e-Newsletter | August
2020
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We are aware of the current challenges related to coronavirus (COVID-19). UT is closely monitoring the situation and the Gardens will follow UT policies and changes regarding travel, classes and events.
We will post updates via social media and websites in the event of any schedule changes or adaptations. For updated information, please visit
https://utia.tennessee.edu/state-botanical-garden/ where you can connect to any of our three statewide sites.
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August Gardening Tip
Every weed that produces seed means more trouble next year. Don't give in to the heat, and control weeds before they go to seed. Do not add weeds with mature seed heads to the compost pile. Many weed
seeds can remain viable and germinate next year when the compost is used.
Click here to read all gardening tips....
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August: Sedum takesimense
Submitted by Carol Reese, UT Extension Western Region horticulturist
Green plants are everywhere you look. It is easy to walk past a little green plant a dozen times or even a dozen years without noticing it, until the day its
perfect beauty demands attention. Appreciation is amplified when that little green plant makes no demands on the gardener for being exquisite.
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What's in Bloom in Your State Botanical Garden of Tennessee?
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Knoxville - Owen Weston, a recent garden visitor, captured this beautiful shot in the orange section of our Ball Seed
Color Garden. From top to bottom: Zesty Scarlet zinnia, Cannova Bronze Orange canna, and Inferno coleus.
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Crossville - Phlox paniculata 'Robert Poore' makes a real
statement, especially planted alongside Hydrangea paniculata 'Little Lime'. This tall phlox cultivar has good disease resistance, sturdy stems, and fragrance. Use the plants together to create a
beautiful bouquet!
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Jackson - With 45 different cultivars of
Hydrangea paniculata in the collection in Jackson, they are a sight to behold! Check out UT Gardens, Jackson's Facebook page for a tour of the collection.
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State Botanical Garden of Tennessee
Annual Membership Drive
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The UT Gardens Annual Membership Drive will begin Monday, August 10! Now more than ever, your new or renewing membership is a vital part of growing the UT Gardens, your State Botanical Garden of Tennessee.
We'll be sending out several emails over the next two weeks to highlight the benefits of membership, and the importance of membership to the Gardens in Knoxville, Crossville, and Jackson. We hope you'll consider supporting the Gardens in this way!
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UT Gardens, Knoxville
Fabulous Fall Plant Sale Online
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Watch your inbox for an email with the link to our online fall plant sale later this month. Garden members will receive the link on Friday, August 28 (and will, as always, receive their 10% discount
on purchases.) Non-members will receive the link on Monday, August 31. The sale will be active through Monday, September 7. Be aware that quantities of some items will be limited, so get your order in early for the best selection! Pickup of your plant purchases
will be available on Saturday, September 12 at the UT Gardens in Knoxville. Members will have the option for early pickup on Friday, September 11.
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UT Gardens, Knoxville
Dazzling Dogwoods Art Exhibit & Auction
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We've loved having our Dazzling Dogwoods on display this summer and hope that you've had a chance to view them in person! The exhibit will continue through early September, so you still have some time
if you haven't made it yet. You can also take advantage of
our online video walkthrough.
We'll be auctioning the pieces off through an online auction this year, so check your inbox for a link to that on August 31st. Winning bidders will be able to pick up their pieces on Saturday, September
12 during on online fall plant sale pickup.
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UT Gardens, Crossville
Fall Mum Sale
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Help support the Garden and spice up your autumn landscape! We will proceed with mum sales as previously available at the Fall Gardeners' Festival. They are large, beautiful, and well-priced! Clink
link below to place your order. They will be available for no-contact pickup first week of September.
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A Quick Note About our Fall Gardeners' Festival
Fall Gardeners' Festival has been postponed until August 31, 2021. We will proceed this year with some virtual presentations the week of the 24th. Check them out at
plateau.tennessee.edu,
ccmga.org, or
Facebook.
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UT Gardens, Crossville
Fundraiser
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Help support the UT Gardens, Crossville by purchasing these beautiful notecards and local syrup. The notecard photos (see all eight designs below) were taken in our butterfly garden, and the syrup
was made from sugar maples tapped on site.
