The Perennial Plant Society of Middle Tennessee's LARGEST Plant Sale

Good morning! It's that time of the year again! Yup, time for the Largest Plant Sale in Middle Tennessee sponsored by the Perennial Plant Association of Middle Tennessee (PPSMT). Here is a bit of information for you all from the publicity chair:

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One of Nashville’s top gardening events—the Mid-Tenn. Perennial Plant Society’s Plant Sale—will take place on April 11 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. The free event runs from 9:00 a.m. until noon, or until plants run out. Get there early because even with hundreds of plants on display, we usually sell out early.
As always, you will find more than 450 varieties of shrubs, roses, vines, perennials, and annuals, carefully chosen by top PPS gardeners to thrive in Tennessee gardens. PPS volunteers will also be on hand to offer advice on making the best choice to fit your yard and gardening experience. Signs above every group of plants show a picture of the plant in bloom and tips on planting and cultivation. For a complete list of plants, visit www.ppsmt.org and click on the “Plant Sale” tab.
Selection isn’t the only reason to come to the Sale. Prices are as low as many big box stores. And quality is much higher since all plants come from local, handpicked growers. Admission to the sale is free; Metro charges $5 for parking. Your purchases support the charitable activities and scholarships for horticultural students sponsored of PPS of Middle Tennessee.
So whether you’re an old gardening hand or a newcomer to the exciting world of gardening, the 2015 PPS Sale has the perfect plant for you. See you April 11!

Background: The Perennial Plant Society of Middle Tennessee promotes the use of perennial plants in the landscape and offers education to local gardeners and scholarships to area horticulture students. The annual plant sale is the group’s major source of funding for these scholarships. The group holds free monthly education meetings, which are open to the public. It also offers garden tours to members. For more information, visit www.ppsmt.org.

Get the complete plant list, as well as updates until just before the sale at www.ppsmt.org.  Join us April 11 from 9a.m. until noon at the Tenn. State Fairgrounds. 

 in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

The Montgomery County Master Gardener PLANT SALE

See you there....


in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

McCorkle's Nursery 2011 Fall SALE...

By SKEETER
I shared a great discovery with you all back in June. The McCorkles (Open to the public) Nursery Sale! Click HERE and also HERE to see the 2 part Post on the great bargain's I and our neighbor brought back to our Georgia Gardens.

Above, you see the Black Elephant Ear thriving in the spot I chose for its new home. Next to the Air Conditioner Unit for free watering during the hot, drought summer we had...Other happy plants from this awesome sale were the fringe plant's and,
The 3 Rose of Sharon's just to name a few. I shall show you more in time.
This Red Rooster Crepe Myrtle is healthy but not so large right now.
Branches and Blooms keep falling off the Myrtle. What is causing this you ask?
Well, this little toot of course! Grrrrrrrrrr...
Due to the extreme heat, drought condition and hard ground, I have yet to plant 6 Monkey Grasses, a Rose Bush, a Canna and...
This flat of Ivy. They will find their homes in my garden once we have rain and the ground softens up a bit. Thank goodness the extreme heat is gone.

Anyway, even though I have yet to get these items into the ground, I am headed to MCCORKLES NURSERY FALL SALE, In the Garden...

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NOTE: For anyone in the Georgia area looking for super bargains, get to the Nursery this weekend!

McCorkles Nursery Fall Sale 2011

Friday Sept.23 from 8:00-5:00

Saturday Sept. 24 from 8:00-3:00.

Bring a wagon to assist your haul to your truck!

McCorkles Nursery Info Click HERE.

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Success at Growing Bellacamda, aka Blackberry Lily

Walking through the garden while barely breathing in the stifling heat of this summer I was stopped in my tracks by a surprise bloom; that is the bloom of blackberry lily or Belamcanda chinensis.



I have tried for years to get blackberry lily established in my garden because the beautiful flower are followed by shiny black seed pods that look like blackberries. These seeds are wonderful for using in flower arranging and for interest in the garden. I enclose the long shot so you all can see that blackberry lily resembles an iris. I had started these lilies from seed about two years ago and planted them in the garden last year. The area I planted them had caused them to be shaded by some peonies so this spring I moved them to outside the vegetable garden on the southern side in order to provide them with more sun. While walking along I noticed the plants were knocked down (Mr. Fix-it drives in this area:(. I bent to pick up the plant when I spied the beautiful flowers.

