How-to and Informational
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Planting Bare Root Roses
Bare root roses can provide an economical rose option. Rose expert Bill Dickerson shows how to plant a bare root rose. He talks about how to prepare the plant for planting and then removes the packing to show the root of the rose. Ideally the roots will be about as large as the top of the bush. He then plants the rose using native soil, amendments, Epsom salts and fertilizer. He talks about the flowering process and care of rose bushes.
Related Videos: Planting Potted Roses Basic Rose Care Related Resource: Planting Bare-Root Roses in March Selecting and Planting Bare Root Roses |
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Choosing the Right Plant for Your Flowerbed
Choosing the right perennials and annuals for the flower garden can be a challenge. Rick Pudwell Director of Horticulture for Memphis Botanic Garden gives some tips on choosing and shows some examples of each.
Annuals are plants – usually grown from seed that live one season, set seed, and then die. Because they only live a short time, they tend to flower most of their lives. Perennials on the other hand are plants that live several years and usually only flower once a year at a specific time. If you deadhead perennials, they may produce another set of flowers later in the year. You need to think about the conditions where you are going to plant – sun, shade, wet, dry – and pick a plant that will do well there. If you would like flowers blooming all year around, visit a nursery every month of the year and each time, pick a plant that is blooming. Some perennials even bloom in the winter. Proper soil preparation is important. Add organic material and get a soil test to see if you need to change the pH or other conditions for the plant. If you are starting a garden, start small. Plant where the plants will be easy to water and maintain in the hot summer. Rick shows a few examples of different plants. Related Videos: Perennial-Annual-Biennial Annual Flowers for Full Sun, Part-Shade, or Shade Perennials for Blooms all Summer Summer Flowering Woody Perennials Related Resources: Growing Annual Flowers Growing Annual Flowers: Planning, starting and caring for a garden Growing Perennials Gardening with Perennials |
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Build a Small High Tunnel Greenhouse
Common materials and a few minutes of time is all you need to build a small greenhouse where you can get a head start on your garden. Gardener Peter Richards shows how to use PVC pipe, U bolts and a sheet of plastic to build a small 5x10 foot greenhouse. The greenhouse will keep tender plants from freezing on cold nights. After measuring the area, Peter drives pieces of 1” PVC pipe into the ground. Then ½” PVC pipe is slid into the pipes in the ground and bent into arches. Another piece of pipe attaches the arches together. A piece of plastic is put over the top and secured to the ground either with a piece of lumber or by burying the edge of the sheet.
Related Videos: Cool Season Vegetables Protecting Plants From Frost Related Resource: Home High Tunnel Construction |
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Propagating Ferns from Spores
Ferns are one of the most primitive vascular plants in the world today. Gardeners can propagate ferns by dividing and sometimes with cutting rhizomes, but in nature ferns reproduce by spores. Kim Rucker the Greenhouse manager at Dixon Gallery and Gardens tells how to propagate ferns from the spores. In the late summer or early fall the fern spores on the back of the leaves are mature. Kim collects some leaves in an envelope and shows how to get the spores to release. Then she prepares a small container with germinating mix and vermiculite and dumps the spores in. After several weeks a moss-looking green covering will be seen on the soil. This is the gametophyte stage of the fern’s life cycle. If you continue to let it grow the sporophyte stage will grow, which is what we know as a fern.
Related Videos: How do I take care of Boston Ferns especially in the winter? Why are my fern fronds dying? Related Resources: Growing Ferns Growing Tropical Ferns Indoors |
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How to Propagate Tradescantia Using Cuttings and DivisionTradescantia plants are commonly grown for their trailing growth habit and their ability to root easily. While there are many types within this plant group, including forms with purple, green, or golden foliage, they share similar growth patterns and respond well to the same propagation methods. This makes tradescantia a practical plant for gardeners who want to create new plants with minimal effort. Continue reading the full article here.
