TENNESSEE ARTICLE ARCHIVE
Below you will find our growing collection of Tennessee-specific articles. Enjoy!
BLAZING HOT!
Summer color to beat the heat Story and Photos by Troy B. Marden (troybmarden.com) By July, many of us have retreated indoors. We tell ourselves it’s just too hot and that nothing is going to survive in this heat and humidity anyway. But let’s be honest. This is more about our own personal comfort and …
FROM JAPAN TO IRELAND TO TENNESSEE
Evercolor Series Japanese sedge Story and Photos by Hubert P. Conlon whatgrowsthere.com Indigenous to the dry woodlands and rocky slopes around Honshu Island in Japan, variegated sedges have been greatly improved. The Evercolor series, the result of breeding efforts at Fitzgerald Nurseries in Kilkenny, Ireland, is a collection of six varieties that are evergreen in …
HEAVENLY HYDRANGEAS
Three favorite summer-blooming beauties Story and Photos by Troy B. Marden troybmarden.com June is hydrangea season in Tennessee. Sure, there are hydrangeas that begin flowering as early as May and continue through August and even September, but June is peak flowering time for my personal favorites and the time of year I enjoy them the …
A GOOD START
The joys and challenges of growing your own vegetable transplants Story and Photos by Natalie Bumgarner The scent of peat moss and the tidiness of seeding trays combined with the first tiny glint of green as cotyledons emerge are just some things that bring me so much enjoyment as a gardener. However, growing vegetable transplants …
SHADY CHARACTERS
The beauty of gardening under trees Story and Photos by Troy B. Marden troybmarden.com Gardening under trees can be difficult. I know. I have a love-hate relationship with the two enormous white oaks that allow me to even have a shade garden, but, at the same time, render the soil so dry in midsummer it’s …
HAKONE GRASS
Story and Photos by Hubert P. Conlon whatgrowsthere.com Brighten up dark areas in your woodland garden with Japanese forest grass, sometimes called hakone grass. This warm-season ornamental grass performs well in most areas of Tennessee; it may struggle a bit in the warmer regions. Start by planting in amended, compost-rich soil in full to partial …
KEEP OUT!
9 ways to keep critters out of your vegetable garden Story and Photos by Cindy Shapton cindyshapton.com If you are a gardener, then you are already aware that your garden is a popular place not only for you, but also the many critters that like to help themselves to your hard work. It’s a constant …
QUEENS OF THE GARDEN
The long-lived and spectacular clematis Story by Troy B. Marden troybmarden.com One of the very first vines I ever grew was the old-fashioned purple Clematis ‘Jackmanii’. I was 6 years old. This was back in the day when almost every store that offered general merchandise had a garden section where houseplants were offered year round …
OYAMA MAGNOLIA
Story by Hugh Conlon Oyama magnolia, indigenous to eastern Asia, is a deciduous 10-15 feet tall tree or shrub ideally suited for a small garden. Nodding, goblet-shaped, fragrant flowers bloom two to three weeks after the leaves emerge in April, thereby escaping injury from spring frosts. In mid to late May, egg-shaped flower buds unfold …