Tennessee Greentimes - Fall 2009

VOL. 10/ NO. 3

Fall 2009

Hostas...

Not Just for Edging

Tennessee Coneflower... a Native Treasure for the Discriminating Garden Collector

Tennessee

GREENTIMES The Official Publication of The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association

Table of Contents

IN THE GARDEN Hostas… Not Just for Edging

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VOL. 10/ NO. 3

Fall 2009

TENNOVATIONS UPDATE Several New Production Solutions for Nursery Growers,

by Tennessee Growers

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departments From the President, Marshall Allen .............................................................................. 6 TNLA New Members ...................................................................................................... 7 Green Gatherings — Recent Events ............................................................................17 News from the UT Gardens ..........................................................................................20 Industry News ....................................................................................................................21 Calendar of Events .......................................................................................................... 22 Index of Advertisers ........................................................................................................ 22

LANDSCAPER’S CORNER Tennessee Coneflower… a Native Treasure for the Discriminating Garden Collector

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The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation.

The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Tennessee Green Times, or its editors.

Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication.

Copyright ©2009 by the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. Tennessee Green Times is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association.

POSTMASTER: Send change of address notification to Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association, 115 Lyon Street, McMinnville, TN 37110. Postage guaranteed.

Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Tennessee Green Times allows reprinting of material. Permission requests should be directed to the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs. Contact the managing editor for contribution information.

Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 7903718, Fax (615) 794-4524.

f rom t h e p r e s i d e n t Marshall Allen

Catch the Green Wave MARK YOUR CALENDAR! —

Mid-States Horticultural Expo —

January 12-13, 2010 Kentucky Expo Center, North Wing Louisville, KY

—

TNLA Winter Education Program

It

seems that the “green” initiative will remain at the forefront of politics, media and the public eye for quite some time. If you haven’t familiarized yourself with sustainable systems, carbon sequestration, the water-sense program, green roofs and other facets of the green initiative, you might want to research and prepare to catch this “green wave.” We are the original green industry, and we need to market and educate the public about the benefits of our industry.

Eric Walker and I represented TNLA at the ANLA Legislative Conference held in Washington, DC (July 20–23). One of the objectives was to present the green industry at the forefront of the political green initiative. We were able to visit the offices of all of our congressmen to present issues (immigration reform, estate-tax concerns, mandated health care and tree-planting programs) that are of concern to all of us. Please continue to contact your legislators about issues that affect your business. A congressional staffer told us that it takes only ten calls regarding an issue to get the congressman’s attention.

The Tennessee Green Industry Field Day took place August 4 at the TSU research facility in McMinnville, and it was well attended with good educational topics and hands-on demonstrations. Of particular interest to many growers were the fire-ant treatment procedures.

We can only hope that our industry can survive yet another untimely quarantine regulation.

Thanks to Dr. Nick Gawel and his staff for hosting and coordinating this event and to all our exhibitors for their support.

We hope everyone will plan to attend the Mid-States Horticultural Expo in Louisville (January 12–13, 2010) and our Winter Education Program in Pigeon Forge (February 1–2).

We will include more information as it becomes available. I look forward to seeing you then.

Marshall Allen 2009 TNLA President

TNLA Would like to THANK the following companies for being Membership Sponsors

—

Gold Membership Sponsors

Silver Membership Sponsors

February 1–2, 2010

Allen Landscape Management, LLC

Common Grounds Landscape Management, Inc. Immigration Law Offices of Sean Lewis, PLLC J.B. Donoho Nursery John Holmlund Nursery Little Green Garden, Inc. Reedy Landscaping, Inc. Tennessee 811 Tri Green Equipment, LLC Valent USA

Music Road Convention Center Pigeon Forge,TN

Barky Beaver Mulch & Soil Mix, Inc. Randall Walker Farms Shadow Nursery, Inc. Swafford Nursery, Inc.

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New TNLA Members The Tennessee Greentimes is the official publication of The Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 115 Lyon Street McMinnville, Tennessee 37110 (931) 473-3951 Fax (931) 473-5883 www.tnla.com Email: mail@tnla.com Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedgecommunications.com Editors Bill Klingeman, Ph.D. Bob Trigiano, Ph.D. Associate Editors Dr. Donna Fare Dr. Nick Gawel Mr. Mark Halcomb Dr. Frank Hale Mr. Gray Haun Dr. Sandy Reed Dr. John Sorochan TNLA Officers President Marshall Allen Allen Landscape Management, LLC 1st Vice President Tim Gallagher Heather Farms Nursery, Inc. 2nd Vice President John Watson, CLP Common Grounds Landscape Mgmt.