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New Blackberry Cultivars
Blackberries can be a great place to start if you want to grow fruit. UT Assistant Professor of Residential and Consumer Horticulture Natalie Bumgarner talks about what options are out there. Blackberries traditionally fruit on floricanes or second year canes. But, there are now primocane blackberries that fruit on the first year cane in fall. Primocane plants can make management easy and reduce diseases. Natalie shows several new cultivars of blackberry developed by the University of Arkansas.
Related Videos: Planting Blackberries Building a Blackberry Trellis Related Resources: Growing Blackberries in Your Home Garden Blackberry Planting, Spacing, and Trellising |
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Changing Soil pH with Elemental Sulfur
Soil pH plays a central role in how well plants are able to use nutrients in the soil. Even when nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are present in adequate amounts, an incorrect pH can interfere with nutrient uptake. When this happens, plants may show deficiency symptoms despite proper fertilization. For this reason, maintaining an appropriate soil pH is essential for plant growth across many types of gardens, including vegetable gardens and ornamental plantings. Continue reading the article here.
Related Videos: What is Soil pH and why is it so Important? Soil Testing Related Resources: Soil pH Modification Understanding Soil pH |
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Fish for Water Features
Andy Williams from the Lichterman Nature Center talks about the different kinds of fish for water features in your yard. The three main kinds of fish to consider are minnows, goldfish, and koi. Fish such as bluegill and bass need more space and are more suited for a large pond. To support fish in your water feature you should make sure you only put fish into the water feature so you have one square foot of water surface per inch of fish. The fish will grow but that is a good starting out rule of thumb. Andy briefly tells the history of each kind of fish, how big they will grow and the different varieties available. He also talks about what to look for when purchasing fish.
Related Video: Basic Pond Maintenance Related Resources: Ornamental Ponds & Water Gardens in Texas Water Gardens Species Profile: Koi and Goldfish Ornamental Garden Pools |
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Winter Cover Crops
Master Gardener Carl Wayne Hardeman talks about the benefits of cover crops in the garden. Cover crops are planted to cover bare ground. They can be used for erosion prevention or adding nutrients and structure to the soil. Soil microbes are important to plants and live on the roots of plants. Having bare ground can starve the microbes, cover crops can feed the microbes until the next crop is planted.
Good cover crops for the winter are cold hardy plants like turnip greens, rutabagas, annual rye grass, winter wheat, clover, vetch, and peas. The cover crop also helps choke out weeds that might try to grow. Legumes can be especially valuable as a cover crop because they fix nitrogen into the soil that is available for the later plants. In the spring winter cover crops can be tilled in, but also can be left and the spring planting made through the cover crop. Related Videos: Winter Garden Vegetables Fall and Winter Flowers Planting Cool Season Vegetables Related Resources: Cover Crops for Home Gardens Cover Crops Cover Crops in Missouri: Putting Them to Work on Your Farm |
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Boxwood
UT Horticultural Specialist Carol Reese talks about boxwood. There are several species of boxwood. The most common species is the English or common boxwood. These are frequently, and incorrectly, called American Boxwood – which is not a species. It comes from North Africa and western Europe. It is a picky plant. It has very specific sighting requirements regarding heat, cold, and roots. Korean and Japanese little leaf types are more tolerant to the hot summer sun. It is important before you plant to make sure you research your site and boxwood that will tolerate it.
Boxwood are most often pruned to a shape by shearing the outside branches and leaves. This is not the best way to prune boxwood. They should be pruned by plucking inside branches, opening-up the plant to light to encourage growth on the inside. This method will also allow you to reduce the size of the plant. Do not prune boxwood in the fall. If you really love boxwood, there a number of societies you can join that specialize in boxwood. Related Videos: Boxwood When is the best time of year to prune boxwood? How do I do it? Related Resources: Boxwood Boxwood Diseases & Insect Pests The American Boxwood Society |
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Building an Inexpensive
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Spiders
Andy Williams from Lichterman Nature Center talks about spiders. Spiders are beneficials in the garden. He talks about the different kinds of spiders we find in the garden. In the South there are three types of spiders and they differ in their body shape, web construction and hunting methods.
