News Release
For Immediate Release — September 15, 2009
UT Gardens - Jackson Hosts 1st Annual Fall Plant Sale
JACKSON, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee Gardens along with the Madison County Master Gardeners will be hosting the 1st Annual Fall Plant Sale on Thursday, October 1, at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center on Airways Boulevard.
The sale will feature hundreds of quality plants that will make great winter porch pots as well as wonderful additions to your garden. Plants offered in the sale include, Pansies, Violas, Ornamental Kale, Swiss Chard, trees and shrubs. The sale also includes more than 50 different species and cultivars of conifers and a wide selection of perennials and bulbs. Plus, shoppers will have a chance to purchase the new UT Gardens all-cotton t-shirts!
The sale runs from 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. However, Friends of the Garden donors can shop early, beginning at 3:00 p.m. If you are not a Friend, you can become a Friends donor the day of the sale and enter at 3.
Besides the chance to purchase great plants, another reason to come early is to hear presentations from UT plant experts. Arrive at 3:15 to learn which selections will do well in your landscape as Carol Reese showcases the “Best of the Best” during a tour of the UT Gardens. At 4:30, Jason Reeves will present information on dependable bulbs for the landscape. Bulbs offered at the Fall Plant Sale will include hard-to-find selections that come back year after year, naturalize, and are deer and rodent resistant. Presentations will start at the plant sale area (west of main parking lot).
After the sale is complete, the Madison County Master Gardeners invite everyone to attend their monthly meeting where Jason will take you away with a presentation of his “Summer Travels to Fabulous Gardens of the Eastern US.” He’ll also provide updates on UT Gardens Best of Show for 2009. Activities begin in the Main Building at 6:30 with a bring-your-own brown bag dinner (drink and dessert will be provided by the Master Gardeners). Jason’s presentation begins at 7:00. There is no charge to attend this fun, entertaining and informative event.
Check out the West Tennessee Research and Education Center web site for a list of plants that will be available at the sale as well as directions to the Center. The address is http://west.tennessee.edu/ornamentals/FallPlantSale.asp.
The West Tennessee Research and Education Center is one of 10 outdoor laboratories operated by UT AgResearch, a division of the UT Institute of Agriculture. In addition to its agricultural research programs, the UT Institute of Agriculture also provides instruction, research and public service through the UT College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources, the UT College of Veterinary Medicine and UT Extension offices in every county in the state.
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Contacts:
Jason Reeves, UT Research Horticulturist, 731-425-4765, jreeves@utk.edu
Ginger Trice, UTIA Marketing and Communications Services, 731-425-4768, gtrice@tennessee.edu