East Texas Horticultural Field Day set for Thursday in Overton

by Staff reports

OVERTON – Thursday's East Texas Horticultural Field Day will feature more than 500 ornamental plant trial varieties for public viewing at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Overton.

The free field day is slated 8 a.m. to noon in an open-house style event, with COVID protocols in place.

First started in 1993 by Brent Pemberton, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research ornamental horticulturist at the Overton research farm, the field day showcases ornamental trials for commercial seed companies, local nursery managers and gardening enthusiasts.

Cherokee County AgriLife Extension horticulturist Kim Benton called it “a wonderful way to see side-by-side comparison of plants that can really flourish under East Texas weather conditions – it’s a priceless teaching tool.”

It also is “a great way for growers to be ahead of the curve, and to really see how some of the popular seed trends perform, she added. “There’s a lot of good information available during these events.”

The field day begins at the center’s Bruce McMillan Jr. East Farm, 2 miles east of Overton on Texas Highway 135 North, while the ornamental trial garden is on County Road 133 just past the former Kilgore College Demonstration Farm.

The Overton center headquarters is about two miles north of downtown Overton at 1710 Farm-to-Market Road 3053. For driving directions to the center or the East Farm trial site, go to https://flowers.tamu.edu/field-day/ or call 903-834-6191.