Jason Reeves - in the garden

Proven Winner Pre-order Plant Sale ends in less than eight hours!

See the first comment for details.

The Wilson County – Tennessee State Fair started Thursday evening and runs through Saturday August 22.

My employer, The Tennessee Department of Agriculture is heavily involved in helping organize, set up and operate the state portion of the fair. I spent three days earlier this week helping prepare for this massive event. I helped with the setup and entry of the landscape/nursery, Christmas tree and Christmas wreath competitions and bed design and installation around the Christmas trees and in front of the Hale Moss Exhibition Building.

The fair takes place at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center in Lebanon, Tennessee. It combines a massive traditional county fair with the official state fair, drawing huge crowds for livestock shows, classic fair food, home arts, and live country music.

800,000 people attend the fair each year and over 2000 volunteers help make it possible. I be back helping Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and evening evenings. Hope to see you there.

For more details check out the website.
https://www.wilsoncountytnstatefair.com/

I love how the seed heads on Sugar Shack® buttonbush turn red in August. Sugar Shack® is a more compact form of our native
Cephalanthus occidentalis reaching 4 to 5 feet tall and wide. Its fragrant white ping-pong size flowers are favorite of bees and butterflies.

It is one of the plants available in my Pre-order Proven Winner Plant Sale going on now. Pre-order sale closes at midnight tomorrow, Saturday night.

Pickup locations include Holman Farms in Lebanon, Nashville (near the Crieve Hall neighborhood) and my farm in Clarksburg Tennessee. You’ll will make that choice when you place your order.

To see what’s available and place an order, click on this link. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18yV_qLqjIJj6EoBZV_UICgWR1vLxtVinxaYwqLuRhec/viewform?edit_requested=true

Excited to see round two of Catalpa worms on my catalpa trees at my farm in Clarksburg Tennessee this evening.

Eight of the 16 I planted a few years ago have the caterpillar feeding on them.

Growing up on my family‘s farm we had several native catalpa trees growing wild. Some years they would be covered and often totally defoliated from catalpa worms or catawba worms as I grew up calling them. We collected them and would go fishing using them as bait on our hooks. The worm, actually a catapillar becomes a rather large brown nondescript hawkmoth/sphinx (Ceratomia catalpa) that looks similar to the tomato hornworm/hawkmoth that you may see pollinating moonvine flowers.

For more information https://extension.psu.edu/catalpa-worm-catalpa-sphinx-moth #:~:text=Description%20and%20identification,mostly%20white%20with%20black%20spots.

Planted from quart pots in 2023, Elizabeth’s Tater Tot® arborvitae indeed resemble the shape of tater tots.

Tater Tot® slowly grows to 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 foot wide but can be sheared to keep smaller. With a name like Tater Tot®, who wouldn’t want one in their garden.

It and many other top performing shrubs are available for pre-order from me through Saturday, August 15th at this link.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18yV_qLqjIJj6EoBZV_UICgWR1vLxtVinxaYwqLuRhec/edit?

Now that is a tomato!

Robbie Knight from Ward Grove Christmas Tree Farm stopped by my farm yesterday evening on his way home. He was impressed with my ‘American Pillar’ arborvitaes.

Planted from one gallons pots on December 23, 2023, they have grown like crazy. It and many other top performing shrubs are available for pre-order from me through Saturday, August 15th at this link.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18yV_qLqjIJj6EoBZV_UICgWR1vLxtVinxaYwqLuRhec/edit?

Pre-order Proven Winner plant sale ends a week from today, August 15th at midnight!

When you pick up your plants, you will also have the opportunity to buy one pack each of red and purple/red mix poppy seed. Sorry, no pre-orders on seed.

Pickup locations include Holman Farms in Lebanon, Nashville and my farm in Clarksburg Tennessee. You’ll will make that choice when you place your order.

Click the link for more information on the 24 shrubs available for pre-order and dates and details on pick up locations. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18yV_qLqjIJj6EoBZV_UICgWR1vLxtVinxaYwqLuRhec/viewform?edit_requested=true

Pre-order Proven Winner plant sale ends a week from today, August 15th at midnight!

When you pick up your plants, you will also have the opportunity to buy one pack each of red and purple/red mix poppy seed. Sorry, no pre-orders on seed.

Pickup locations include Holman Farms in Lebanon, Nashville and my farm in Clarksburg Tennessee. You’ll will make that choice when you place your order.

Click the link for more information on the 24 shrubs available for pre-order and dates and details on pick up locations. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18yV_qLqjIJj6EoBZV_UICgWR1vLxtVinxaYwqLuRhec/viewform?edit_requested=true

When you have over 500 trees and shrub planted it is hard to keep them all properly weeded and mulched.

I use Select herbicide which only kills grasses to help me get the grassy weeds under control. Select contains the active ingredient Clethodim and can be sprayed over the top of most tree shrubs, annuals and perennials without harming them. It will kill true grasses but not plants like money grass which is not a grass at all. Broad leaf weeds are unaffected and you will have to remove those but if you have mostly grass it can be a huge help.

Look for products containing the active ingredients Clethodim, sethoxydim or Fluazifop-P-butyl.

Edited- yes it will kill Bermuda grass and have been doing so for more than 30 years. It often takes more than one application and requires adding a surfactant which the label instruct you to do. For about 15 years, are used a herbicide with the active ingredient Sethoxydim and the last 15 or so years Select which contains the active ingredient Clethodim.

As always read and follow directions on any kind of pesticide carefully before using.