Related Videos: Beneficial Garden Bugs Beehive Tour Related Resources: Common Spiders In and Around Homes Spiders Spiders |
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Garden Rodent Control
Mike Dennison talks about moles, voles and chipmunks. They can be garden pests. He shows how to set a scissors style mole trap. He also talks about methods for controlling voles and chipmunks.
Related Videos: Catch That Critter - How to Set Up a Havahart Live Animal Trap Managing Squirrel Activity in Home Gardens Fences to Keep the Critters Out of the Garden Related Resources: Controlling Nuisance Moles Controlling Moles Controlling House Mice |
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Buying Garden Seeds
Growing garden plants from seed gives you a huge selection to choose from. Master Gardener Tom Mashour talks about how to choose the right seeds for your garden. He reviews the advantages of seed catalogs, retail stores, and feed stores. Seed catalogs allow you to get your seeds early and offer a massive selection and have descriptions of each variety, but if you are only growing a few plants they can be expensive. Retail stores have a small selection but lower prices. Feed stores have a small selection but very low prices as the seeds are sold by weight. Tom gives tips on picking the best options for you.
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Transform a Bare Mulch Bed by Planting Tulips, Daffodils, and Pansies
Starting a new flowerbed is not hard and tulips and daffodils are an easy start. Horticulturist Joellen Dimond shows how to take an unplanted bed and turn it into a beautiful flower bed for winter and spring. She prepares the soil including incorporating compost and bone meal. Then she talks about bulb placement, spacing, depth, and orientation, along with planting patterns that create an even, balanced layout. The planting is completed by adding winter pansies.
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How to Prep Garden Tools and Equipment for Winter
Winterize your garden gear with practical, step-by-step advice for cleaning, oiling, sharpening, and storing hand tools, mowers, tillers, and sprayers. These tips protect your investment, prevent corrosion, and reduce maintenance headaches in the spring. With the right care, your tools will be ready for action when the next gardening season begins.
Related Videos: Protecting Shrubs and Perennials from Winter Cold Preparing Blackberry Plants for Winter Refreshing Winter Annuals Preparing Garden Tools for Winter Related Resources: Caring for Your Tools Tool Care Maintaining Lawn and Garden Tools |
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Microgreens
University of Tennessee Assistant Professor of Residential and Consumer Horticulture Natalie Bumgarner talks about how to grow microgreens. Microgreens are young edible plants that can be used as garnishes for other dishes or used as an entire salad. The plants have developed their first true set of leaves before they are harvested, usually about two weeks after they are planted. Anything that has an edible leaf and stem can be grown as a microgreen. Some of the commonly grown plants include: Cabbage, Broccoli, herbs, lettuce and amaranth. Natalie uses a soil-less germination mix that already has fertilizer in it. Because the harvest time is so short you usually don’t need to add more fertilizer. They need to be grown in high light locations but not in direct sun because they will dry out and die. Under porches or even in a bright window will work. Because the plants are so close together it is important to keep the stems dry to prevent disease. Watering from the bottom of the tray keeps them dry. Microgreens are best harvested by a pair of scissors. They do not store well so harvest them as you need them.
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Home Mouse and Rat Control
Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison talks about how to keep mice and rats out of your house and how to get rid of them once they are inside. Mice and rats have skulls that can compress allowing them to squeeze through very small spaces. Mice can get through a hole larger than ¼ inch, rats can get through a hole larger than ½ inch. To block possible entry points on your home use sheet steel or hardware cloth with ¼ inch spacing. Mike shows many different kinds of traps and bait stations including snap traps, single use traps, and humane no-kill traps. He also talks about the different kinds of bate and safety precautions that should be taken with baits and poisons.
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The History and Symbolism of Plants in Christmas Traditions
Plants have been part of human culture for centuries, carrying meanings tied to belief systems, seasonal cycles, and community rituals. Many of the plants associated with modern Christmas traditions trace their origins to pre-Christian practices across Europe. As Christianity spread, early Christian monks often adapted the familiar symbols and customs of surrounding cultures, assigning them new meanings that aligned with Christian teachings. Over time, these blended traditions formed the foundation for many of today’s holiday decorations and practices.