Welcome, TNLA New Members!

ACTIVE MEMBERS Billy Walker Nursery Billy Walker 109 Jefferson Street McMinnville, TN 37110

New Market Nursery (re-instated) Ken Jones 741 Butler Road New Market, AL 35761

Daylight Springs Nursery, LLC Ron Mangum 5961 Crisp Springs Road McMinnville, TN 37110

Spring Lake Garden Assn.

Dea Davis Ibarra 4279 Cedar Hills Road Bartlett, TN 38135

Sunset Landscape Allen Willmore 78 Lauren Lindsey Lane Manchester, TN 37355

TRICKL-EEZ Company Steve Mullican 4507 East Greenhill Road Rock Island, TN 38581

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Triple SSS Farm Neal Schmidt 261 Cahaba Valley Parkway Pelham, AL 35124

Amsoil/Aggrand Nancy Murphy 1283 General George Patton Rd. Nashville, TN 37221 Cub Cadet/Yanmar Todd Adair 8101 Lowell Lane Little Rock, AR 72227 Lyn-Mor Truck Accessories Missy Shahan 109 Montclair Street Tullahoma, TN 37388

Check out the Improved

TNLA Website www.tnla.com

3rd Vice President Michael Kassees Forest Nursery Co., Inc. Secretary-Treasurer Randall Walker Randall Walker Farms Associate Director Dwight Burch BWI Companies Ex-Officio Aaron Swafford Swafford Nursery, Inc. Executive Director Louree Walker Administrative Assistant Pam Stern

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I N T H E G ARD E N

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I N T H E G ARD E N

By Ben Lindner, Former Student and Robert Trigiano, Ph.D., The University of Tennessee

No

longer the plain green plants that your grandma grew along her sidewalk, hostas today are vital to many landscape designs. Native to eastern Asia, the plants are found naturally in China, Japan and Korea. Hostas were used European gardens in the 1800s. By the 1900s, many plain hostas, such as Hosta lancifolia (Photo 1), had become mainstays in American gardens. In the 1970s and early 1980s, hosta collectors began hybridization programs to breed new varieties. Today, over 4,000 different hosta varieties range in size, shape, texture and color.

The main colors on hosta leaves are shades of green, yellow, white and blue. Foliage can be solid colored or variegated with any combination of the four main colors. Also, some hosta leaves are mottled or streaked. For example, H. ‘Allegan Fog’ (Photo 2) is a mottled hosta with green-margined leaves that have white centers containing green specks that give the plant a mottled appearance. An example of a streaked hosta is H. ‘William Lachman’ (Photo 3).

Photo 1. Hosta lancifolia

Landscape uses and choice of hostas Most hostas should be planted in part shade to shady sites, particularly blue varieties (like H. ‘Blue Mammoth’), which will tend to lose their blue color if planted in sunnier locations. By contrast, some hostas — including the yellow-leaf variety, H. ‘Sunpower’ — benefit from sunnier locations. Sunlight helps the leaves appear brighter yellow, instead of the lime green color observed in shade.

Hostas range from 6" to 6' in width (a few can exceed 6' across) and from 1" to 3' in height. Size ranges are broken into smaller groupings, from miniature (6" to 1' in width), small (1' to 2'), medium (2' to 3'), large (3' to 5') and very large (more than 5'), with ranges based on mature plant widths. An example of a miniature hosta, H. ‘Pandora’s Box’ has foliage with green margins and white leaf middles and grows to a mature width of 6" to 8". H. ‘Sum and Substance’ is an example of a very large hosta, with chartreusecolored leaves capable of growing 6' wide, with leaves over 1' wide.

Hosta grower Van Wade holds the record for H. ‘Sum and Substance’, with a specimen that is about 4' tall and 9-1/2' wide.

On average, a hosta will reach its mature size in five years, although some mature as quickly as three years. Blue varieties of hostas are the slowest growing, with most taking longer than five years to reach maturity.

For the shade gardener, a hosta-only garden can give a stunning effect, with combinations of blues, whites, greens and yellows, as well as variegations of all of these colors. A garden of miniature hostas can also showcase the same blue, green, white and yellow foliage colors in a fraction of the space.

