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The University of Tennessee Gardens News
February 2009
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Plant of the Month
 Yucca
By Matthew Morrow, Horticulture Staff Member, UT Gardens
in Jackson, Tennessee
Although thoughts of spring are
creeping into all of our minds, let's not get ahead of ourselves
seasonally. A plant with superb winter interest may sound like a
killjoy, but yucca looks great year round. For more information visit Plant of the Month at the UT Gardens Web site.
Gardening Calendar
Don't be caught off guard this month with Mother Nature sending us a
few blossoms, winter is not over yet! Some gardening tips for
February/March can be found at Garden Girls.
Now Showing -
Don't miss the flowering Witchhazels, Winterhazels, Quince, or the
vibrant winter colors of many of the UT Gardens' conifers this month.
Brilliant yellows, blues, and bronzes are just some of the colors you
will see. Those most noteworthy include:
 Platycladus orientalis
'Van Hoey Smith' - Oriental Arborvitae
Colorful gold and green variegated foliage make this evergreen
especially showy.
 Cryptomeria japonica
'Mushroom' - Japanese Cedar
The dwarf, round and compact habit of this evergreen combined with
year-round bronze foliage make this selection perfect for any
landscape.
 Pinus parviflora
'Ogon Janome' - Japanese Red Pine
The variegated yellow and blue-green needles of this comapct pine make
it a striking evergreen. Grows to just 8' tall and 4' wide.
 Picea
pungens 'Sester Dwarf' - Dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce
Stunning blue needles, slow growth rate, and classic conical form make
this dwarf spruce an ideal evergreen. Grows only to 8' tall and 3'
wide.
 Taxus
'Nana Aurescens' - Dwarf Golden Japanese Yew
The bright gold foliage of this durable evergreen are showy all
year-round but especially so in the winter. Grow to 2 .5 ft. tall and 4
' wide.
 Corylopsis
pauciflora Buttercup Winterhazel
A deciduous shrub that flowers in February and March with soft-yellow
blooms.
 Chaenomeles
speciosa 'Texas Scarlet' - Flowering Quince
This deciduous shrub is available in many different colors flowering
February through March.
 Hamamelis
x intermedia 'Boskoop' - Hybrid Witchhazel
A deciduous shrub valued for its fragrant and interesting flowers in
February through March.
 Chamaecyparis thyoides
'Rubicon' - White Cedar
A narrow, upright evergreen with beautiful bluegreen foliage which
turns plum during the winter months. Grows 10'-12' tall and 2' wide.
Witchhazels
The
perfect flowering shrub for February and March. While there are many to
choose from, these five hybrid selections standout in the crowd.
www.taunton.com/finegardening/plants/articles/witch-hazels-perk-up-winter-season.aspx.
Pruning Gardening Tips
from Jason Reeves, Horticulturist, UT Gardens in Jackson
March is the ideal time to cut back the following garden
plants:
Miscanthus (maiden grass), Pennisetum
(fountain grass), Muhlenbergia
(muhly grass) and Nassella
(Mexican feather grass) to 3 inches to 6 inches above the
ground.
Old growth on Helleborus
(Christmas and Lenten Rose) before new growth appears.
Liriope (Monkey grass) before new growth appears. Use a string
trimmer for larger areas.
Hardy fern, including evergreen forms, before new growth
appears.
Epimedium (barrenwort) flowers early so don't delay.
Acorus (sweet flag) only if the winter has browned the
foliage.
Prune out older branches on Cornus sericea (red twig dogwood) to
encourage new growth with bright bark.
Knock Out™ roses or other shrub roses that have
grown bigger than you desire. Cut well established plants back 2 to 3
feet shorter than the height you desire. Late March is the ideal time.
Older branches on Callicarpa
(beautyberry) to encourage new growth that produces more
berries.
Rejuvenate overgrown Nandina
(heavenly bamboo) by cutting back to a few inches on the outside,
leaving taller canes in the center, staggering the heights.
Limb up and remove cross branches as needed on trees and
tree type crape myrtles as needed. Never top trees or crape myrtles.
Look closely at grafted plants and remove all growth
below the graft. Commonly grafted plants to pay close attention to
include witch hazels, contorted filberts, weeping cherries, weeping
mulberries, dogwoods, fruit trees, crab apples, and Japanese Maples.
