

Part of a Big Program

The Park Seed trial garden was part of a special program called All-America Selections (AAS). This program helps gardeners find the best new plants. Park Seed Company was very involved with AAS since the 1950s. Many of their plant experts worked as judges for AAS. Also, five leaders from Park Seed have even been president of AAS. The trial gardens and the store at the site closed in 2013.

Park Seed Garden Gallery

This gallery shows some of the beauty of the Park Seed Company Gardens from the past.

See also

In Spanish: Park Seed Company Gardens para niños