Summer Celebration 2025

by Rose Bedwell

As a first-time visitor, I already know I want to go back! The West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson, Tennessee is quite impressive. The day included a wagon tour, “Nightmare on Garden Street,” “The Great Green Screen: A Walking Arboretum Tour," Kitchen Divas, and “Setting the Stage: Backyard Gardening to Support Nature’s All-Star Cast.”

I didn’t take notes but recall on the wagon tour of the facilities, the tour guide spoke about the number of full-time and intern employees on site (approximately 200). Some of the local colleges offer degrees in agriculture, and I was impressed by the number of young people choosing careers in agriculture. The greenhouses were very impressive. The site had many beautiful gardens. One that was particularly significant was showcased in the class called, “The Great Green Screen” which turned out to be a short walking tour of a large island of evergreen trees. There were many beautiful colors and textures instead of having many of one variety.  The speaker mentioned a couple things of interest. There is a spray for bagworms (in addition to pulling them off), but you have to catch the problem early or it is too late. They use the “island” of evergreen trees to take cuttings for the plants in the day’s wonderful plant sale. Kitchen Divas—you could get a ticket for the next session 1 hour prior—was a small room and fun to observe. In an attempt to get the participants to eat more fruits and vegetables, a few of the recipes “failed”—I would never serve brown tomato-based salsa!

There was a tent for diagnosing problems, but you have to go prepared. Take cuttings or pictures of the problems you want to discuss. I picked up a brochure on the emerald ash borer (EAB).  Forty years ago, when Gary and I built our current home, we relocated the trees in the yard from the Briggs family farm. We have a white ash, so I am interested in the EAB. I spoke with the leaders about the spotted lanternfly, and they said the insect has been confirmed in Lebanon, Tennessee.

The plant sale was wonderfully managed. The plants were grown by the Madison County Master Gardeners and the Center. There were many kinds of trees, shrubs, and perennials at fair prices. The MGs rope off a holding area for buyers to store their purchases. Our bus stopped by the roped area on the way out and we loaded our purchases. I left with a hardy lantana, a hardy salvia, and a new friend from the bus ride down!

Three Sisters Garden Update:

A Sweet Summer Harvest Party!

by Kathy Doss

On July 11, the Three Sisters Garden Group celebrated a season of hard work with a cheerful harvest party, and what a harvest it was! We picked 60 beautiful ears of sweet corn, and everyone got to take some home. (Rumor has it Becky couldn’t wait and had hers for dinner that very night. Now that’s what I call farm to table!)

After the harvest, we gathered around the benches for a pizza picnic to celebrate. It was a simple and joyful way to mark the end of the season together.

This year, our diligent efforts to keep the squash bugs at bay really paid off. Although there was some damage, the bugs didn’t wipe out the entire crop like they did last year. We did notice, however, that the squash in the center of the garden didn’t get enough sunlight and didn’t thrive. So, for next season, we’re planning to plant butternut squash in that central, lower-light area. It will run toward the sunlight and help fill in the empty spaces. We’re hopeful for an even better crop next year.



More than anything, this season was about working together, learning as we go, and having fun as a team. Thank you to everyone who helped, whether it was pulling weeds, watering, checking for pests, or simply offering encouragement. This garden keeps getting better, and so do we as gardeners.

Cutting Back and Deadheading Native Perennials

by Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

Two gardening practices, cutting back and deadheading, can keep native perennials looking their best through the growing season.

• Cutting back involves either pinching out the growing tips and first set of leaves of a plant or trimming away a larger portion of its stems, reducing their length by up to half. This practice, which can be done once or several times from late spring until early July, promotes a bushier, more compact plant and prevents flopping and the need for staking. 
• Deadheading involves the removal of spent flowers and can stimulate rebloom in some plants to extend their flowering season. This practice can also be used to reduce the spread of plants by self-seeding.

Click here to access MGNV's table of common native perennials and the best practices for maintaining them.

The summer refresh of the planters at White House Public Library look bright and happy!

Ms. Dorothy was recognized during our June meeting and presented with a VIP pin for her years of service.

Thank you to Master Gardener and Master Rosarian Ron Daniels for speaking at out June meeting. His willingness to share his vast knowledge about roses is appreciated and inspiring.

From her Texas garden, Rose Bedwell sent these photos: oakleaf and mophead hydrangeas under a native pecan tree with Stella D’Oro yellow daylilies in the foreground (top) and a swallowtail on bee balm (bottom).

Mrs. Dorothy-isms

While driving by a field of Queen Anne’s lace with her daugher Rose, she mused, "Wish we had a dollar for every chigger in that field!"