E-Newsletter | March 2018

Knoxville
   

 Jackson

 Crossville

March Gardening Tips

Pull or carefully spot spray winter weeds in your landscape with Roundup. Doing so now will make the plant beds look better and will prevent the weeds from going to seed; therefore you will have fewer weeds next year.

Click here to read all March tips....

 Plant of the Month

March: Cherry Tomatoes 'Valentine' and 'Midnight Snack'
Submitted by Natalie Bumgarner, assistant professor of residential and consumer horticulture and Tennessee ExtensionMaster Gardener coordinator

To the vegetable geek, it is not actually late winter or early spring, it is quite simply "seed starting season." So as the heat mats and grow lights come out, and the peat moss starts flying, you might want to consider growing some beautiful small-fruited 'Valentine' and 'Midnight Snack' All American Selection (AAS) award winning tomatoes this year.  Read more....

 Summer Camps - Knoxville

2018 Camp Registration is now open! 

 All programs require preregistration.

2018 Summer camp season is almost here. The UT Gardens, Knoxville has a variety of exciting and educational summer camp options for children ages 4-15. Each year we serve hundreds of children and youth through our summer camp programs. Our goal is to provide the opportunity for campers to learn about gardens, growing vegetables, cooking, healthy eating, and nature all while having fun in a garden setting. If you are interested in sending your child to camp check out our camp programs for 2018. 

 Educational Programs - Knoxville

We have many exciting classes coming up in 2018 for children and adults. Check out our website to see the entire schedule.

Propagation Series

Saturdays: March 10, March 17, and April 2; 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
You are welcome to sign up for individual sessions by contacting our Education Director, Derrick Stowell at (865) 974-7151 or [log in to unmask]. 

This hands-on series will explore the technical side of gardening. Learn the basics of how to propagate plants while getting a collection of new plants to take home and grow on your own. We will cover methods for seed reproduction, stem and leaf cuttings, grafting and layering.

Instructor: David Pease, UT Gardens Educator

Art & Wine: Botanical Critters & Shadowboxes

Saturday, March 31; 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Cost: $35/members, $45/nonmembers​

Have you ever wanted to preserve the beauty of your garden - the butterflies, birds, insects, and tiny mammals that bring another level of joy and whimsy to your garden? No taxidermy or animal life to be lost here! Although there will be pins and needles. In this class, we'll create one of a kind recreations of your favorite little garden friends using flowers, leaves, stems and other plant parts in a three-dimensional collage and vignette in a simple shadowbox.

Instructor: David Pease, UT Gardens Educator

Wild Bird Eggstravaganza

Saturday, March 24; 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Cost: $8 per child​

Come learn about wild birds, the vegetarian side of their diet, and how to feed your favorite wild birds with their favorite foods and flowers! Families will learn how to attract birds to their home garden and create natural spring-inspired crafts. All kids will leave with a bird feeder, a seed dispersal craft to attract wild birds, and a young seedling that can grow to attract and feed birds in your garden!

Bring your Easter Basket and a camera! Kids will have an opportunity to hunt for some of the 3,000 eggs that will be hidden in the Gardens. Children will also get a chance to win a prize or two. We ask that kids limit themselves to finding 10 eggs so that everyone has a fair chance to hunt. Come dressed in your best and get your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. 

In partnership with the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee (FACET), our annual Wild Bird Eggstravaganza is food-free. This is a family friendly event and is intended for children ages 12 and under.

 Plateau Discovery Gardens - Crossville

KinderGarden Receives National Recognition as a Certified Nature Explore Classroom

The KinderGarden, located at 320 Experiment Station Road in Crossville, Tennessee has earned national recognition as a Certified Nature Explore Classroom from the Nature Explore program, which is a collaboration of Dimensions Educational Research Foundation and the Arbor Day Foundation.

This certification confers on the KinderGarden a number of benefits, including membership in an ever-expanding network of more than 400 like-minded spaces nationwide. These Certified Nature Explore Classrooms foster highly effective, nature-based outdoor learning.

"UT Gardens, Crossville: Plateau Discovery Gardens' commitment to providing research-based and nature-rich learning offers a wonderful example to programs and educators throughout the country." said Heather Fox, director of communications and outreach for the Nature Explore program. "These spaces inspire hands-on activity, creativity, play and plenty of time exploring the natural world."

These unique outdoor classrooms - which are springing up like wildflowers across the country - offer interactive elements such as musical instruments made of natural materials, garden or pathway areas, and natural materials for building and creating art. Research consistently shows that children who learn and grow in Nature Explore Classrooms exhibit enhanced concentration, develop creativity and problem solving techniques, manage stress in healthy ways and develop skills across the spectrum of academic and creative learning.

We invite everyone to visit our special KinderGarden; the Gardens are open 365 days a year during daylight hours. If you or someone you know has children ages 3-7 please let their school and/or teachers know about us. Please call Jennifer at the UT Gardens, Crossville at 931-484-0034 or email [log in to unmask] to set up a tour of the Gardens.

 West TN Research & Ed Center - Jackson 

From the 1941 Fifty-fourth Annual Report of the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station page 73: An additional collection of day lilies was donated by the late Hubert Fisher of Germantown, Tennessee. This ornamental plant has done exceptionally well in the Station Plots, and the older plants were crown-divided. The usual shipment of new and imported flowering plants were put on trial. A bush indigo that blossoms in August appears especially promising.

