There's a new pollinator garden at Ravenwood High School that was a project of the school's student-led garden club. In it's first season of growth, it's brimming with native wildflowers. An integral partner in this amazing instillation was the Tennessee Environmental Council who supported it with manpower and specialty seed mixes.
Agaves date back 10,000 years. Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina has one of the most extensive agave collections in the world. Renowned plantsman Tony Avent showcases several varieties with interesting form, size, color and habit. Learn optimum growing conditions plus propagation methods for this historically significant plant.
When peak summer blooms begin to fade, there's plenty of annuals and perennials that can offer lots of color and vitality. You can keep those garden beds and containers full of interest up until first frost with plants such as Mexican bush sage, pineapple sage, asters, coreopsis and more.
Peak bloom time for chrysanthemums is September and October. There's a grand selection of these autumn favorites at Grandaddy's Farm in Estill Springs, Tennessee. Tammy Algood gets tips on how to keep the flowers looking good all season long, and how to plant them in the landscape for autumn color every year.
Autumn is a good time to evaluate the worthiness of ground cover plants, as the strength of the plant and its foliage is evident. Marty DeHart visits a mature garden to profile a dozen different native ground covers. Most of these plants have a season of bloom. Marty considers each one to be worthy of a spot in your garden.
Residents of Montgomery County Tennessee who desire a yard that has ecological value are finding support and encouragement from Healthy Yards Clarksville. This initiative promotes the use of native perennials, shrubs and trees in the home landscape to support insects and birds. We tour a participant's yard that has had tremendous results in a short span of time.
Providing a sustainable habitat for wildlife begins with plant selection, and continues with natural gardening methods. Rita Venable introduces us to a native plant enthusiast who is maximizing his efforts by installing garden beds from the curb to the rear property line. He's finding that he's inspiring others too.
Conifers are trees and shrubs that bear cones. But beyond that common characteristic, they can vary greatly in mature size, foliage type, foliage color, and growth habit. Annette Shrader showcases a variety of beautiful specimens as she tours a private collection belonging to a couple who are conifer enthusiasts.
There's a beautiful native plant experience on the plaza adjacent to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. Several garden beds highlight this large space, and each is brimming with native perennials, shrubs, and vines. Each plant was selected for what in can offer particular pollinators.
The mercury climbs in mid-summer, but so can the beauty in your garden. April Moore profiles some of her favorite perennials that have colorful blooms to admire, and attract hummingbirds and pollinators. Among these great plants are salvias, lobelias, rudbeckia and phlox.
