Barn Quilt Day

by Maureen "Mo" James

Fourteen Robertson County Master Gardeners gathered on August 10th for a few hours of fun in the Highland Rim Research Center’s basement. It was a gorgeous summer day. The roll-up doors were wide open, and we enjoyed the slight breeze that wafted through the space.

Each table was outfitted with a couple of paint brushes, a paint can opener, and a ruler. We had been instructed to bring Frog Tape and a hair dryer. We found out what those were for in Liz’s introduction and initial instruction. The size choices were 2’ x 2’, 3’ x 3’, or 4’ x 4’.

We had chosen our designs prior to the class, so each of us found our blank slates that were laid out on the many tables. Now it was time to choose our paint colors. Liz brought several shades of colors for us to use as we began painting.

I heard one person say that it was a lot like paint-by-numbers. In a way, she was right. You were given numbers on the blank design. Each of those numbers represented colors. We had to tape around the edge of the segments and paint them whichever color we decided. The hair dryer was to speed up the drying process so we could move on to the next color block.

Eventually, we all fell into the rhythm of the task: paint the first coat, blow dry, paint the second coat, and remove the tape. As we filled in more and more colors, our “quilts” came to life. One by one, the quilt squares were completed, and we inspected our friends’ work. It was spectacular to see everyone’s interpretation of the designs! By the end of the session, we all held up our finished projects and took a group picture.

While this project wasn’t specifically garden-related, it was an exceptionally fun day, and we all had something to take home to enjoy for a long time.

Trolls in the Garden

by Stacey Haag

On a very warm afternoon in mid-August, we made a trip to Cheekwood Estate and Gardens. Although we visit Cheekwood multiple times each year, the timing of this trip was such, not because we wanted to bake in the 97-degree afternoon, but because we had trolls to hunt!

The botanical gardens were bursting with mounds of late summer blooms in all shades of pink, red, and purple. A sea of sunpatiens and begonias interspersed with lysimachia guided visitors along curved pathways. The backdrop of cannas gently waving in the slight breeze created a wall of color that kept the focus on the beauty that surrounded you, preventing your gaze from wandering too far ahead. Rolling mounds of coleus and fluffy tufts of pampas grass added a softness to the gardens, perfectly tucked into the arcs and bends of the footpath.

Leaving the Color Garden, we passed through the foliage tunnel on our way to the Sculpture Trail. We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the various gardens, always on the lookout for trolls!

If you are unfamiliar with Danish artist Thomas Dambo, I would encourage you to keep an eye out for his installations as you travel. They are often found in tourist locations that focus on nature. Dambo "is considered the world's leading recycle artist, having been taught from a young age the value of recycling, sustainability and unlimited imagination" (Cheekwood). He travels the world creating larger-than-life sculptures using discarded materials from the local area.

His exhibition at Cheekwood was called TROLLS: Save the Humans. It featured "six young trolls who have noticed that the 'small people' – which is what the trolls call humans – are disconnected from nature and have started harming the planet! The goal of the tribe is to help the humans rediscover nature and inspire them to be good stewards of earth... [T]he TROLLS exhibition blends art, nature and messages of sustainability."

If you missed the trolls at Cheekwood, you can visit Dambo's Forest Giants a couple of hours north at Bernheim Forest in Kentucky. Make a day of it: visit the gardens and arboretum, eat lunch, take a hike, and meet the giants! Plan your visit by visiting their website here.

Crossville Fall Festival

by Karen "Renn" Andersen

I was able to attend this year’s Fall Festival in Crossville, TN!

They offered a variety of classes on a rotational schedule so you could pick from a smattering of topics. I chose to attend: Pollinators, Herbs and How to Use Them, Pruning Trees, Compost, Irrigation, Permaculture Principles, and a lecture from our very own Bob Ary on fruit trees!