Of course, hostas can also be used as edging along sidewalks and in garden beds. To achieve a well-kept and inviting landscape, consider companion plants that are great with hostas, including daylilies, ferns, heucheras, iris, sedum, astilbe, azaleas, rhododendrons, pagoda dogwoods, hydrangeas and bleeding hearts.

Photo 2. H. lancifolia ‘Allegan Fog’

Photo 3. H. lancifolia ‘William Lachman’

Photo 4. H. lancifolia ‘Golden Tiara’

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I N T H E G ARD E N

More than just foliage

Photo 5. H. lancifolia ‘Cherry Berry’

Most people buy hostas for their leaf color and never give a second thought to their flowers. In fact, many people cut off the flowers so that the leaves will not be hidden. Some hostas, however, have remarkably lovely flowers.

One is H. ‘Golden Tiara’ (Photo 4). Once mature, ‘Golden Tiara’ sprouts numerous scapes bearing purple flowers. ‘Cherry Berry’ (Photo 5) is another hosta grown not just for its leaves but mainly for its bright red flower scapes with purple flowers. This cultivar could be planted en masse or used as a specimen plant by itself.

Other hosta varieties with appealing flowers are the sweetly fragrant forms originating from H. plantaginea. Flowers produced on these cultivars — including H. plantaginea ‘Guacamole’ (Photo 6), ‘Fragrant Bouquet’, ‘Fried Bananas’, ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ and ‘Stained Glass’ — are bright white and can exceed 1" in diameter.

Some hosta varieties are useful as specimen plants that draw attention to themselves. A large hosta, H. montana ‘Aureomarginata’ (Photo 7) is a beautiful, vase-shaped hosta. Its leaves have green centers with yellow margins that fade to white as summer progresses.

Planting and maintaining hostas in the landscape

Photo 6. H. lancifolia ‘Guacamole’

Hostas must be grown in regions where they can go through a period of dormancy, needing at least a month of temperatures below 40º F. Of course, hostas can be grown across Tennessee.

When planting hostas, first dig the hole wider than the root balls, and don’t plant them any deeper than where the original soil line on the plant should be. Add organic matter such as peat, humus, compost or manure to the hole. Also add a small amount of a balanced NPK fertilizer. In the hole, make a cone or pyramid shape with a slight incline. Spread hosta roots flat over the cone to allowing roots room to grow. Replace soil back in the hole, remembering to back-fill only up to the original soil level at the hosta crown. After back-filling, thoroughly water the hosta.

Hostas are easy to maintain. During times of adequate moisture levels in soil, watering is rarely needed. When moisture levels fall below adequate, water plants daily or every other day. Add mulch around the base of hostas to help retain water. Hostas rarely need fertilizing, but if fertilizer is needed, use a balanced (e.g., 10-10-10) fertilizer. Take care not to over-fertilize blue hosta varieties. With time, excess fertilizer can cause phytotoxicity in some blue hosta varieties.

When hostas go dormant in fall, leaves can either be removed or left to decompose. Sometimes as hostas mature, middle sections of plants die out, resulting in donut shaped hostas. When this occurs, take a spade, cut out the dead center and refill the hole with soil.

In time, the plant will grow back into the center.

Dividing hostas

Photo 7. H. montana ‘Aureomarginata’

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Simply planting hosta seeds will not work to propagate named hosta varieties. The seedlings that result are not true to type, meaning seedlings do not look like the parent plant after germination. Instead, named varieties are increased by division. Hostas rarely must be divided, but if more plants or smaller plants are desired, divisions can be made from spring through early fall. Best management practices suggest dividing hostas in spring or from late August through early September to limit plant stress.

I N T H E G ARD E N

Once a hosta root is damaged, the root can die, forcing the hosta to grow back from the crown, which sets the plant back. To reduce the amount of damage to hosta roots and to speed re-growth, dig up the plant. Shake soil from the roots and wash away excess soil, using a garden hose and sprayer nozzle. Places in the plant’s crown where leaf clumps form are called eyes, which are natural places to divide hostas. After the soil is removed, these natural division points will be more visible. Next, sanitize a sharp knife in a 9:1 bleach and water solution. Put the knife tip between two eyes, insert and twist the knife while slowly applying pressure to push the knife through the crown area. Cut plant sections can easily be pulled apart. These steps can be repeated until the desired number of divisions is achieved.

