Seeking a Substitute for Virginia's Tobacco

Source from:  Amy Coutee acoutee@newsadvance.com November 27, 2005 11/28/2005

Could the Jamestown Maple take the place of tobacco? What about day lilies? Lynchburg College hopes to find out in the Virginia Ornamental Plant Evaluation and Introduction Program, which was launched in 2004. Supporters hope the project will boost the output of ornamental plants in the state's tobacco-growing regions, create new jobs and provide a profitable alternative to tobacco production. This month, with the help of Master Gardeners and experts from Virginia Tech and the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association, volunteers began planting the first round of ornamental plants on an acre of land at the Claytor Nature Study Center in Bedford. Master Gardeners, trained by Rumen Conev, the director of the plant program, will monitor the progress of plants and continue to introduce new ones - everything from trees to herbaceous perennials - through 2006. Backed by a $271,000 grant from the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, six sites in the state's tobacco-growing regions in Southside and Southwest Virginia will be doing the same. According to the Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association, the program will produce research-based technical and educational information. It also will develop new and underused varieties of ornamental plants that are adapted to Virginia's different regional landscapes. Fred Duis with the Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association research committee said each site will plant and meticulously monitor the same plants and see which ones have the hardiness and other attributes needed to thrive on Virginia's old tobacco farms. "We want to grow plants that perform well," Duis said. "We want to grow strong plants, tested plants. That is important to all of us in the industry. Our ultimate goal is to be able to put these plants into garden centers across the state." Conev said successful plants have the potential to make Virginia more competitive in the green market. "We want to see our green industry grow," Conev said. Duis added, "The consumer will be the ultimate beneficiary." Enditem