Registration opens for 2026 Southern Garden Tour across three Southern states

Trial gardens in three Southern states will host members of the horticulture industry as part of the Southern Garden Tour in 2026, from June 2 to 4.

Tour hosts — Young’s Plant Farm in Auburn, Alabama; the Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia; and Metrolina Greenhouses in Huntersville, North Carolina — welcome growers, plant breeders, plant brokers, educators, landscapers and allied trade members of the horticulture industry to evaluate hundreds of new variety introductions in their respective Trial Garden Open Houses throughout the first week of June during the annual event.

The Southern Garden Tour begins with an industry open house at Young’s Plant Farm on June 2. The University of Georgia Trial Gardens will host an industry open house the morning of June 3. Metrolina Greenhouses will host its industry open house on June 4. Industry visitors are also welcome to visit each of the three trial gardens throughout the summer.

Industry members can register for each stop of the Southern Garden Tour on the event’s website, which provides information on all three trial garden sites, along with travel resources and event details.

“The Southern Garden Tour often gives horticulture industry professionals their first opportunity to observe emerging plant genetics and objectively evaluate their performance in the heat and humidity of three intense Southern climates,” said Mark Yelanich, director of research and development at Metrolina Greenhouses. “It’s also a valuable opportunity to network and connect with industry peers while experiencing the design and beauty of some of the premier trial gardens in the Southeast.”

Complete event details and registration information are available at southerngardentour.com.