Recognizing and managing hosta pests and diseases Hostas’ pest enemies include slugs and snails that feed on their leaves. Telltale signs are small, ragged holes that appear between leaf veins and silvery slime trails on foliage. To control slugs, apply granular slug baits in spring,

and continue to apply the bait throughout the season as needed.

Another problem pest is foliar nematodes. Symptoms include chlorosis between the veins. As the season progresses, affected areas turn brown and die. There is no cure. In order to get rid of foliar nematodes, the plants must be destroyed.

Deer are another common pest of hostas. Depending on their appetite, deer can eat entire landscape plantings of hostas. A product called Liquid Fence has been used to deter deer from hot spots. This and other animal-repellent products must be continually reapplied to keep deer away from their normal feeding routes.

Sometimes, hostas start to turn brown around leaf edges, and then plants collapse in a heap. Affected leaves are easily pulled from the crown and emit a rotten smell.

Causing this condition is a disease called crown rot, which occurs when bacteria in the soil enter a wound and cause the plant crown to decompose. The following season, the empty spot where the affected hosta once was can be replanted. Just be sure to remove the dead hosta, and replace it with an undamaged, healthy plant. C

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TENNOVATIONS

Several New PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS FOR NURSERY GROWERS,

by Tennessee Growers

By Bill Klingeman, Ph.D., University of Tennessee

R

ecent visits to nurseries in Tennessee have revealed some pretty intriguing new solutions and adaptations that might be of interest to other Tennessee producers.

Plant-propagation system For instance, we spent a dry June morning with Jessica Welch at Oak Grove Nursery (Belvidere, TN) admiring some of her and father Kevin Smith’s creative innovations for plant propagation. To conserve space and energy, Kevin has designed a seedling-propagation tower using inexpensive but durable plastic shelving (Photo 1). They keep humidity within the tower high by tenting the shelves with opaque plastic sheeting tacked to wood battens at the top of the tower. At the base, they anchor the tower using cement blocks, which also serve as insulation surrounding two 110V egg incubators used to heat the entire tower, taking advantage of the vented shelves.

On other benches, they have sheathed rubberized heating strips with sheets of corrugated white vinyl (Photo 2). The dimpled impressions on the vinyl slightly elevate the propagation flats, allowing better air and water circulation beneath, and the vinyl provides an easily sterilized clean surface.

Old inner tubes are used to tack down and hold the vinyl ends.

In addition, Kevin has added a plastic-clad wire line around the edges of the bench, providing an out-of-traffic place to secure opaque plastic tenting with rust-free wooden clothespins.

In early July, Phil Flanagan and I visited Kim Holden at Holden Nursery (Mascot, TN) and were impressed by the solutions that he had devised to save money and to ease some frequent production headaches.

For example, securing thin-walled pipe for overhead irrigation systems can be challenging. Sags and bows in the line are common and cause problems both with standing water and drainage. Kim found that electrical wire track provided a near-perfect fit to “clip in” 3/4" poly pipe (Photos 3 and 4). The rigid conduit can be mounted with a slight decline perpendicular to the roof tresses. The poly pipe ends can be stop-cocked or screw-capped to facilitate draining the lines in winter.

Outside, Kim showed off his rainwater collection system that he uses to irrigate his cooling-pad system (Photo 5). Rainwater is stored in a buried, black-plastic, 1,000-gallon cistern and has been a renewable, clean resource.

“The cooling pads are 8 years old, but they don’t look like it,” he says.

“They’re algae free, and I haven’t had to clean them.”

In another greenhouse, Kim showed us the aluminum expanded-fan heating pipes he uses to provide below-bench heating (Photo 6). “These were

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Production solutions

1

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<<

6

2

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<<

3

1. Seedling-propagation tower at Oak Grove Nursery.

2. Clean bench with clipline for plastic tenting.

3. Electrical track with hose inserted at Holden Nursery.

4. Sag-free mist lines in electrical track.

5. Rainwater collection into 1,000-gallon cistern.

6. Traditional aluminum fanpipe.

7. Homemade sheetmetal fan pipe.

(Photos by Bill Klingeman.)

5 <<

7

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TENNOVATIONS

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8

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8. Insulated bucket for PVC riser.

