You don’t want to miss a great day of tours and sessions for the Central Region Extension Master Gardener conference!
Hosted by The Sumner County Master Gardeners
So, why should you come to Gallatin on June 27th? Here are 4 great reasons- in no particular order:
1) You will be able to see the historic home and garden (maintained by SCMG) at Cragfont- check out this Volunteer Gardener episode filmed on the historic
site!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=M-2kkktw_Dc
2) You can visit with Farmer Dave at Rock Bridge Tree Farm and join in on the tour focusing on fruit and nut trees and trees that support pollinators
3) You will be able to visit the oldest home in middle TN at Historic Rock Castle!
4) Carol Reese is going to be teaching about home landscapes and Lucas will be sharing his enthusiasm about daylilies!!
Schedule for the day:
8-9 am |
Registration, load buses- Vol State Community College- Gallatin |
9-12:15 pm (2 options) |
Tour 1-Historic Rock Castle, Historic Masker’s Station and Connell Community Garden OR Tour 2-Rock Bridge Tree Farm, Historic Cragfont, Vol State Demonstration Garden |
12:30-1:15 pm |
Lunch at Vol State |
1:15-2:10 pm (4 options) |
Session 1- Landscape and selection, Fruits for TN backyards, Marketing for MG group, Growing daylilies |
2:15-3:10 pm (4 options) |
Session 2- Landscape and selection, Fruits for TN backyards, Marketing for MG group, Growing daylilies |
Registration Details:
Registration includes
morning tours and transportation, lunch, and afternoon sessions.
All tours/sessions will be filled first-come first-served basis.
Registration
deadline:
June 14th,
2019 Fees:
$30 for all day conference
Late registration: After June 14th,
2019 Fees rise to
$40 for all day conference
1. By mail: Send registration
form (attached)
and
checks
payable
to
University
of
Tennessee to:
TEMG Conference Registration Attn: Sandy Kitts
2431 Joe Johnson Drive
252 Ellington Plant Science Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-4561
2. Online:
This link will take you to a UT e-marketplace site. At the bottom of the first page, you will click the Add to Cart button. You will then be taken to a page that enables you to enter contact and payment information as well as select which days to attend and
topics for the workshops and breakout sessions. https://secure.touchnet.com/C21610_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=792&SINGLESTORE=true
Tour 1 -
Historic Rock Castle ( https://www.historicrockcastle.com/about/history ), Mansker’s Station including Mansker’s Frontier Fort and Bowen-Campbell House (http://www.cityofgoodlettsville.org/110/Historic-Manskers-Station
), and Connell Garden.
Tour 1 will start
at Historic Rock Castle.
An 18th century home of General Daniel Smith, the man who named the state of Tennessee. This frontier home is a Tennessee state owned treasure which sits on 18 scenic acres beside Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville
and is the oldest building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Middle Tennessee. An outstanding herb garden and azalea garden are maintained on the grounds. There will be a brief tour of the house and then the gardens. The second stop will
be Mansker’s Station and The Bowen-Campbell House. Historic Mansker's Station consists of a reproduction 1779 log station and the Bowen Plantation House, said to be the longest standing brick structure
in Middle Tennessee. The gardens include a Certified Monarch Waystation Butterfly garden as well as a smaller butterfly garden beside the historic Bowen house. Also a large native wildflower garden is located on the grounds.
The group will do a brief tour of the Bowen house and then tour the gardens. The tour will end at the
Connell Garden. Instead of having a large empty lot of Bermuda grass, in 2014 a garden was developed to provide fresh produce to low-income residents of Sumner and surrounding counties. The majority of produce grown is distributed via the Goodlettsville
Help Center to reduce food insecurity in the Goodlettsville area. The garden uses a variety of techniques including both in-ground and raised beds to produce vegetables and fruits. All three sites on tour 2 are maintained by the members of the Sumner County
Master Gardeners.
Tour 2 – Rock Bridge Trees -- Trees for Bees (
https://rockbridgetrees.com/ ), Historic Cragfont (http://www.cragfont.net/
), and Volunteer State community College Demonstration Garden and Greenhouse.