What a feast for my eyes and the success of growing this is even more sweet since I started them from seeds-seeds I probably received from a fellow garden blogger. Thank you to whoever gave me those seeds!

The new buds have a unique curl to them and make the plant even more interesting to me....


in the garden....

For my local readers who have access to the military base I have to let you know the plants at the PX are marked down 75%. The PX normally has nice varieties, many Proven Winners plants, and unique selections. Check them out if you are looking for new plants to fill some spots in your garden. The plants won't last long-so hurry!

I am going to be taking a little break from blogging but you can bet I'll still be in the garden.....be back soon. 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

McCorkles Nursery

By SKEETER

The Bathroom/Closet renovations are slowly moving along. The walls are ready for primmer painting. Hardiebacker has been cut for the floor and is ready to be screwed to the sub flooring. But we keep getting sidetracked with this renovation. We cannot seem to get one project completed, then we take on another project. Anyone else like this? Our sidetrack this go round was the nearby McCorkle's Nursery. McCorkle's business began in 1942 and thrives today. 4 million-plus container plants in sizes 1-15 gallon are produced annually. They employ up to 350 people during peak season.
McCorkles is a Wholesale business that opens twice a year to the public. Click HERE for a Forum on this years first sale. This Forum gave us all the information we needed to know for a great experience at the sale.
Our neighbor told us about this sale. He has two young daughters and wants to create a green fence for privacy in the front of their house. He was itching to get to the sale to find Green Giant Arborvitae.
The Saint took the day off from work on Friday and we left our Georgia Garden for the day. Here he is standing by Southern Magnolia's.
Imagine our shock to see these tall beauties for a mere $15 each! Giant Plant Sale indeed!
Trucks with trailers were lining up for the bargains.
Our friend took his trailer and loaded it with Green Giants, Magnolia, Holly, etc.
Encore Azalea's were packed into the back of his SUV.
Jasmine, Jessamine and Ligustrums were in his backseats.
Crepe Myrtles rode co-pilot. We had the back of our pick-up loaded as well. Once home, our friend rented an Auger and Ditch Witch to make a sprinkler system and plant these beauties. All this with high temps and humidity on the moon. But we did not care as we got bargains galore!

I wrote down the names of some plants and came home to research them on the Internet. We all returned for a second batch of goodies after lunch and Equipment pick up. Oh Yes, the Saint was even in awe with the prices. We are already planning to attend the Sept sale this fall....

MCCORKLES NURSERY, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

The LARGEST Perennial Plant Sale in Middle Tennessee

It is spring now and you all definitely have spring fever. I can just tell! Not to mention my traffic count tells me there are a lot of folks looking for garden information. Well here is the best tip I have for you this season! Okay, maybe one of the best because surely you know I have more tips. There is a HUGE, and I mean HUGE, perennial plant sale with over 450 varieties of plants, and thousands of pots of these said plants, all priced to sell  and you are invited to buy! The sale is hosted by the Perennial Plant Society of Middle Tennessee and will take place at the Al Menah Shriner Center, 1354 Brick Church Pike, on April 9 from 9 a.m to 2 p.m.


I have been a member of the society for several years now and have posted about it before. I tell you I love it! The members are so sweet, share their plants freely and teach me tons! If you are interested in joining it check the badge on my sidebar and be sure to not miss this plant sale...


in the garden....


Oh, I almost forgot. What perennial is pictured above? I'll give you a hint. It is the queen of all flowers but it is a sub shrub-not herbaceous. Still it is technically a perennial. Any guesses? 

One more note on plant sales, Cheekwood is having their annual Wildflower Plant Sale this Saturday, 26 March 2011 starting at 10:00 am at Cheekwood. 
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

'Texas Scarlet' Flowering Quince Bears Fruit and Plant Sale

Talk about pleasant and unexpected surprises-look at what I found in the garden! Can you recognize it? Surely it is easy right? Okay, maybe not so easy. The fruit pictured above is a 'Texas Scarlet' quince. I know it looks an awful lot like an apple but take my word for it, it is a quince.

I had no idea when I planted two quince (Chaenomeles speciosa 'Texas Scarlet' and Chaenomeles japonica 'Rubra') three years ago that they would actually bear fruit. Well, one of them did anyhow. The real shocker is this plant is only about two feet tall and grows in an out of the way spot that is somewhat shaded. I bet it does not receive more than two-three hours of direct sun so the fact it bore fruit is a real treat.