9. Wiggle wire stored in place and out of the way.

salvaged from a greenhouse, and they work great,” he comments. “But you can make your own. In the past, we’ve used flattened sheet metal that we fold around the hot water pipes to distribute the heat (Photo 7).”

Surviving winter without damage to plants and irrigation lines is another common challenge for growers. Kim’s son-in-law and crew spent a rainy fall afternoon insulating recycled nursery pots and creating handy covers for their PVC shut-offs (Photo 8). A little sprayable expanding foam is used to anchor the construction insulation into the bottom and sides of the seven-gallon container. Throughout the yard, a hefty rock sits beside each pot, ready as an anchor against the winter wind.

Everything was in its place at Holden Nursery, including a bundle of aluminum spring wire mounted above the doorjamb at the end walls of each polyhouse (Photo 9). Kim uses aluminum channel track and 3-foot-long spring wire sections to secure the overwintering plastic around the doors. “It makes sense to keep it where we need it,” he says, referring to the bundle of spring wire. “We open and close the doors a lot in spring.

We can tie the plastic up on the arch, and the spring wire makes venting our houses fast and easy.”

For more information about these or other TennOvations you’ve seen in this column, or to share a TennOvation of your own, contact Dr. Bill Klingeman at (865) 974-7324 or by email at wklingem@utk.edu. C

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By Richard Gualandi, Graduate Student, The University of Tennessee

A

lthough few gardeners would say that they have never heard of the plant Echinacea, many people are unaware that Tennessee is home to one of the rarest wild Echinacea species in the world.

Echinacea tennesseensis, or Tennessee coneflower, was once believed to be extinct. It presently exists in only five known populations scattered across three counties near Nashville.

Despite being the second plant officially listed on the U.S. Endangered Species list, the Tennessee coneflower has continued to be threatened by development and habitat destruction, and it remains one of the most uncommon wildflower species in the country. Conservation efforts are in place to minimize the impact of human activities; however, with so few plants remaining in the wild, huge challenges exist in ensuring that future generations are not without this little purple Tennessee treasure.

Although closely related to the common purple coneflower (E. purpurea), Tennessee coneflower has an elegance of its own and is worth incorporating into any Tennessee garden. Slightly smaller than purple coneflower, it reaches a height of around 2'. It has narrower leaves (Photo 1), and its flowers are uniquely upturned rather than downturned flower rays (Photo 2).

Coneflowers are considered tough and adaptable, able to tolerate drought conditions and heat, and they are often found growing in poor soils where resources are limited.

In a garden setting, they are mostly trouble free, but welldrained soils are important, and the best growth and flowering occur in full sun. Butterflies seem to magically appear on the colorful summer flowers, adding another element of natural charm to the garden. Echinacea is

excellent as a cut flower species, and blooms can last for long periods in arrangements.

Collection from the wild is illegal; however, Tennessee coneflower is being ethically propagated and can be purchased in a limited number of nurseries and garden centers.

Seed can be obtained from several mail-order companies and are easily germinated and not overwhelmingly expensive. Once established, they need only basic attention, and propagation by division is easy.

Collected seed is also easy to germinate using simple stratification methods. If planted near other Echinacea species, however, seedlings may actually be hybrids due to cross-pollination.

Several Echinacea species have been recognized for their medicinal value. Many species have been shown to have immune-stimulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and even anti-cancer properties. Although the Tennessee coneflower has not been nearly as well evaluated for its therapeutic value, several studies have shown that it is chemically very similar to its medicinal cousins. Presumably, many of the same medicinal properties would also exist in the Tennessee coneflower, and potential new properties are as of yet unknown.

So, why make a fuss about searching for a source and planting Tennessee coneflower when purple coneflower is readily available and a tried and true performer? Consider that this plant is as rare as gold in its native habitat, and many people may never have a chance to see it with their own eyes. This alone was enough reason for me to search it

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in the Nursery

out and invest a few bucks to have it in my garden.

If you need more encouragement, think to the future. If demand increases, so will supply, which can actually have the effect of helping conservation efforts and preserving a unique and special part of the volunteer stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural history.

Tennessee gardeners have a unique opportunity to help preserve a truly Tennessee wildflower that offers orna-

Photo 1.

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Photo 2.

mental value, attracts wildlife, is a fellow Tennessee resident and just may help you get over a cold, flu or worse someday. It is easy to grow and will always be good for a stimulating garden conversation or the quiet satisfaction that something truly special is growing in your little slice of the world.