Related Videos: Planting Hollies Removing Mistletoe Growing Herbs Indoors During Winter Build a Holiday Evergreen Display |
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Build a Holiday Evergreen Display
Jason Reeves from the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson, demonstrates how to make beautiful holiday greenery displays using large pots and cuttings from evergreen shrubs and trees. Large plastic pots work best because they will not crack in the winter like clay pots may do. The existing soil and roots in the pots work well to hold the greenery in place. Jason adds many kinds of evergreen cuttings including junipers and cypresses. He cuts the branches at an angle and pokes them into the soil. Once he has an evergreen base he uses holly, magnolia, and branches from red twig dogwood and twisted willow to add pops of color and different textures to the arrangement. The greenery will last up to a month depending on the temperature and humidity of the air. Watering the arrangement will help it last longer. The branches stuck in the soil will draw the water from the soil and help the arrangement last.
Related Video: Making a Fall Pumpkin Display Attracting Winter Birds Related Resources: Holiday Decorating With Fresh Greenery Pruning Evergreens |
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Preparing Garden Tools for Winter
Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows what he does to take care of his garden tools before he puts them away for the winter. Taking care of tools will make them last a long time. Mike shows a hoe that was purchased by his father in the 1960s and was used for years on the family farm. It still has the original handle and Mike shows what he does to preserve the metal and wood. He uses oil on the metal and linseed on the wood. Leaving dirt on tools will encourage rust which is the enemy of all metal tools. Mike also talks about what he does to get his small engines ready for winter.
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Winterizing the Vegetable Garden
Master Gardener Tom Mashour talks about what he does to get his vegetable garden ready for winter and planting in the spring. He likes to have his garden weed free in the spring. He talks about the pros and cons of three ways to get rid of weeds: herbicide, tilling, and hand weeding. Also, there are lots of leaves in the fall. Tom takes his leaves and grass clippings and dumps them on his garden to decompose over the winter. He also talks about planting green manure.
Tom talks about planning next year’s garden. He rotates his vegetables and explains how and why he does that. He starts his seeds indoors six weeks before it is time to plant. Tom referred to the following UT Extension publication about when to plant vegetables: Growing Vegetables in Home Gardens Related Videos: Tilling and Amending a New Garden Easy Winter Weed Control Related Resources: Preparing the Garden for Winter Getting Your Vegetable Garden Ready for Spring |
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Ornamentals and Trees in the Winter
TSU Extension Agent Joellen Dimond talks about how to help your shrubs and trees survive the winter and be ready to thrive next year. She starts with leaves, there are tons of them in the fall. Trees that live in the forest mulch themselves with leaves. In a home landscape setting the leaves need to be taken off the grass, but you can use these leaves to mulch your trees and shrubs or to compost. Using leaves as mulch encourages worms which improve the soil. Joellen also talks about lasagna gardening. By layering leaves and garden waste on top of a piece of cardboard and letting it compost over the winter you can have a fertile bed next spring.
Young thin-skinned trees can suffer from sunscald from daily heating and cooling cycles. Joellen encourages wrapping at-risk trees with tree wrap or even fabric strips to protect the bark from the freeze thaw cycles. Mulch is good to help regulate the soil temperature, but you should not pile mulch up next to trees and shrubs. The thick mulch allows voles and mice to eat at the base of the tree. If you need to protect tender perennials on cold nights, cover the plant with an old bed sheet and a piece of plastic. Make sure the plastic touches the ground on all sides. If you have deer or rabbits, putting a fence around young trees can protect against damage. November and December are the best times to plant bulbs for early spring color. Fall is a good time to divide perennials. You should not prune in the fall and winter; early spring is the best time. Related Videos: How to Make a Lasagna Garden Effects of Sunscald Kinds of Mulch Composting Ornamental Related Resources: Preparing The Garden For Winter Checklist Preparing the Garden for Winter |
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A Season-Long Look at Five Mulches: What Worked, What Didn’t
A head-to-head garden mulch comparison puts cardboard, pine bark, cypress, black plastic, and bare soil to the test across 175 days, tracking changes in soil temperature, moisture, and weed pressure. The results show differences in performance, including which mulches reduce weeds and a few surprises that shift expectations about which materials actually hold up over time. The results show the best mulch for the garden. Clear standouts emerge and reveal which mulches stay stable, which fall behind, and which ones deliver benefits for vegetable gardens. Read the full article here.
