May - UT Gardens - The University of Tennessee

Friends Courses at UTComing up in early June is a new course taught by a master of the art:Creating Topiary StandardsLearn how to create a specimen topiary or standard.Participants will select plant material to beginthe initial training and pruning necessary to makeyour own plant specimen. The instructor has beentraining topiaries and growing specimen qualityplants for over 20 years. You will be able to see15-year-old standards and many uncommon specimenplants. The class meets at Riverdale Nursery.Directions will be mailed with your receipt. All materialswill be furnished, and a $20 materials fee isdue to the instructor at the class.Date: June 9, l0 a.m.-l p.m.Instructor: Mark Burch of Riverdale NurseryCourse: # 274603Fee: $39Location: Riverdale Nursery. Directions will be mailedwith your receipt.Space is strictly limited for this class.Registration deadline is June 1.The Friends offer educational programs through UT Outreach & Continuing Education Professional &Personal Development. Call 865-974-0150 to register or order a catalog, or see www.outreach.utk.edu/ppd to register or for additional details.Spotlight on Business PatronsBig Rock Building Products in Rockwood is oursingle largest contributor to the Entrance Plazaproject so far. The firm is donating over $30,000worth of Belgard pavers to the University Gardensin a special custom finish that adheres to UniversitySite Guidelines, based on the Belgard CambridgeCobble pattern of squares and rectangles. Thefinish is a very rugged and beautiful one. Theuniversity will also be looking at a new productfrom Big Rock—a permeable concrete paverthat can be used in applications to reduce waterrunoff from hard surfaces—to see whether it couldbe included in current research on permeableconcrete. When we thanked Big Rock for this exceptionalgenerosity, they told us, over and over again,how wonderful it was to have this opportunity. Ithas been hard NOT to refer to Big Rock as Big RockCandy Mountain!Claiborne Hauling Contractors in Knoxvilleprovided a lot of containers and hauling to assistwith demolition and remediation of surfacing anddrainage in both Phase 1 (in 2006) and now Phase3 of construction. We particularly wish to acknowledgetheir patience in working with a lot of volunteerson Saturdays.Cortese Tree Specialists Inc. in Knoxville assistedwith removal of a portion of the hedge of hollies toclear way for the new footprint of the plaza. This willkeep roosting birds away from event setup and foodservices in the plaza. (Never fear: There are 63—wecounted them—overgrown ‘Nellie R. Stevens’ holliesleft.) Cortese has also donated a tremendousamount of time in helping train students in arboricultureduring this last semester. They are also a16