About the author Richard Gualandi is a graduate student, bonsai enthusiast and all-around plant nut working with Drs. Bob AugĂŠ (UT Plant Sciences Department) and Kim Gwinn (UT Entomology Plant Pathology Department). For his research project, Richard is investigating the relationship and physiological influences of vesicular mycorrhizal colonization of Echinacea species, both with and without colonization by Beauveria bassiana, an insect pathogen that also functions as a beneficial plant endophyte. C

Recent Event

2009 TNLA/HRI GOLF TOURNAMENT,

Highlights from the

August 3 at McMinnville Country Club

TNLA GOLF COMMITTEE

FIRST-PLACE TEAM

Standing (left to right): Frank Collier, Dwight Burch and Mike Lorance. Seated in center, Tony Cope.

Yogi Powers, Bill Underwood, Ralph Smith and Ronnie Rigsby.

THIRD-PLACE TEAM

CLOSEST-TO-THE-HOLE WINNERS

Anthony Morris, Larry Stanley, Earl Hines and Errol Spitzer.

Josh Young (left) and Ronnie Rigsby (right)

(SECOND PLACE TEAM - No Photo Available)

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Botanico, Inc. Bouldins Gateway Tire BWI of Memphis Cherry Springs Nursery Dayton Bag & Burlap Co. Denning & Cantrell, CPAs, PLLC Great Western Bag Hale & Hines Nursery Co. H Company, LLC John Holmlund Nursery

Huff and Puff Trucking Kidd Ford L & H Distributing Nursery Supplies, Inc. Pleasant Cove Nursery Regions Bank Riverbend Nurseries, LLC Rogers Group Shady Valley Nursery Scotts/Osmocote

Security Federal Savings Bank Southern Insurance Group Surface Nursery/Brookshire & Assoc.

Swafford Nursery, Inc. Totherow, Haile, and Welch CPAs Underwood True Value Hardware Vaughn Nursery Walker Nursery Co. Womack Printing Co.

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Recent Event

TENNESSEE GREEN INDUSTRY FIELD DAY, Snapshots from the

August 4, 2009, in McMinnville, TN

Special Thanks to Tennessee

State University’s Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center for hosting the event!

THANK YOU TO OUR EXHIBITORS! American National Insurance Amsoil/Aggrand Barky Beaver Mulch & Soil Mix Bobcat of Nashville BWI–Memphis Classic Groundcovers, Inc. Cub Cadet Yanmar D&D Agri Dickens Turf & Landscape Supply Ewing Irrigation Farm Credit Services

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General Equipment Great Western Bag Co. Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies Hayes Nursery Enterprises Little Creek Nursery Lyn-Mor Truck Accessories Middle Tennessee Nursery Assn.

Nashville State Community College Pleasant Cove Nursery Randall Walker Farms

Regions Bank Riverbend Nurseries Samara Farms TN Dept. of Agriculture TN Urban Forestry Council Tri Green Equipment, LLC TRICKL-EEZ Company Triple SSS Farm Tennessee State University Walker Gardens Warren County Kubota

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news from the UT Gardens

By Sue Hamilton, Ph.D., Interim Director, UT Gardens

UT Gardens Trial Evaluations Now Available Online The 2009 Summer Trials in both the UT Gardens in Knoxville and Jackson are starting to wind down. Three hundred trial varieties have been evaluated on a monthly basis throughout the summer growing season. We have been posting the performance evaluations all summer, and you can check them out online at http://utgardens.tennessee.edu/2009_search.asp?alpha=a.

Though browsing through ratings and photographs online is convenient, nothing beats actually seeing these plants’ performances “live” and in person. Before frost, visit our test gardens, and make your own list of favorites that you’d like to grow for retail or use in the commercial landscape.

New Rose Garden Dedication

October 23–24 “Great Conifers for Tennessee” UT Gardens Conifer Symposium UT Gardens, Knoxville Educational speakers, garden tours and conifer plant sale. For more information and details, contact Sue Hamilton at sueham@utk.edu or 865-974-7324.

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Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Sam and Mary Anne Beall, The UT Gardens in Knoxville will soon celebrate the addition of The Beall Family Rose Garden. This garden will showcase an outstanding water feature, a 22foot gazebo and, when completed, an estimated 110 to 120 roses, including a mixture of no-spray roses and roses selected for color and fragrance. The Beall Family Rose Garden will be used for teaching classes and internships, sowing and researching new roses, and the general enjoyment of everyone who visits.

