As we prepare to greet the New Year, I want to offer some advice on finding reliable information about gardening. Like me, you probably use the internet to find out about various plant-related topics. Well, I have seen some really ridiculous notions about growing things on the web. When it comes to plants, our land grant universities are most reliable sources. Their principal mission is to advance the science of agriculture, so the information they provide is research based.
The mission of master gardener volunteers like me is to pass along research-based information. Should you want to contact one of us, the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County have a hot line you may call on Mondays between 10 a.m. and noon. That number is (423) 855-6113. The group also answers questions submitted on their website.
The second weekend in April, the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County will once again host the Master Your Garden Expo at Camp Jordan Arena. For a small entry fee, you can attend classes on all sorts of subjects and enjoy the many vendors and garden groups participating in the expo.
When the subject is roses, local resources are the best. The Tri-State Rose Society has a website, chattanoogarose.org, which contains a lot of useful information. In addition, they are also on Facebook where you can ask specific questions about your roses.
The group meets on the fourth Thursday evening of the month at Trinity Lutheran Church, 5001 Hixson Pike, Hixson, TN 37343. Meet and greet begins at 6:30 p.m. with the meeting at 7 p.m.
I am the speaker for January’s program, Roses in the Rearview Mirror, observations of a no-spray rosarian. That's the 24th, folks, 6:30 p.m. at the address above. Visitors are always welcome.
Whatever your gardening query, there are many resources for finding answers whether you choose to interact with local volunteers or surf the web.
Or you can simply email master gardener Ann Bartlett at arose56@hamilton.net. If she doesn't know the answer, she'll look it up. Ann is always looking for interesting subjects to research and write about for her weekly column in The Planet!
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