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Growing Herbs Indoors During Winter
As temperatures begin to drop, bringing herbs indoors before the first frost can keep the harvest of fresh herbs going all winter. Many herbs adapt well to indoor conditions if they receive adequate light, moderate moisture, and proper air circulation. Some species tolerate lower light levels better than others, making them suitable for windowsills or spaces supplemented with grow lights.
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How to Plant Flower Bulbs
UT Extension Agent Lee Sammons, III shows how to use various tools to plant tulip and daffodil bulbs. For most tools loosening the soil before planting is essential. Bulbs are planted right side up about five inches below ground. Lee starts by planting a group of tulip bulbs in a hole he previously dug. He also shows how to use an auger on an electric drill. This method allows a hole to be dug without pre-loosening the soil. This may be useful for a no till area or around existing plants. Finally, Lee shows how to use a traditional bulb planter.
Related Videos: Planting Fall Flowers Plant Propagation When is the best time to Plant Tulip Bulbs Related Resources: Flowering Bulbs for Tennessee Gardens Spring Flowering Bulbs Fall Planted Bulbs and Corms |
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Caring for Chrysanthemums (Mums): A Guide to Choosing and Maintaining Mums
Chrysanthemums, commonly known as mums, are popular flowering plants that brightens up gardens and landscapes, especially in the fall. There are two main types of chrysanthemums: perennial and annual. Perennial mums are the kind you find in the stores in the fall. They are best suited for outdoor use and can thrive year-round under the right conditions. Annual mums, often found in florist shops, are primarily used for decorative purposes and do not survive outside. Read the full article here.
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Intro to Birdwatching
Birds are a colorful and sometimes secretive garden visitor. Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis, TN talks about how to get into birdwatching and shows some of the basic tools you need. She talks about binoculars and birding guides. She also talks about some of the premiere birdwatching apps that let you record what you see and share it with other birdwatchers.
Related Videos: Setting Up a Bird Feeder Attracting Winter Birds Birdhouses Related Resources: Keys to Successful Bird Identification Attracting Birds to Mississippi Garden |
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Preparing and Planting a Fall Annual Garden Bed with Ornamental Kale, Dusty Miller, and Pansies
Transitioning a garden bed from summer to fall requires some soil preparation and of course planting the new plants. The first step is to remove the summer annuals, carefully removing any plants that can be saved for next year. Before planting apply a slow-release fertilizer evenly across the bed. The first plants to go in are the largest, glamour red ornamental kale. Next, Dusty Miller is planted around the kale. Its silver-gray foliage offers a striking visual contrast and complements both the kale and the pansies that follow. Finally, pansies are planted to fill the spaces between the larger plants. Read the full article here.
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Bats
People are often scared of bats, but bats are beneficial. Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center talks about bats and dispels some myths. She also talks about how they eat tons of bugs, pollinate plants, and spread seeds. In the United States, most bats are small, but can eat thousands of bugs in a night. This reduces harmful insects and reduces the amount of insecticides farmers and gardeners need to use.
Related Videos: Beneficial Garden Bugs Invasive Plants Related Resources: Bats Bats |
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Cool-Season Fall Lawn Care for Fescue Lawns
Cool-season grasses such as tall fescue benefit from maintenance during the fall. After a hot summer, many fescue lawns are thin or discolored from the heat of summer. The cooler temperatures of fall provide the right conditions for recovery and regrowth. Fescue grows best when air temperature is between 60 and 75 degree. As the temperatures cool and fescue begins to grow again fertilization, seeding, and soil management will help it look good in the fall and great in the spring.
