Recent Volunteer Gardener Clips
Earthworms: The Good, and the Destructive
September 26, 2024
Host Jeff Poppen, a biodynamic farmer, uses a lot of compost. By doing that, he is rewarded with a plentiful amount of earthworms that aerate the soil and leave nutrients behind. However, not all worms are beneficial. Jeff meets up with an entomologist to learn about a destructive species known as the crazy jumping worm.
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A Mindful Landscape
September 26, 2024
Rita Venable visits with a homeowner who began gardening during the pandemic. She had inherited her landscaping when she purchased the home. Now a native plant enthusiast, she's converted those existing landscape areas into garden beds where native plants, shrubs and trees are performing well.
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Native Groundcovers
September 19, 2024
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.
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Healthy Yards Clarksville
September 19, 2024
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.
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Garden in the Sky
August 15, 2024
What a treat to tour the many thoughtful garden beds at a residence that sits on the edge of the Cumberland Plateau at an elevation of 1,900 feet. Rita Venable visits the couple who designed and installed a long and flowing border bed that takes advantage of the grand view just beyond. In a section of side yard, they've allowed nature to be nature. It's full of no fuss, mostly native, herbaceous perennials. Also highlighted are trees and shrubs that support wildlife.
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Container Gardening: Flexibility and Control
August 15, 2024
Ever thought about the flexibility and control you would have if all of your landscape plants were in individual containers? We tour the unique and beautiful backyard oasis that a couple of plant enthusiasts have created by planting up 542 individual garden containers!
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Growing Lettuce in Fall
August 08, 2024
Lettuce is a cool-season crop, so it grows well in autumn. Tammy Algood checks out the beautiful rows of Salanova head lettuce at Red Thread Farm in Franklin TN. Here, they direct sow it in October. Its a cut and come again type that produces until the Persephone Period (when daylight falls below 10 hours/day).
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DIY Water Features
August 01, 2024
It's nice to have the sound of water in the garden, and the wildlife appreciate it too. Annette Shrader visits with a home gardener who shares how she went about adding two small features to her garden space. One feature is a small pond with a stacked rock waterfall, and the other is a bubbling rock.
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Making a difference with landscape choices
August 01, 2024
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.
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A Grand Collection of Conifers
July 11, 2024
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.
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Evolution to lower maintenance
July 11, 2024
We tour the island beds and border beds of a long-time gardener in Murfreesboro, TN. She's looking to make the maintenance of the grounds more manageable. Plant selection is part of the plan. Another part is getting down a layer of mulch for weed control. We look at some dependable plants, including peonies, allium, ferns, trillium and hosta.