POPLARVILLE – The hot, humid climate of South Mississippi can make it challenging for home gardeners and landscape professionals to choose plants that will perform well under additional pressures from diseases and pests.

All gardeners are invited to the annual Ornamental Horticulture Field Day on Oct. 4 at Mississippi State University’s South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville to hear about the latest research on plants in South Mississippi.

Scientists with MSU and the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service will present information on home horticulture, new landscape plants and their performance, entomology and plant pathology. Attendees will also be able to tour the on-site variety trial and display gardens.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the experiment station, and the program will begin at 9:30 a.m. The $10 registration fee covers lunch and refreshments. Student registration fee is $6.50.

The South Mississippi Branch Station is located at 711 West North Street across from Pearl River Community College. From the intersection of Highway 11 and Highway 26, go half a mile north on Highway 11 and then one block west on West North Street.

Anyone with a category 3 or category 10 pesticide certification may renew the certification if it is within one year of expiration. Extension agents who register for this event through the intranet may earn in-service training credit.

For more information, call Eugene Blythe, MSU assistant research professor, or Elsie Davis at (601) 795-4525.