Green Industry

The Green Industry includes three components: greenhouse production, nursery production, and landscape service. Ornamental plant production is one of the fastest growing agricultural industries in Mississippi. It is a highly specialized and intensive form of agriculture. Unlike field or row crop agriculture, which bases production costs on acres, nursery and greenhouse costs are calculated on a per square foot of growing area or per plant basis. In the State of Mississippi, greenhouse industry created $549 million in 1999, which included $48 million in wholesale, $318 million in retail, and $183 million in service.

Mississippi Woody Plant Evaluation

Justification

Nursery industry is probably the fastest growing section in Mississippi agriculture. In 2002 there were 152 farms producing 1,067 acres of nursery stocks in the State of Mississippi, which increase 62.4% from 657 acres in 1997. In 2005 the wholesale value of the green industry in Mississippi (including nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, and sod production) was $39 million. New introductions and cultivars have been continuously brought in the nursery industry and beautified homeowners’ landscape. This is essential to the future growth of the nursery/landscape industry in an increasingly competitive market. Adaptability issues arise when new plants are brought into market before they are tested under different climate conditions. An evaluation program is especially important in the State of Mississippi, where most of the new ornamental plants are introduced from out of state.

Objectives

1) to evaluate landscape performance of a wide range of ornamental trees and shrubs with a focus on underused, new introductions, and new cultivars, at various locations in Mississippi representing USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 7b-8b;

2) to identify superior performers and pinpoint problems;

3) to disseminate technical information to the nursery industry, which could serve as a basis for promoting hardy trees and shrubs to home owners.

Parameters

1. Landscape potential 2. Growth habit; 3. Foliage color; 4. Time of flowering; 5. Flower color; 6. Time of fruiting; 7. Fruit color; 8. Survival; 9. Growth rating; 10. Flower rating; 11. Fruit rating; 12. Cold damage rating.13. Insect damage rating; 14. Disease damage rating.

Plant list

Plants donated from Spring Meadow (Grand Haven, MI)

Abeliophyllum distichum 'Roseum'
Deutzia gracilis 'Duncan' CHARDONNAY PEARLST ppaf, cbraf
Forsythia x intermedia 'Mindor' SHOW OFF ppaf
 Genista lydia 'Select' BANGLE
Hydrangea macrophylla 'Shamrock' ppaf, cbraf
Hydrangea paniculata 'DVPpinky' PINKY WINKY pp# 16,166, cbraf
Ilex 'Drop of Gold'
Philadelphus 'Snowbelle'
 Physocarpus opulifolius 'mindia' COPPERTINA ppaf, cbraf
 Rosa x 'ChewMayTime' Paprika ppaf
Schizophragma 'Moonlight'
Schizophragma 'Roseum'
Spiraea fritschiana 'Wilma' pp#15,397
Symphoricarpos x doorenbosii 'Kordes'
Tamarix 'Pink Cascade'
Viburnum 'Fireworks'
Viburnum dentatum 'Christom'
Viburnum nudum 'Bulk' BRANDYWINE  ppaf
 Weigela florida 'Eyecatcher'  ppaf
Weigela florida 'Bramwell' FINE WINE  ppaf cbraf
Weigela florida 'Verwieg' ppaf

Plants donated from Heritage Seedlings (Salem, OR)

Acer griseum
Aesculus parviflora
Calycanthus floridus
Carpinus caroliniana
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Cladrastis kentukea
Clethra alnifolia
Cornus sericea (red & yellow)
Cotinus coggygria
Cotinus obovatus
Cymnocladus dioicus
Halesia tetraptera
Laburnum x watereri
Ostrya virginiana
Parrotia persica
Salix integra
Stryrax japnonicus
Syringe laciniata

Birch trees donated from Evergreen Nursery Co., Inc. (Sturgeon Bay, WI)

1.Renaissance OasisR Paper Birch
2.Royal FrostR Red Leaf Birch
3.Szechuan Chinese Birch
4.White Satin Birch
5.Prairie VisionR Asian White Birch
6.Dakota PinnacleR Asian White Birch

Plants donated from PDSI (Semmes, AL)

Raphiolepis Indica Calisto™ PPIP
Loropetalum chinensis 'Shang-lo' Purple Pixie™ PPIP
Loropetalum chinensis 'Shang-hi' Purple Diamond™ PPIP

Plants from other nurseries in the South:

Abies firma
Acer truncatum ssp. mono
Calycanthus floridus 'Venus' PPAF
Chimonanthus praecox
Cyrilla parviflora
Deutzia gracillis 'Chardonnay Pearls'
Euonymus alatus ‘Little Moses’
Euonymus fortunei 'Wolong Ghost'
Eurya japonica 'green thinly margined'
Fatshedera lizei 'Curly'
Gardenia jasminoides 'Shooting Star'
Hedychium coccineum 'Tara'
Lespedeza liukiuensis 'Little Volcano'
Loropetalum chinense 'Carolina Moonlight' PPAF
Loropetalum chinense Rubrum Daruma’ PPAF
Osmanthus fragrans ‘Fudingzhu’
Philadelphus 'Snow Dwarf'
Podocarpus lawrencii 'Purple King'
Spiraea japonica 'Lemon Princess'
Teucrium fruticans

Plants from other nurseries in the North:

Abies magnifica var. shastensis
Abies concolor-San Juan
Abies concolor-Swifts Silver
Abies grandis-Sear's Creek 
Abies nordmanniana-Ambrolauria
Cedrus libani
Calocedrus decurrens

Sorbaria kirilowii
Paulownia fortunei
Paulownia elongata
Prinsepia sinensis
Paeonia suffruticosa
Prunus triloba