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Jun 29, 2023

Ford gives the scoop on edible plants at Aug. 29 festival

The Fall Gardeners Festival, set Aug. 29 at the UT Plateau Research and Education Center, will host numerous vendors with specialty items for gardeners. The event is free. Preregister or arrive at 8

The Fall Gardeners Festival, set Aug. 29 at the UT Plateau Research and Education Center, will host numerous vendors with specialty items for gardeners. The event is free. Preregister or arrive at 8 a.m. to register for food, fun and education.

Did you say you just found an unusual, pretty plant with a berry? And, you’re just about to pop it into your mouth?

Hold on!

Do you really want to take a chance that this is the dewberry you sister remembered from her childhood in the Tennessee hills?

Well, before you take the first bite, get the scoop from experienced wilderness living skills instructor John C. Ford.

Ford will share the spotlight with several other knowledgeable presenters at the daylong, Aug. 29 Fall Gardeners Festival hosted by University of Tennessee’s Plateau Research and Education Center. Perhaps you’ve visited the site on Hwy. 70 N. to take in the numerous displays of blooming flowers and herbs, along with shrubs and trees and grass options.

If you’ve been wondering about the garden’s beautiful perennials—how to grow them, how to combine them, how to prolong their lives—you’re in luck. Presenter Andy Pulte, UT Distinguished Lecturer of Horticulture and Plant Sciences, will bring you up to date on the nature of various perennials and how to incorporate them into your garden plan. His class, as well as all the free classes happening during the Festival, will lead you to make informed selections for your landscape.

Are you looking to fill a sunny spot with plants to attract pollinators — plants such as yarrow, Echinacea, zinnia, butterfly weed, bee balm and mountain mint? Rely on presenter Kris Light, science outreach educator, to fill in all the blanks about birds, bees and butterflies and their roles in keeping plants healthy and productive. Kris will enlighten participants about the essential continuance of wildflowers. Who can ignore the striking blue chicory and bright yellow coreopsis currently blooming along roadsides? Why are these and other wild species so important to our plant population? Ask Kris.

Moving from the outdoors to the inside, you may want to know more about growing houseplants. Well-known presenter and owner of Johnson’s Nursery & Garden Center, Sarah Johnson, brings her enjoyable and practical approach to picking and caring for greenery or flowering home accessories. We can now appreciate house plants for their addition to décor, plus their ability to help cleanse the interior air. Sarah’s experience and know-how is extensive, and she brings all to this special event for our extended community.

Have you marked your calendar yet?

You’ll definitely want to when you see the following list of additional qualified presenters with their topics.

• Seed Grown Flowers for the Home Garden — Celeste Scott, UT horticulture Extension agent, Madison County.

• Growing Dahlias in Tennessee—Sam Moses, dahlia grower, Lebanon, TN

• Hydrangea Hysteria—Jason Reeves, horticulturist, UT Gardens, Jackson, TN

•  New Advances in Roses

•  Greens in Small Spaces: From micro to mini to more—Natalie Bumgarner, UT associate professor and Extension specialist

• Lawn and Landscape Weed Control—Jim Brosnan, UT Turfgrass professor

• Pesticides and Alternative Controls—Darrell Hensley, UT Extension professor

• Managing Wildlife Around the Home—Dr. Craig Harper, UT Extension wildlife specialist and Chris Graves, UT Extension, Forestry and Wildlife Management specialist

• Working with Nature in Our Tennessee Yards—Angela Ludwig, UT associate professor and Extension specialist

• The Nuances of Novelty Fruit—Melody Rose, UT Extension agent, Greene County, TN

• Pruning with a Purpose—Lee Rumble, UT Extension agent/ISA certified arborist, Knox County, TN

Rounding out your day at the Discovery Gardens, plan to shop for outstanding, in bud and colorful chrysanthemums. Purchasing these large mums for $22 contributes to the funds necessary to maintain Cumberland County’s always-expanding, educational undertaking, noted as one of UT’s three statewide botanical gardens.

Adding to that offering of take-home treasures, local vendors will again be on hand to provide many diverse plant options. Fall is a great time to get new plants in the ground once temperatures have cooled somewhat.

Plan to make it a day, on Tuesday, Aug. 29, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Registration begins at 8 if not preregistered.

Food, fun and classes and helpful Master Gardeners welcome everyone to an event designed to make the most of a beautiful setting with informative, useful resources.

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