Notecards (blank, set of 8)
$10
Syrup (12oz bottle)
$15
Contact Jennifer for curbside pickup -
[log in to unmask] or 931-484-0034
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UT Gardens, Knoxville
Kitchen Garden Virtual Series
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Helping Hands Kitchen Garden
Virtual Series
Thanks to funding from the U.S. Botanic Garden and the American Public Gardens Associations's Urban Agriculture Resilience Program we are offering a free series of vegetable gardening classes this
fall. These classes will be available on
our YouTube Channel through the end of the year.
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UT Gardens, Knoxville
Home Grown Classes
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Have you found yourself doing school from home this year? Or maybe you've been homeschooling for years and love it? Either way, we are here to help! Home Grown is a monthly home-school program that
we offer for two hours on the second Friday of the month. Kids between the ages of 7 and 12 are welcome to join us each month for some time out in the garden learning and having fun.
Visit our website for more info on this series. You can register for individual sessions or for the entire fall semester. Contact Whitney Welch at
[log in to unmask] if you have any questions. Note: plans subject to change depending on changing regulations regarding COVID-19.
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UT Gardens, Knoxville
Virtual Summer Camps Successful
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This year we launched our first ever virtual camp! We had 52 campers. Thank you to our education program sponsors, who helped make our summer camps possible - University of Tennessee Federal Credit
Union and Allergy & Asthma Affiliates. Additionally, we would like to thank Publix for their donation to support camp scholarships for 30 campers this summer. We appreciate everyone's support this summer and look forward to next year!
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UT Gardens, Crossville
Nature at Work
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If you grow tomatoes or peppers, you've likely seen the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). These culprits target the nightshade family. They
can strip a plant within hours and devastate a crop within days. If you find a tobacco hornworm, simply remove it and chuck it in a cup of soapy water (or feed it to your bearded dragon!).
If you find one covered in white capsules, on the other hand, leave it be. These white obtrusions are actually cocoons of a parasitic wasp. The female wasp lays her eggs beneath the skin of the
hornworm. As they hatch, the larvae feed within and make their way out to spin the cocoons. The adult wasps emerge a short time later to find a new host, and the weakened hornworm will die. Thus the lifecycle is broken and Mother Nature has saved the day!
If you would like to encourage beneficial wasps in your garden, plant small-flowered plants like: yarrow, dill, fennel, parsley, or tansy.
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Carol Reese
A Sprinkling of Watering Wisdom...
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Watering plants should be simple. It's not. There are two ways plants die from watering mistakes. They are either not getting enough or they are getting too much.
If plants are suffering from lack of water and are not too far gone, they can often be rescued, but overwatered plants that have gone into decline from rotted roots can rarely be revived.
Rescuing a very dry plant might take more effort than just a good dousing. Very dry soil often resists rewetting, and water runs off instead of being absorbed into the root zone.
Read on for Carol Reese's tips on best watering practices...
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Many of you have probably heard on the news or seen on social media about the unsolicited seeds people are receiving in the mail. The seeds appear to have been shipped from China, and in some cases,
the envelopes are labeled jewelry or beads. While we have no reason to suspect at this time that these seeds were sent with ill intention, we want to take every precaution to be sure an invasive or otherwise threatening plant species does not take hold in
Tennessee.
TDA continues to monitor this situation and will provide the latest information on their social media channels. Follow @TNAgriculture on Facebook and Twitter for updates.
If you receive seeds such as this in the mail, don't plant them. Please report the unsolicited seeds to the
Tennessee Department of Agriculture online.
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2020 Community Partners & Sponsors
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Many thanks to our 2020 Community Partners for their support of the Gardens!
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Our sponsors have supported the Gardens through generous donations of their products and/or services!
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We also want to thank all of our members, volunteers, and visitors who support the Gardens! We couldn't do it without each of you!
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Mailing Address:
UT Gardens
Room 112 Plant Biotech
2502 EJ Chapman Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: (865) 974-7324
Fax: (865) 974-1947
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