This month Gardening Partners is very pleased to host guest speaker Jason Reeves giving a lecture entitled “Garden Heroes”
Jason Reeves is the Curator of UT Gardens Jackson. Jason grew up not far from the West TN AgResearch and Education Center on a farm in rural Carroll County near Huntingdon, Tennessee. As a college student, he interned at the Opryland Conservatories in Nashville and the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. He received his Masters in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from UT in 1999. After school, Jason worked at the famed Longwood Gardens, the former estate of Pier DuPont (of the chemical company) near Philadelphia. He also traveled to New Zealand, where he worked and lived at Paloma Gardens for four months. Recently, Jason was named Contributing Editor at Fine Gardening magazine.
Jason’s major projects at this Research Center include developing the grounds, improving the plant collection, and conducting research on herbaceous and woody ornamentals. This year Jason has expanded his elaborate bottle art exhibit constructed for Summer Celebration in 2014, to now include more than 7,000 bottles! He will also lead a tour of top-performing annuals and perennials that attract butterflies.
Members should arrive at 6 pm on Tuesday February 11th for an add-a-dish meal, followed by a brief business meeting.
The lecture is free and open to the public (adults only, please) and will begin at 7 pm at TCAT Dickson 740 Hwy 46 S (across from Lowe’s). Parking is down the drive to the right as you come in the main entrance.
If you have questions or would like more information, please contact us at gpdc471@gmail.com or 615-375-6675.
History of World War II, “The war could not have been won without rubber, but the same might be said about wheat, cotton, lumber, quinine, and penicillin, all with botanical origins.” In her book, Sumner documents many of the plants that were critical to World War II efforts on all sides of the battlefield. Indeed, her research is exhaustive in that she covers not only the military uses of plants but also civilian uses as well by the major countries involved in the war.
