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Lyle
E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden
The
Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden is
a 7 acre (2.9 hectare) facility dedicated to research,
teaching, and demonstration in a wide range of
activities involving landscape ornamental plants.
The facility is roughly divided into equal halves;
the Littlefield Garden housing the permanent collection
of woody and herbaceous ornamentals (open to the
public) and the Research Center dedicated to plant
production and maintenance research.
The
Littlefield Garden was founded in the early 1960s
by Lyle E. Littlefield, then Professor of Horticulture.
Today the Littlefield Garden is an integral part
of the Environmental Horticulture
Program. The mission of the facility is to
obtain, plant, and evaluate as wide a range as
possible of ornamental plants with potential for
use in the northern landscape. Over the last four
decades, the Littlefield Garden has amassed a
collection of over 2,500 woody and herbaceous
plants. Major focus collections exist within the
overall collection as follows; crabapple varieties,
lilacs, rhododendrons, magnolias, and many more
smaller. All plants in the Landscape Garden receive
extensive evaluation for winter hardiness, ornamental
characteristics, cultural requirements, and overall
potential for the landscape. The extensive collections
provide the University community and the public
with a valuable resource for the study and observation
of a wide variety of ornamental plants.
Starting
in 1989, a major redesign and renovation of the
Garden was undertaken. This project has given
students in Environmental Horticulture, many opportunities
to gain valuable experience in designing, construction,
and maintenance of landscape spaces. With much
of the renovation complete, the Garden is now
a popular site for weddings, receptions of all
kinds, as well as relaxation and informal recreation.
The Garden is open to the public 365 days a year
from sunrise to sunset.
The
research area of the facility houses infrastructure
for research on container and field crop production,
turfgrass evaluation, propagation, and plant culture.
Current research projects being conducted within
the facility include:
- Cold-hardiness of Mountain Laurel, Magnolia,
and Japanese Maple.
- Selection of improved forms of Bunchberry
and Japanese Maple for the northern landscape.
- Performance evaluation of fescue, perennial
rye, and bluegrass cultivars.
The Littlefield Garden is associated or works
in cooperation with organizations such as:
- American Association of Botanic Gardens and
Arboreta
 NE-9
regional research project on plant germplasm
conservation and utilization- National turf evaluation program
- Maine Landscape and Nursery Association
- American Association of Nurserymen
- American Rhododendron Society
- Magnolia Society
- American Daffodil Society
Director:
Brad Libby
5722 Deering Hall
Orono, ME 04469-5722
(207)581-3112
blibby@maine.edu
More
Facilities and Resources
Design Studio
Roger Clapp Greenhouses and Littlefield Garden
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