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The University of Tennessee
Gardens News
January 2009
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Welcome to our first edition of the UT Gardens monthly
e-newsletter. As we work to be more green and environmentally friendly,
we want to reduce the amount of printing and mailings that we do. As a
result, the Garden
Post newsletter, of which you have been receiving
eight or nine issues, is being reduced to a quarterly newsletter
complemented with a monthly e-newsletter. The e-newsletter will
let us stay in better touch with our membership and keep you informed
in a more timely manner about the horticultural aspects of the
gardens, educational programs and special events. We
encourage you to share this e-newsletter with others who may have
interest.
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Plant
of the Month
Red Twig Dogwood
 By: Jason Reeves, horticulturist, UT Gardens in Jackson
Winter
landscapes are often bleak, but that is easily remedied. Of the many
plants that can brighten up cold gray days, among my favorites is a
much underused group of plants referred to as red twig
dogwoods. For more information, click on Plant of the Month
Gardening Calendar
It's
really hard to get motivated to do much of anything outdoors, but there
are a few tasks and chores that you can do on those days when the
weather is favorable! For more go to... Garden Girls
Now Showing
Be
sure to visit the gardens this month and check out the beautiful plant
show going on featuring the following stars:
 Coral Bark Maple (Acer palmatum)
- You'll easily spy the three cultivars in our gardens' collection
with their bright coral-pink branches.
 Camellia (Sasanqua) -
Scattered throughout the gardens, several are blooming right now. My
favorite is 'Carolina Moonmist' with its showy pink blooms.
 Hollies (Ilex sp.) - No
matter what type, all of our hollies are loaded with berries like never
before. Particularly striking are the Winterberry Hollies.
 Snowdrops (Galanthus
nivalis) - This perennial bulb always blooms at the first of the year.
It is a great naturalizing bulb and performs well under deciduous
trees. You can't miss the nodding bell-shaped white flowers.
 Japanese Cornel
Dogwood (Cornus officinalis) - The three selections we have in
the Gardens are all flowering right now and are covered in their bright
yellow flowers. If you are not familiar with this dogwood, you owe it
to yourself to check it out.
 Italian Arum (Arum italicum)
- The beautiful variegated winter foliage of this perennial is putting
on a show in the wildflower and native plant area of the UT Gardens.
Volunteer News and Opportunities
After
a much-deserved winter break, the UT Gardens Volunteer Program is about
to bloom again! The Gardens will have a short, informal meeting at
10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 in the classroom of
Greenhouse 11 to kick off the 2009 season. Current, new, and
potential volunteers are welcome to attend. We will have some great
volunteer opportunities this year, including our Adopt a Spot
program, training to become a Certified
Garden Guide, helping to document the garden with
photographs, and the ever-popular Work
with Garden Staff days. Whether you're a Master Gardener or
just like to look at pretty flowers, we have a spot for you. We will
also continue our fun and educational Lunch and Learn sessions this year,
and we're already scheduling some great topics for spring.
If you've ever thought about volunteering at the Gardens, now is
the perfect time to get started. To attend our 2009 Volunteer Kick-off,
please call 865-974-7256 or email Beth Willis for more
information.
Upcoming Educational Programs
January
Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Room
156-157 of the Plant Biotechnology Building on the West (Agriculture)
Campus
UT Rose Gardens Lecture and Friends Membership Meeting
Admission
is Free
Get in the gardening mood January 29, when Dr. Mark Windham, professor
in the entomology and plant pathology department, known for his dogwood
and rose research, will share exciting plans for a rose garden in the
University of
Tennessee Gardens. This new garden, which is planned to open in May,
will feature low-maintenance roses, a gazebo, electricity and a
dazzling water feature.
There will also be a brief special membership meeting before Dr.
Windham's presentation for Friends members to vote on the Board of
Directors for 2009. The proposed slate for the coming year is as
follows:
Co-Vice Presidents: Carolyn Crowder,
Lucy Gibson
Secretary: Harriette
Spiegel
Treasurer: Dennis
Superczynski
Sam Adams, Mitzi Rouse, P.J. Snodgrass, Terumi Watson
February
Friday, February 20- Sunday, February 22 (Fri. and
Sat. 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
Knoxville
Convention Center
Event: Dogwood
Arts House & Garden Show
Adults $10, Seniors 65+ $8, Children 6-12 $5, Under 5 no charge
Visit the UT Gardens booth for information and sale items.
Attend informative talks by UT Gardens professionals.
Watch and Listen to Gardens
Girls live (Sat. afternoon).
Holiday Express at the UT
Gardens
 Holiday Express drew more than
9,000 visitors, raising public awareness for the UT Gardens. Because of
the success, creator Mark Fuhrman has agreed to partner with the
Gardens again this year to bring back the event.
In addition to the hard work of Mark Fuhrman, his business partner
Jeanne Lane, and the UT Gardens staff, student interns and volunteers, Holiday Express
would not have been possible without the generosity of:
Media sponsors: WBIR, Knoxville News Sentinel; Corporate Sponsors:
Cariten Healthcare-a Humana Affiliate, McBride Company, LLC, Pumps of
Tennessee, UT Federal Credit Union, Advanced Office Systems, Duck
Irrigation, Inc., Eye Care Center of Oak Ridge-Lee Smalley, MD, Schmid
& Rhodes Construction Company, Tennessee Master Gardener; and In-Kind Sponsors:
All Occasions Party Rentals, Claiborne Hauling, Mark W. Fuhrman
Complete Landscape Services, Safe N' Sound, and Stanley's Greenhouses.
Holiday Express at
the UT Gardens 2009 will open with a sneak preview for UT
employees Tuesday, November 24th and will open to the public November
25-29 and then Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays December 4-January 3.
Additional days of operation will include Monday and Tuesday, December
28 and 29.
Thanks to everyone who came to the show and we look forward to seeing
you again this year! To view photos visit Holiday Express pictures
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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 TN Certified Arboreta. The gardens are open during all seasons and
free to the public. Visit UT Gardens/
and UT Gardens Jackson/
for more information.
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