 UT Gardens, Knoxville
Spring Spectacular Plant Sale

The UT Gardens, Knoxville will hold its annual Spring Spectacular Plant Sale on Saturday, April 7, 2018 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Our theme this year is 'Color for Every Season' and we will have plants to fill your garden with color all-year long. From coral-stemmed dogwoods to dark purple weeping mimosas to winter-hardy lantana and violet-blue garden phlox, we will have a splash of color for every garden space. Our professional horticulture staff and volunteers will be available to answer questions as you shop.

A preview sale will be held on Friday, April 6, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. for all UT Gardens' members, Gardens' volunteers, and UT employees. Memberships can be renewed or purchases on Friday in order to attend the preview. An additional perk of Gardens' membership is a 10% discount off plant sale purchases; that perk will apply during the Friday preview sale as well as during the public sale on Saturday.

For more details and a plant inventory list click here.

 UT Gardens, Knoxville
Garden Trip to Cincinnati, Ohio

Don't miss this opportunity to join UT Gardens' director, Dr. Sue Hamilton, and fellow gardeners as we visit the Cincinnati, Ohio area fro 3 days/2 nights to see a wonderful selection of private and public gardens and unique Cincinnati icons to remember.

We'll travel to Cincinnati on a deluxe motor coach departing Knoxville on Sunday, July 15 at 7:00 a.m. and return early in the evening on Tuesday, July 17.

We'll have three fabulous non-stop days visiting choice private gardens, the famed Findlay Market, Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, the historic and horticulturally noted Spring Grove Cemetery, the famous Jungle Jim's International Market, and shopping at a few choice specialty nurseries and garden centers. 

Trip fee is $400 per person. Trip fee includes transportation, bus driver tip, 2-night stay, double hotel room occupancy with free Wi-Fi, all admission fees, 2-hot breakfasts and 2-lunches. A deposit of $200 per person is required at the time of registration with a registration deadline of April 16. For those wanting the hotel single occupancy supplement, $330 will be required at the time of registration. The final payment of $200 per person will be due no later than May 14. To minimize trip expenses, we will be accepting payment in the form of cash or check only.

This trip is filling up fast, so register soon if you would like to be included on this fun excursion! Once spots are full, we will place names on a waitlist. Due to the popularity of the trip we are exploring options to add more spots. For more details on the gardens and attractions that will be visited on this trip, as well as a link to the registration form, please visit the UT Gardens, Knoxville website - https://ag.tennessee.edu/utg/Pages/cincinnati.aspx

 Top Ten Plants that Changed Tennessee

Help Us Pick the 10 Plants that Changed Tennessee!

During the first half of 2018 the UT Institute of Agriculture will be accepting nominations to help determine a list of the 10 plants that have had the greatest impact on Tennessee. Please participate and help us choose the "Top 10 Plants that Changed Tennessee." Participants will be asked to nominate and submit the name of a single plant that fits into one of 6 categories. Plants will be judged by their impact, either positive or negative, across all of our state's history.

Your contributions will be more than just a fun exercise; your nominations will be evaluated by a panel of experts who will ultimately decide upon an official list of the 10-individual plants that have had the broadest impact on Tennessee. This information will then be used to create an educational curriculum for Tennessee's elementary schools on a variety of subjects including biology and history.

This is your chance to play an important role in this initiative, and we need your input. Please take time to ponder a plant to nominate, then go to the website tenplants.tennessee.edu and make your submission. The submission process is quick and easy. Please participate and help us spread the word about this project.

 UT Gardens, Knoxville
Education Program Volunteer Opportunities

We cannot do it without you. Each year the education program reaches over 4,000 individuals. Volunteers play a vital part in helping the UT Gardens educate children, families, adults, and provide therapeutic horticulture to the East Tennessee community. This year we hope to offer some new and exciting volunteer opportunities to further engage our amazing volunteers. Volunteers to the education program may need to complete background checks and additional training.

Here are three opportunities to volunteer:

Summer Camp Planning - We will be finalizing our summer camp plans in March. If you want to learn about our camps and help with lesson planning we have several opportunities for you. We have a limit of 4 volunteers per planning session. Contact Derrick Stowell at [log in to unmask] to sign up.

Planning sessions:

• March 13 - 1-3pm
• March 20 - 1-3pm
• March 22 - 1-3pm

 UT Arboretum Film Screening

On Thursday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. the UT Aboretum Society, along with Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, will screen an entertaining and educational film - Hometown Habitat: Stories of Bringing Nature Home. Following the program there will be a Q&A.

This documentary is focused on showing how and why native plants are critical to the survival and vitality of local ecosystems. The director and film crew traveled across the country to visit individuals and families who are reversing detrimental impacts on the land and in the water of major U.S. watersheds, one garden at a time.

The screening will take place at the City Room, Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge Campus, 701 Briarcliff Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Door will open at 6:30 p.m. Program is free; donations are accepted.

UT Gardens, Knoxville

2018 Community Partners and Sponsors!

Copyright © 2018 UT Gardens. All rights reserved.
Contact email: [log in to unmask]

Mailing Address:
Department of Plant Sciences
252 Ellington Plant Sciences Bldg.
2431 Joe Johnson Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: (865) 974-7324
Fax: (865) 974-1947 

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