The pollinator class was focused on providing forage, mostly for honey bees; however, we did hit on a few natives and the ever-popular monarch migration. I had a few big takeaways from this class:

1. Our “spray-free” yards are the best advocates for pollinators, providing them with a safe place to feed, reproduce, and overwinter, which is crucial to their survival.
2. We can use cover crops for both our garden’s and pollinators’ advantage! Buckwheat is a fabulous option. The best part about this was that we don’t have to allocate our whole yard to this endeavor, but patches, and they can go on a rotation. We have No Mow May, but can do this on a rotation throughout the year in small sections, allowing parts of our gardens to go wild for part of the season with various plants and flowers.
3. Allow insects to help themselves. Intervening too much will cause more harm than good. For instance, with the monarch migration, planting only natives that grow and die with the same season will help encourage the butterflies to move along their path in a timely fashion. Providing plants, such as tropical milkweeds, will extend their stay. This Good Samaritan act actually harms them. We should be mimicking their forage, not enhancing it. Layering plants that the butterflies can use in multiple stages of development is helpful. Nectar sources for the adults, biomass sources for the larva/pupa, and a place for the caterpillars to turn into a chrysalis can be planted together for a type of guild. By providing these layers of plants, all stages of the butterfly’s life cycle are covered. They have 3 breeding cycles, and the third is the most important, because these are the babies that go back to their place of origin to start the cycle again. Holding them, hatching them, or hindering this last brood batch decimates the natural life cycle progression. 

The herbs class was a fun and interesting introduction on how to utilize the medicinal flowers and herbs in the garden, encouraging us to broaden our planting beds and diversify from traditional vegetables and ornamentals. I think herbs and medicinal plants are beautiful and useful. Zeroing in on adding these plants to our gardens is an all-around win.

All of the classes were filled with good information and good questions from the participants! I think I learned more from the questions being asked and answered than the prepared lecture. You know how the saying goes, if you have a question, chances are everyone else has the same one – well, they had questions I never thought to ask! It was really beneficial to be around community members with random and different takes on gardening.

I think the only class that hurt my feelings was Bob’s class on fruit trees. He was the bearer of bad news in telling me why all of my favorite tress hate Tennessee! I guess I need to fall in love with the natives and expand my tree portfolio. He did a wonderful job in giving us tips on directions (as in north, south, east, and west), microclimates, hills, spacing, planting/hole depth, and drainage to improve our chances of success. Now I have a new list of trees to acquire!

All in all, the festival was informative and enjoyable. The vendors had an array of neat products. Speaking to them, I also gleaned a lot of information on plant properties, uses of lavender, iris varieties, and a whole slew of tools I never knew I needed. (But I do, now!) It was well worth the drive.

The Plight of the Monarch

by Stacey Haag

Most everyone reading these words is familiar with the plight of Danaus plexippus. The Xerces Society reports that "monarchs have declined by more than 80% since the 1990s from central Mexico, and by more than 95% since the 1980s in coastal California" (https://xerces.org/monarchs/conservation-efforts). And while these statistics may be distressing and alarming, especially to fellow nature lovers, I wonder how many have sat and pondered the visions seen by previous generations that may never again be realized.

Fewer than fifty years ago, a naturalist took a walk on a September afternoon and wrote about his numerous monarch encounters. What a legacy we would leave if fifty years from now a new generation of naturalist finds themselves in the good fortune of having a similar afternoon to write about.

The following is an excerpt from A Walk Through the Year by American naturalist, photographer, and writer Edwin Way Teale (1899-1980).

For days now, monarch butterflies have been drifting through. While birds are migrating south by night, in starlight and moonlight, these butterflies are moving south by day, in brilliant sunshine and under the shadows of the clouds. The night of the migrating songbird finds its parallel in the day of the migrating monarch.

Everywhere this year people are talking about the abnormal numbers of these orange, brown and black milkweed butterflies. On this September afternoon I count more than a hundred during my meadow walks. A dozen flutter around a single stand of goldenrod at the foot of Firefly Meadow. And where long yellow shoals of the massed flower heads run along the edges of the old pastures, I see a continual procession of butterflies alighting, hanging in the sunshine, drinking nectar, taking off, and alighting again. A favorite resting place for these migrants, I find, is a sheltered corner of the Starfield at the edge of the North Woods. When I push myself through the forests of the goldenrod, a wave of butterflies takes wing before me. The richness and darkness of the orange hue in their markings vary widely with the individuals. It is this hue that originally gave the butterfly the designation of monarch. It was named for William of Orange. . .

