October - UT Gardens - The University of Tennessee

From Elizabeth Burman, new executive
director for the Friends:
We built a new raised-bed vegetable garden
this year (good) but had yet to install any
kind of irrigation system (bad). I now
believe that bean plants could survive a
nuclear war, but alas they chose self-preservation
over providing us with many beans.
We did make good use of our rain barrel
(there’s also no water spigot near the new
garden--double bad) but even rain barrels
need, well, RAIN.
Friendship Plaza update
Basic work on the Friendship Plaza was completed
in September, with special features to be added
as funding is designated by patrons and the Silver
Anniversary Friends Committee. The marble donor
wall allows us for the first time to permanently recognize
major gifts to the Gardens. Special features will
also allow for enduring naming opportunities.
We are grateful to the many suppliers and contractors
who have made partial or complete in-kind
donations for this project during the course of its
three phases. They will be recognized on a separate
bronze plaque in the new Plaza: Belgard
Hardscapes, Big Rock Building Products (An
Oldcastle Company), Tom Boyd and Sandi Burdick,
Custom Marble & Design, WASCO Inc., General
Shale Brick, Kenneth Pace Builders, Cortese Tree
Specialists, Blue Ridge Architecture, Claiborne
Hauling, Sequatchie Concrete Systems, Sand
Products and the Knoxville Metropolitan Planning
Commission. We hope to have furnishings for the
new Plaza funded through a Campus Beautification
Grant Program and are awaiting final approval for
that proposal from the University of Tennessee.
Donors who may be interested in naming opportunities
for special features should contact the Infoline at
865-525-4555 or friendsoftheutgardens@utk.edu and
we will be happy to tell you about remaining work
to complete design proposals for the shade sails, a
performance space, artisan ironwork and a possible
fountain or other water/cooling/shading features.
From Theresa Pepin, outgoing executive
director for the Friends:
Somebody asked me the other day how
my garden fared, and I said that its best
“blossom” this year was the orange tape
I had strung on every plant that we were
trying to save with hand watering among the
many others I was leaving to fend for themselves.
With no irrigation on our rocky one
acre, I am compelled to drag hoses to individually
marked plants as I see them start
to go over the line from wilting to expiring.
(Evergreens are particularly tricky in this
regard.) I recruit help by stopping people
on the street to hold a hose. (After all, who
needs to walk or run in this heat when they
can water below the shade of stressed, giant
trees instead?) Seriously, the best blossom
has been the native passion flower. The best
surprise has been the astoundingly architectural
and beautiful spider webs seen in early
morning and late afternoon slanted light. The
best benefit of hand watering individual specimens
turns out to be that I can blast the
spider mites off the foliage they’re trying to
gobble. I had to let go a field of ostrich ferns
a couple months ago. Sadder has been to
see a mature yellowwood girdled by chewing
wildlife hungry for something succulent.
Nature gives and Nature takes away.
Adam Sneed and Ben Rossen
Bruce Bennett of Custom Marble & Design looking on as San Diego and Charlie
Solomon put final touches on the marble donor wall
Photo by Allison Roberts
Charlie Solomon doing finish work on the marble donor wall
Theresa Pepin laying brick
Photo by Allison Roberts
Photo by Allison Roberts
Detail from one of the ironwork concept sketches
Water feature could be a fountain or other proposal.
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