March is the best month to carry out drastic pruning on
overgrown hollies.
Plant of the Year
Each
year different plant organizations and societies select and promote a
'plant of the year' that they feel has outstanding characteristics and is
worthy of being promoted. For 2009 the following plants have been
selected and are definitely worth checking out for a place in your
garden.
Herb - Laurus
nobilis (Sweet bay/bay laurel) herbsociety.org
Vegetable - Greens www.ngb.org
Conifer - Dwarf Selection: Pinus
heldreichii'Schmidtii' (Bosnian Pine)
Full-size Selection: Pinus
strobus 'Niagara Falls' (White Pine)
www.conifersociety.org
When Going Gets
Tough, the Tough Get Growing
Amid
the Washington talk of "shovel-ready" recession projects, it
appears few projects are more shovel-ready than backyard gardens.
Veggie seed sales are up double-digits at the nation's biggest seed sellers
this year. What's more, the number of homes growing vegetables will
jump more than 40 percent this year compared with just two years ago,
projects the National Gardening Association, a nonprofit organization
for gardening education. "As the economy goes down, food gardening
goes up," says Bruce Butterfield, the group's research director.
"We haven't seen this kind of spike in 30 years." For more
information, visit
www.app.com/article/200902210410/LIFE/90219155.
Pronouncing Botanical Names
Many
gardeners often struggle with the pronunciation of the Latin names of
plants. Common names are often used in place of the correct name
for this reason. Using botanical names assures you are speaking of the
correct plant. There is no confusion. To make this easier, Fine
Gardening's Web site has put together a list of plant names in
alphabetical order that you can click on and hear the
pronunciation. Next time you're struggling with a difficult Latin
name, try
www.taunton.com/finegardening/pguide/pronunciation-guide-to-botanical-latin.aspx.
Photographs from the UT Gardens on
Display
The
UT Webster C. Pendergrass Library features photographs from the UT
Gardens taken by gardens staff and gardens photographer, Dr. Alan
Heilman. Come enjoy the striking images throughout the semester.
The library is located in the UT College of
Veterinary Medicine next to the UT Gardens.
Garden Trials
Although
you won't see our 2009 trial varieties in the gardens for a couple more
months, we're already hard at work getting them ready for their grand
debut! Garden volunteer Liz Etnier began sowing seed trial varieties in
January. Many of those seedlings are now ready to transplant into cell
packs where they will continue growing until planted in the gardens
after our last frost date. Our vegetative trial varieties will soon
begin arriving as small plugs that garden staff and volunteers will pot
up and grow on in the greenhouse. Look for these exciting trial
varieties in the UT Gardens in early May.
This year we'll be making it easier than ever to keep tabs on our
trials. As always, you will be able to stroll through the gardens
and see each variety, but in 2009 you will also be able to access
information about each variety on the UT Gardens Web site at utgardens.tennessee.edu/annual_trials.html as the
summer progresses. This information, including variety source,
Knoxville and Jackson ratings, and pictures, will be updated live
rather than compiled at the end of the season as the 2007 and 2008
variety reports were. Be sure to check it out to find what plants are performing
well in our region so you know what to look for at your favorite
nursery or garden center.
Volunteer News and Opportunities
The only way to get a sneak peek at the hot
new-to-market plants, tried-and-true favorites, and test varieties that
the UT Gardens will be trialing for the 2009 season is to volunteer to
help! Transplanting, potting up, sorting, watering and planting are
just a few of the spring tasks that our volunteers help us with. Their
help is vital to ensuring a successful trial program.
Whether you wrote the book on gardening or barely know
which end of a plant is up, we have ways for you to get involved in the
UT Gardens! Our weekly work sessions on Tuesday mornings and Thursday
afternoons will resume on March 3. Other ways to help out include
database maintenance, documenting the gardens with photography,
teaching a class or workshop, or performing guided tours for groups who
visit the gardens; you can even adopt a spot in the UT Gardens - love
it, hug it, and call it George.