Related Videos: Pre-Emergent Herbicides Lawn Aeration Fall Lawn Care for Warm-Season Grasses Understanding Fertilizer Calculations for the Lawn and Garden Keys for Growing Cool-Season Grasses in the Southern U.S. Related Resources: The Cool-Season Turfgrasses: Basic Structures, Growth and Development Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Establishment and Renovation Selecting, Establishing & Maintaining the Fescues |
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Urban Wildlife
There seems to be more wildlife in urban areas that there are in rural areas. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison says this may be because the animals feel safer close to humans and farther from their natural predators. Mike reviews some numbers on deer. The deer population in the United States is increasing and every year there are over a million car-deer collisions costing billions of dollars. He gives some tips for avoiding accidents with deer. He also talks about how to use electric fencing to keep them out. He also talks about smaller wildlife: racoons, snakes, and rodents. The best way to take care of them is exclusion using fences or hardware cloth. You should cover all openings to your house: chimneys, crawl space openings and spaces under the eves in your attic. Mike talks about what to use and how to use it to not trap an animal inside. There are many large hawks in the area. These normally feed on mice but will also occasionally carry away small pets.
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Fall Insect Pests to Watch For
As temperatures cool, several insect pests become more noticeable or begin preparing for the winter months. Awareness and prevention are key to limiting their spread and damage. Three pests of particular concern during fall are the spongy moth, the spotted lanternfly, and the imported fire ant.
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Owls
Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center talks about owls in the garden. In the Mid-South the most common owls are the bard owl, great horned owl, and screech owl. Most of the time you don’t see owls, but you may hear them or see evidence of them. One evidence you may see is an owl pellet. Mary shows Chris how to find out about what the owl is eating by dissecting an owl pellet and looking at the bones. Owls are beneficial to the gardener. They eat many mice, voles and other rodents every night. Smaller owls also eat larger insects. Mary talks about adaptations owls have to make them good night hunters. Mary then shows a barn owl that lives at Lichterman Nature Center.
Related Videos: Raptors Bats Opossums Related Resources: Barred Owl (Strix varia) The Great Horned Owl Barn owls help clean up rodents naturally |
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Fall Lawn Care for Warm-Season Grasses
As the growing season transitions into fall, managing warm-season grasses such as Bermuda and zoysia is important to ensure the grass stays healthy through dormancy in winter and has a strong start in spring. Several practices help prepare these grasses for cooler weather. (Continue reading the Full Article.)
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Fall Fruit Tree Care
Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison talks about fall fruit tree care. Once fruit is harvested there are several things you should do. The base of the tree should be weed free. Mike recommends bare ground. He uses a selective herbicide that will not harm the trees. Also, make sure that all mummy fruit is removed from the tree and the ground under the tree. The mummies are one place where disease and insects can overwinter. Fall is a good time to do a soil test and lime as appropriate. If your trees were blighted there is not much to do this year, but follow a spray schedule next year. Fruit trees can be planted in the fall of the year if you can find them. Fall is a good time to select and order trees for next year.
Related Videos: Planting Fruit Trees Fall and Winter Fruit Tree Care Related Resources: Home Tree Fruit Plan Fruit Tree Management Timetable Disease and Insect Control in Home Fruit Plantings |
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Common Fall Plant Diseases and How to Manage Them
As cooler weather approaches, several plant diseases become more active. Understanding their symptoms and management practices can help limit their spread and protect valuable plants.
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Fall Rose Care
Rose bushes can be beautiful in the fall. Rose expert Bill Dickerson shows how to prune and maintain rose bushes for spectacular fall blooms. He starts with a floribunda rose bush and shows how to lightly prune it to encourage more blooms and open up the center to allow air circulation. He fertilizes it and talks about how to fertilize roses late in the growing season. He also prunes and fertilizes a hybrid tea rose.
Related Videos: Deadheading Roses Basic Rose Care Related Resources: Growing Roses Pruning Roses Roses: fertilizing |
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Six Shrubs and Plants for a Versatile Landscape
A well-designed garden often combines plants of different textures, forms, and seasonal interest. Several shrubs and ornamental grasses can provide structure, year-round appeal, and adaptability to a range of growing conditions. The following six plants are reliable choices that can be incorporated into many landscapes. Read the full article.
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