All this day, from soon after dawn until dusk grows denser, this butterfly parade continues moving through. But there is no sense of haste. The journeying insects pause. They sip nectar. They turn aside. But the general trend of their movement is toward the south. It is long after sunset when I look up in the twilight and see a monarch flying overhead, a small, black, fluttering form against the fading glow in the sky. It is headed south.

Welcome Aboard, Gardeners!

Congratulations to these RCMGA interns who have completed their requirements to become Certified Master Gardeners. Bob Ary presented this group with their certificates and official name tags at the August meeting. A few additional members who are not pictured were attending via Zoom. Several more were very close to completing their requirements and will be certified soon. Welcome aboard, Gardeners!

Profiles in Gardening...

Mike Ernst

Name? Mike Ernst

Why did you become a Master Gardener? As beekeepers, we are interested in native landscaping and pollinator-friendly plants. We have planted some -- some made it and some didn't. We wanted to learn more about proper planning and analysis, as well as how and where to plant things. That led us to the Master Gardener program.

What types of gardening are you most interested in? Native, pollinator-friendly, vegetable, and trees

What are two of your favorite plants? Lavender, trees, and vegetables

What is your favorite thing (so far) about Master Gardeners? The chance to meet people with similar interests and the knowledge people are so willing to share.

What other hobbies or interests do you have? Beekeeping! But also outdoor activities and reading.

Where other than Robertson County have you lived & gardened? I'm originally from Michigan, so I gardened while growing up there. I also lived in Sumner County, but did not garden there.

How did you first become interested in gardening? As a kid, my parents had a garden, and that was fun. But it really hit when Gina and I bought our house and became beekeepers. We decided to try and overhaul our landscaping with pollinator-friendly plants, trees, and more native plants. 

In addition to gardening, do you have experiences, skills or interests that you would like to practice in the Master Gardeners? As we learn more about pollination through beekeeping, we will be able to share that with the Master Gardeners.

What are two interesting things about you that we don’t know? We have two Belgian Malinois dogs, ages 6 and 5, who think they are giant puppies. Also, during Covid, I became a licensed realtor.

Honey Tea Cake

by Gina Ernst

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup sugar
• 4 large egg yolks at room temperature
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• ½ cup heavy cream at room temperature 
• 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 stick & 3 tablespoon butter at room temperature 
• ¼ cup honey warmed up and diluted with 2 tablespoon hot water

INSTRUCTIONS

• First, start by preheating the oven to 350F then butter and flour a 8.5×4.5 inch baking pan and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, egg, heavy cream, and vanilla. 
• In a stand mixer bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt. Add in the sugar and mix until incorporated (about 20 seconds). Add in the softened butter and half of the egg mixture and beat on medium low until incorporated (about 3 minutes.) Now, increase the speed to medium high and beat for another 3 minutes in order to get a thick and airy cake batter. Lower the speed again and add the remainder of the egg mixture and gently mix until incorporated (about 2 minutes)
• Pour the batter into the prepared baking sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes. You will know that the cake is ready when it no longer jiggles in the center, has a golden brown top, and a knife or a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted in the center. 
• 5 minutes before pulling out your tea cake loaf, prepare the honey syrup. Mix the honey and water in a small measuring cup or bowl, and mix until you get a smooth syrup. Brush the top of the loaf with the honey syrup immediately after pulling it out. You can also drizzle it on top if you don't have a brush.
• Pull the loaf out of the oven and let it cool down for 20 minutes before running a spatula around the edges, pulling it out and letting it cool down on a wire rack for another 20 minutes. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Is your yard beginning to look scraggly as autumn approaches? Have you been thinking of pruning before winter arrives? Click on the image to discover recommendations on when and how to prune correctly.

Are you feeling the effects of drought in your garden? Click on the map to find out how your area compares to the rest of the country.

How many Tennessee Smart Yards have been certified across the state? Click on the image to find out.

Are there fewer than you would expect? Would you certify your yard and help make a difference in our state?