Update: We are committed to the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers, and staff, especially in light of concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The wonder of the UT Gardens, Knoxville is that there will always be something in bloom any time you visit after the orders are lifted. At this time the Gardens are open to visitors, provided that proper social distancing is maintained.
 
Our 2021 Gala is coming soon! Event registration is free this year. Though we cannot come together in person, please join honorary hosts Bill and Crissy Haslam and other supporters of the UT Gardens, Knoxville, for our 2021 Virtual Gardens Gala Friday, April 30, at 6 p.m. EDT. Guests may support the UT Gardens, Knoxville, by making a donation in lieu of a ticket, purchasing items at our silend auction beginning April 21, or giving during the live program on April 30. Register here!
 

 


Recognized in 2013 as the official botanical gardens of the state of Tennessee, the University of Tennessee Gardens located in Knoxville, Jackson and Crossville are part of the UT Institute of Agriculture. Some 4,000 annuals, perennials, herbs, tropical plants, trees, shrubs, vegetables and ornamental grasses are evaluated each year. Both the Knoxville and Jackson gardens are TN Certified Arboreta. The gardens are open during all seasons and are free to the public.

 

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You can view the current and recent Plant of the Month articles here.

Older, archived articles going back to 2014 can be found here.

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  • May #1
    Plant butterfly weed (Asclepias), parsley, dill, rue and pipevine to encourage butterflies in your garden. The foliage of these plants provides food for the caterpillars. Aristolochia fimbriata is a lovely ground-cover-type of pipevine that is covered each year by the pipevine swallowtail caterpillar at the UT Gardens, Jackson. It may be a little hard to find for sale but is worth seeking out.
  • May #2
    Caladiums and vinca need warm soil. Caladium tubers will rot in cool soil, and vinca will be disease-prone, or exhibit stunted growth. Night temperatures should regularly be above 60 degrees F before planting.
  • May #3
    Old flower stems can be removed from lungwort so as not to detract from the lovely foliage.
  • May #4
    Remove the flowering stalks on yucca as they begin to form if you dislike the look of the bloom. Cut them off down in the foliage at the source, and you won't even know they were there.
  • May #5
    Early May is a good time to cut back any woody perennials that need it, such as rosemary, rue, lavender, Santolina and Artemisia. If done before the danger of frost has passed, new growth may appear, and a freeze can kill that new growth and sometimes the entire plant.
  • May #6
    Prune spring-flowering shrubs (azaleas, flowering quince, Forsythia and Loropetalum) soon after they finish flowering, but only if they need it. To keep them from looking like a meatball, follow the taller branches down into the shrub and cut just above a joint.
  • May #7
    A good option for Loropetalums that have outgrown their space is to prune them into a tree-form. They easily can be limbed up by removing lower branches.

 View gardening tips for the entire year.

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