2/00-01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information contact: Christine Kelleher, 800-232-9557, Ext. 512 or Gary Doerr, 916-716-1889 This is one in a periodic series of articles by respected garden writers throughout North America. You can expect others on topics of similar interest on a timely basis. Feel free to use this release in its entirety or in part, with or without the author's byline. Karen Dardick is a garden writer with more than 200 articles published in national and regional magazines and newspapers. She writes a monthly column "Simply Roses" for the Pasadena Star-News. Her own garden contains more than 100 roses, plus perennials and annuals and was featured in a national magazine.

Coral Bells. Fleece Flowers. Bell Flowers. Their names evoke tranquil scenes of cozy English cottage gardens where perennials like these are often found. But gardeners in California can also enjoy them in cottage gardens adapted to this Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Simply select varieties that can adapt to both sides of the Atlantic. One way to determine which will adapt is through an extensive trial program in various climates throughout the United States.

Blooms of Bressingham North America, the U.S. agent of Blooms of Bressingham in Norfolk, England, is conducting an extensive testing program for perennial plants at 14 different university and botanical gardens throughout North America. They're located in California, Washington, Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas and Vermont.

"Our initial objective was to test how English perennials performed in North American climates," explained Gary Doerr, president of Blooms of Bressingham North America. "Now we're evaluating plants on a regional basis to help gardeners better select perennials for their own locations."

The first test sites began in 1995 at Michigan State University and the University of Georgia. Now, 1 ditional sites are part of the program, including test gardens at the University of California at Davis and California State University at San Luis Obispo.

Seventeen different species of perennial plants provided by Blooms of Bressingham are evaluated for three years for overall growth and vigor, blooming time, height and disease resistance. Additional varieties are being added to the trials each year.

Some, like daylilies, are performing well, as expected. A few plants that would not be expected to grow well in sunny California are thriving. One is Fleece Flower, 'Taurus' (Persicaria amplexicaulis var. pendula 'Taurus').

"It surprised the heck out of me," reports Ellen Zagory, collections development manager at UC Davis where she supervises the trial plant program. "Persicaria bloomed August into November, and although it does need supplemental water, it performs very well in California".

Perennials that thrive in temperate climates, like in England, can also grow well in California because most of the area has cool nights, unlike the south or southeast where hot days are followed by hot evenings.

"There are herbaceous perennials that do well here," said David Henning, who heads the trial plant program at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. "Gardeners should not just follow what they read in books about these plants because trials like these reveal additional information. Just be careful which varieties you choose."

To get up-to-date information contact Blooms of Bressingham. Log on to the Web site at www.bobna.com.