Tour 2 will start at the
Rock Bridge Trees farm. When we think about pollinators we usually think of flowers as their source of food but the connection with trees is very important. Trees are a season-long source of pollen and nectar. With a goal of raising healthier and
larger trees, Rock Bridge Trees focuses on selling larger, more mature trees which are usually 48 to 60 inches tall. The group will tour the grounds and view inventory of species offered. The second stop
on the tour will be Historic Cragfont. Cragfont is a 1798 historic site owned by the state of Tennessee and located in Castalian Springs. The site includes the historical home of General James Winchester. The home was
given the name of Cragfont in recognition of its impressive location on a high bluff with a spring flowing into Bledsoe Creek at its base. The large garden area includes a magnificent crape myrtle alley, a wildflower garden, a fragrant garden, and a herb garden.
The garden grounds include a fountain as well as a beautiful gazebo in the center area. From spring through fall, the garden is host to outdoor weddings, period reenactments, craft shows, and a gala.
The group will tour the gardens around the home. The final stop will be the
Volunteer State Demonstration Garden and Greenhouse. The demonstration garden is an approximately 1/3 acre of land set aside for demonstrating good gardening practices. Originally started as a community garden in 2006, it was converted to a demonstration
garden in 2008. The garden size has more than doubled since its beginning allowing more varieties of plants to be grown. We try to find and grow plants that are native to our area of Tennessee, with a few extras thrown in for good measure! Students are encouraged
to get involved, and working in the gardens qualifies for the TN Promise volunteer hours. Other Vol State staff to be involved with the “adopt a bed” program where various groups have planted a variety of items in raised beds. The majority of the produce harvested
is donated to the student food bank located on campus. We assist Dr. Kent with his annual plant sale. The proceeds of which are used to fund a scholarship for a deserving student here at Vol State. We also help with the “plant a plant” booth at the annual
science expo, and participate in the “Food Day” festival. Both Historic Cragfont and the Vol State garden are maintained by dedicated groups of Sumner County Master Gardeners.
1:15-2:10 and 2:15-3:10 Workshop Session 1 and 2 – repeated sessions, so you get to attend 2 of the 4
1) Getting started with residential landscapes in Tennessee- As gardeners, we can talk endlessly about the plants that bring color, texture, movement and joy to our residential landscapes. However, many gardeners continue
to be daunted by the site factors and design elements that are used to bring these plants together to filling the roles we require of them to fulfill our dream landscapes. Join Carol Reese for a session focused on helping you become more confident in using
plants in your landscape and in answering questions from the public. This session will also share new Extension publications focused on herbaceous and woody plants.
2) Diving into the world of backyard fruit in Tennessee – Home fruits are an ever-increasing area of interest for gardeners in Tennessee. With the wide array of options, it can be daunting to select crops and cultivars that
fit the needs of the homeowner and the constraints of the site. Join Natalie and other members of the Extension Home Fruit and Vegetable workgroup as they share key aspects of selecting fruit crops and cultivars for your site- specifically blueberries, brambles
and apples. This session is designed to help you in your personal fruit pursuits as well as support you in answering questions from the public. This session will also share new Extension publications being developed specifically for home fruit growers.
3) More Members, more money, more marketing- Marketing sometimes has a negative connotation, but it's really just another word for communication. How can you better communicate to the public around you who the Master Gardeners
are and why they want to get involved? Join Kalli Lipke, a marketing guru and Davidson County Master Gardener herself, for a session on the practical aspects of using marketing techniques to support the effectiveness of your local EMG group. The session will
explore some basic concepts, and ways you can apply them to your group to get more members, more money, more plants, or more [insert your goal here].
4) Daylily discussions with the daylily kid – Daylilies are often referred to as the ‘perfect perennial’. If you aren’t convinced now, just spend a session with Lucas Holman, Wilson County horticulture Extension agent and
Master Gardener coordinator, learning about the wide and wonderful world of Hemerocallis and you will likely be a daylily devotee yourself. From selecting to propagating along with the practical aspects of site and management Lucas will be your enthusiastic
guide into this vast and diverse genus.