Besides being a tremendous asset to the UT Gardens,
joining our volunteer program is a great way to learn more about
gardening and to meet others who enjoy gardening. If you are interested
in helping out in any capacity please contact Beth Willis (865-974-2712
or ewillis2@utk.edu)
or Cindy Williams (865-938-1895 or orchidsandonions@aol.com).
Mark Your Calendar
March
Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m.-noon, UT
Gardens
Workshop: Rose Ramblings
Join Dr. Mark Windham for a demonstration workshop on
proper rose pruning on a variety of rose types. He will also discuss
proper selection and choice cultivars for worry-free rose gardening. No
pre-registration is needed. Meet at the UT Gardens Friendship Plaza.
Members: $20, Non-members: $25; payable day of
event, check or cash only
Thursday, March 26, noon to 1 p.m., Meet at UT Gardens,
follow signs to classroom
Lunch and Learn: Wildflowers of the Smoky Mountains and
Cotswold Gardens of England
Bring your lunch and join us as UT Gardens volunteer Liz
Etnier gives an exciting presentation of wildflowers she has seen
during her frequent hikes of the Smokies as well as some she
encountered during a recent trip to England.
Saturday, March 28, 9 a.m.-noon, Meet at UT Gardens and
follow signs to classroom
Family Fun: Get the Picture: Garden Photography for All
Ages
UT Gardens photographer and web designer Beth Willis will
highlight the basics of digital photography and offer tips for just the
right plant and people photos. Bring a digital camera or two for this
fun family activity. Class will be held indoors, followed by garden
practice shoots if the weather permits. Space is limited and families
must pre-register/prepay by going to the UT Gardens Web site.
Members: $20 per family, Non-members: $25 per family
April
Saturday, April 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., UT Gardens
Family Fun: Tree Climbing and Rappelling
Don't just climb a tree the old fashioned way, do it like
the experts - with a rope and a harness! Join Sam Adams from Cortese
Tree Specialists for this safe and fun activity for the whole family.
Appropriate for ages 10 and up. Check for more details soon!
April 3-5
Williamson County's Annual Lawn and Garden Show
The Expo is a one-stop-shop for a variety of plants and
gardening products from hundreds of prominent vendors. Speakers and
educational workshops are scheduled throughout the three-day event. For
directions and more visit www.bloomngarden.com.
Saturday, April 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., UT Gardens
Family Fun: Easter Egg Hunt
Children 12 and under can join the hunt or other
contests for fun and prizes! We will also have a craft station and
photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny. More details will be
available soon at http://utgardens.tennessee.edu.
June
The UT Arboretum Society is planning a four-day garden
bus tour into the heart of Georgia. This Georgia Garden Adventure will
go to Athens, Atlanta, and Calloway Gardens. For more details go
to utgardens.tennessee.edu.
Garden Website
Thanks
to the continued help of volunteer Harriette Spiegel, the UT Gardens
Web site at utgardens.tennessee.edu keeps growing and getting
better! We are now in the process of updating the image galleries -
many areas of the gardens have undergone drastic changes over the last
two years so the photo makeovers are long overdue. In the coming weeks,
look for those updated image galleries, a more streamlined and
user-friendly news and events calendar, a UT Gardens marketplace and
live 2009 trial data.
Another exciting new feature that will
be revealed soon is a What's Happening Now link that will show
photographs taken by staff, volunteers and visitors. This page will be
updated weekly, but previous pictures will be archived so that site
visitors can see what the gardens look like at a particular time of
year. We are developing a test site for this feature now and we hope to
have it online sometime in March.
We have already greatly expanded the Gardening Tips
section, compiled 2008 trial data pages and added a link to begin or
renew your membership in the Friends of the UT Gardens. If it's been a
while since you have visited the UT Gardens Web site, drop by today and
see what you've been missing!
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The University of Tennessee Gardens located in Knoxville
and Jackson are part of the UT Institute of Agriculture. Their mission is
to foster appreciation, education and stewardship of plants through
garden displays, collections, educational programs and research
trials. Some 4,000 annuals, perennials, herbs, tropicals, trees,
shrubs, vegetables and ornamental grasses are evaluated each year. Both
gardens are Tennessee Certified Arboreta. The gardens are open during all
seasons and free to the public. Visit http://utgardens.tennessee.edu/ and http://westtennessee.tennessee.edu/ornamentals/ for
more information.
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