Wallhead quoted in Press Herald report on field-grown perennials

The Portland Press Herald quoted Matthew Wallhead, an ornamental horticultural specialist and assistant professor of horticulture with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, in an article on field-grown perennials. Field-grown plants can have a number of benefits to both consumers and growers compared to container-grown plants, including being able to flourish within the existing climate, having a stronger root system, and giving consumers an opportunity to buy local. Perennials specifically are more likely to grow without requiring irrigation and without replanting every year, and are easy to grow organically, the Press Herald reported. Field-grown plants can be planted “as soon as the soil can be worked” and “acclimate sooner [after planting] and that aids their longevity,” said Wallhead.