I liked these plants because they have such red flowers at a time in early spring when no other red blooming shrub is around. You simply cannot miss the red flowers. I never knew fruit would actually come from them-well duh me. Now I am wondering if all those huge specimens I see around town are loaded with fruit and I think I'll be checking this out soon.
I really was not sure if the fruit was ripe since I've never grown these and did not expect any fruit, but that fact did not stop me from picking the fruit and cutting it open and tasting it. I must say the fruit is very hard and a quite tart-extremely tart. I do think it would make a good jelly but quince are not good eating fruits in my opinion. I did find out later that ripe quince fruits are yellow-so I think I picked mine at the perfect time. It still amazes me I never saw it before.

I saved the seeds and may try to start some more 'Texas Scarlet' from the seeds. I hope next year my 'Rubra' will add to the mix by producing fruit too. Just this past year I added a white flowering quince to the garden as well. It is 'Jet Trail' and I believe it is a species type quince so I expect it will set fruit at some point in time as well-I hope so.

Any experiences with quince fruiting?

in the garden....

Public Service Announcement: Everyone in the local area please make time to visit the Montgomery County Master Gardeners Plant Sale tomorrow from 8 am-? at Veteran's Plaza on Madison Street. It is a sale you DO NOT want to miss-take it from me, a passionate plant collector this is a must see sale for some of the best plants for our area at low prices.

The Montgomery County Master Gardener Association's Plant Sale

The Montgomery County Master Gardener Plant Sale was held on Saturday, May 30 just as promised. Initially I had not planned to attend. It was not like I needed more plants or anything. In fact, I was selling plants to try to edit my gardens. Pictured above are my good friends Phil and Judie. They carried my plants to the sale because I thought I'd be out of town on the day of the plant sale. You see, we had intended to be on our way to North Carolina on this particular day, but due to this plant sale and Mr. Fix-it's car interests we postponed the trip by one day. Can you hear opportunity knocking on the door??The sale started at 8:00 am. Usually the group is sold out by early afternoon and if you are not there early, you will not get anything good. I definitely knew I would not be there at 8:00 am. Being one of the first at a plant sale usually means crowds all vying for the good plants. Pushing and shoving and elbowing fellow plant enthusiasts for good plants is not my idea of fun. I avoid these kinds of plant sales at all costs. No good plant or deal is worth the aggravation, but I digress. I arrived at nearly 11:00 am and wow! There were tons of great plants available for sale. Not only were there tons of great plants available, but the nice folks selling the plants were marking them down!! And no crowds anywhere in sight!

Now let me tell you, anyone who has ever participated in plant sales knows it is a big deal. You have to plan months in advance and be determined in order to get a nice showing of good plants. Plant sales take work. All of the master gardeners went out of their way to offer outstanding plants of high quality at good prices. If you missed this plant sale, you totally missed out! But hang in there as there will be a fall plant sale too. I can honestly say I will not miss another Master Gardener plant sale if I can help it.

There were some really good gardeners selling plants from their own gardens at this plant sale. Dr. Matthews, a retired Austin Peay horticulture professor, had a great deal of wonderful plants available for sale. I picked up a single kerria, winter jasmine, 'Autumn Sun' rudbeckia (a huge plant), and several others from him. David, the past President of the Master Gardener Association was selling some of his famous angel trumpets. I also picked up a dwarf lamb's ear, bottlebrush buckeye, celadine poppies, Indian Pinks, and too many other plants to name. I wish I could name all of the master gardeners who donated their time and plants to make this plant sale a success, but there are just too many. These guys deserve a big round of applause for taking the time to pot up all these numerous plants and donate them to the plant sale. Money used from the plant sale benefits the community so this is truly a community event.
And of course I cannot let you go without showing you my haul. I spent a grand total of $29. For this sum I received about 30 celandine poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum), 2 sweet autumn clematis, winter jasmine, Tartarian aster, bottlebrush buckeye, angel trumpet, lamb's ear, Indian Pinks, 'Autumn Sun' rudbeckia, kerria (a single), horsetails, and many more. I unfortunately have not logged them all, though most all were planted on the same day as the plant sale. What a marathon planting session! I was able to head off on vacation with a clear mind that all plants were safe in the ground though.

If you get the chance to come to this sale this fall, jump on it! And don't worry about the crowds, they are folks just like you and me, all looking for a nice deal on that dream plant. Just watch the elbows:) I'll post again in plenty of time for you to plan your day around this fabulous plant sale. See you there.

in the garden....