BCMG Speakers Bureau

Blount County Master Gardeners now have a Speakers Bureau to provide our community with research-based lawn and gardening information. The Speakers Bureau makes available knowledgeable member speakers on a wide variety of horticultural topics.  For more information and how you can schedule a speaker, click here.

Keep up with the latest information from UT Gardens by clicking here.

More tips are available in the Tennessee Home Vegetable Garden 2019 Calendar from UT Extension.  Click on the calendar image to view it online.  You can get a jump on next month by peeking ahead!

February 2019

Leatherflower, Ocoee (Clematis viorna L.)

• Type: Perennial Vine
• Light: Part Sun/Part Shade
• Water: Moist
• Soil: Well Drained
• Height: 6 Feet
• Width: 3-4 Feet
• Flower: Magenta
• Bloom Time: May-July

For more information, click here.

Click the links below to access the full articles:

Squirrels - Some Gardening Strategies

Who doesn’t love a shade garden on a hot summer day?  Deep greens, cooling shade…and, more often than not, squirrels! They come with the trees.  I know someone who traps them — humanely, of course, and takes them ten miles away.  They come back.  (Before you ask:  She marks them before she carts them off, so she knows.) 

Not All Pollinators Are Honey Bees - Planting for Many Pollinators

Avid gardeners are usually nature lovers and nurturing souls. We attempt to bring back damaged and forgotten plants and we feed birds. Gardeners were among the first to call for "saving the pollinators" since many species of bees and other pollinating insects are being disturbed and displaced today. We should take steps to make the home garden a more inclusive oasis. Native plants have become recognized as important plants to foster pollinators in these gardens, but many other plants are worth trying, too.

The Joy of Spring Wildflowers - A Walk In the Woods

One of the best things about Springtime in East Tennessee is the multitude of beauty that can be found on any one of the dozens of hiking trails in the Smokies. I recently hiked Porter’s Creek, a hike that is approximately 4 miles roundtrip from the trailhead at Greenbrier Road to Fern Branch Falls and back. There is a lot of history along this trail reminding us of families who settled in this area in the early 1800s, so it’s an interesting trail as well as a fairly easy one to navigate.

Myths About Cold Winters and Fewer Bugs

An often repeated pearl of wisdom in the gardening world, and one heard nearly every winter, is that a cold snap will "kill all the bugs". Or, conversely, an unseasonably warm winter will mean that the garden will be chewed to bits come the next growing season. I'm sure I am not alone in having gone along with believing that cold winters means no bugs for quite some time. When a good friend asked me if I knew that this bit of folklore was a myth, it surprised me. So, like the doubting Thomas I am, I looked it up.

African Violets - These Beautiful Plants Can Become Addictive!

African violets are stunningly beautiful plants readily available in your local supermarket or garden center. They can provide year round color with attention to some basic care.  This "how-to" article tells you everything you need to know about growing, caring for, and propagating these wonderful plants.  Click on the link above to access a .pdf file you can download and print.  To go along with this article click here for a set of photo slides that accompany it.

Garden Bullies...Tough Plants Gardeners Regret Buying

Many gardeners have one or two plants, maybe more, they wish they'd never bought.  Plants in the mint family come to mind, or perhaps the unstoppable periwinkle (Vinca) vine.  Maybe it was like one of my garden mistakes where I wanted something tough and easy to grow and then spent years removing evening primrose progeny. Maybe you were gifted a healthy (but quite toxic) "pass-along" of Star of Bethlehem?

Bradford Pear Trees?  There Are Better Choices!

In early spring, Blount County erupts in clouds of white puffballs. Driveways and roads are lined with drifts of white blossoms and many people feel spring is finally here when they see them. In recent years, the more negative aspects of these ubiquitous trees of springtime snow have become obvious.

Spring Plant Sales - Don't Go Without a Plan!

Spring is in the air and our gardens are awake and growing. We've had lots of rain to erase all thoughts of last year's drought. We've spent the winter months anticipating warm days and sunny skies, and we can't wait to get out and see all the colorful flowers once again! Garden sales and swaps are now enticing us to add to our collection of green things. So now is a good time to think about what we need and what we should be planting and have a plan before we hit those sales.

For more "Hands in the Dirt" articles, click here.

Click on the activity title link to see photos:

Maryville Grove Tree Pruning - February 6, 2019

On a breezy day in early February, Blount County Master Gardeners partnered with Maryville College’s Dr. Drew Crane and his biology students for an afternoon of pruning in the upper fruit tree grove. Instruction and guidance was provided by John Wilson, UT Agriculture Extension Agent, and Dr. Crane regarding pruning techniques and shaping for best fruit production. Our thanks to Master Gardener, Donna Dixon, for coordinating the annual event.

Project HOPE Article in The Daily Times - January 28, 2019

One of our community projects, Project HOPE, recently received good publicity, and the project leader, Logan Hill, is looking forward to increased participation by both students and BCMGs this year.

Tellico Village Garden Club Presentation - January 3, 2019

Becky Hornyak and Louminda Torbett, assisted by Susan Rushing, presented a program “Gardening for Pollinators” to the Tellico Village Garden Club. The program focused on the importance of native species to pollinators and how to select and plan a garden to attract pollinators. 48 members of the Tellico Village Garden Club attended.