In addition to providing the funding to construct the rose garden, the Bealls also provided a substantial gift to create an endowment that ensures the Beall Family Rose Garden will be maintained in perpetuity. Construction is well underway, and the official dedication is set for September 13.

Join us on that day to celebrate this beautiful new addition!

Located in Knoxville and Jackson, The University of Tennessee Gardens are open during all seasons and free to the public. For more information, visit http://ut gardens.tennessee.edu/ and http://westtennessee.tennessee.edu/ornamentals/. C

Industry news

CONGRATULATIONS

TO THESE 2O09 FFA WINNERS (Announced in March 2009 at the Tennessee FFA State Convention) TNLA is proud to sponsor the FFA Nursery Operations Proficiency Award and the FFA Landscape Proficiency Award, and we congratulate the winners.

NURSERY OPERATIONS PROFICIENCY AWARD

Lee-Allen Turner (son of John & Terri Turner, Turner & Son Nursery in Warren County, TNLA member)

LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT PROFICIENCY AWARD

Chris Akridge (White House, TN)

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calendar of events

Index of Advertisers

Boshancee Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.boshanceensy.com

Calendar of Events OCTOBER 22–23

January 27–29, 2010

SNA Tradeshow Cobb Galleria Centre Atlanta, GA Contact: 770-953-3311 www.sna.org

WinterGreen Conference & Tradeshow Gwinnett Civic Center Duluth, GA Contact: 706-632-0100 www.ggia.org

OCTOBER 23–24 UT Gardens Conifer Symposium “Great Conifers for Tennessee” UT Gardens, Knoxville, TN Contact: 865-974-7324

October 24–28 Southern Region/IPPS 34th Annual Meeting Biloxi, MS Contact: 813-655-1914

January 12–13, 2010 Mid-States Horticultural Expo (a partnership of TNLA and KNLA) KY Exposition Center, Louisville, KY For booth information, contact: Louree Walker, 931-473-3951 For advertising, contact: Betsie A. Taylor, 502-695-0106

FEBRUARY 2–3, 2010

Braun Horticulture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 www.braungroup.com BWI Companies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover www.bwicompanies.com Carolina Nurseries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover www.carolinanurseries.com Central Landscape Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 www.centrallandscape.com

TNLA Winter Education & Exhibits Music Road Convention Center Pigeon Forge, TN Contact: 931-473-3951 Fax: 931-473-5883 Email: mail@tnla.com www.tnla.com

Coleman Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

February 4–6, 2010

Forrest Nursery Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

South Carolina Horticulture Industry Tradeshow & Seminars Myrtle Beach Convention Center Myrtle Beach, SC Contact: 864-592-3868 www.scnla.com

Forrest Keeling Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 www.fknursery.com

Crimson Dale Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.crimsondalenursery.com D & D Agri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Ewing Irrigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 www.ewing1.com

Hayes Nursery Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Herd Farm Nurseries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 www.herdfarmsnursery.com John Deere Landscapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 www.johndeerelandscapes.com Larry A. Gribble Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Louisiana Forest Seed Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Motz & Son Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Pack’s Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.packsnursery.com Southern Growers Nursery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.southerngrowers.com Surface Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover www.surfacenursery.com Swafford Nursery, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 www.swaffordnursery.com Tennessee 811 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 www.tnonecall.com Tree Equipment Design, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 www.treeequip.com

classified

Hayes Nursery Enterprises 1474 Old Well Road Morrison, Tennessee 37357 Trudie or James Hayes, 931-939-7945 Liners to Landscape.

January 12-13, 2010 Kentucky Exposition Center North Wing - Louisville, KY

Within a days drive of 60% of the nation’s population Easy move in/move out Affordable cost of doing business for both Exhibitors and Attendees Region’s Premier Green Industry Trade Show connecting the industry’s top buyers and sellers A diverse selection of horticultural products showcased in over 375 booths A profitable opportunity to discover new product sources and increase your bottom line

FOR BOOTH RENTAL OR ATTENDEE INFORMATION CONTACT: 931.473.3951 or visit www.MSHE.org A partnership of Kentucky Nursery & Landscape Association / Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association P.O. Box 57 | McMinnville, TN 37111 | Phone: 931.473.3951 | Fax: 931.473.5883