Newsletter Articles & Archive

Why container gardening is the easiest way to enjoy color, flavor, and life in the Fall and Winter seasons.

By Brenda Peterson

As the long days of summer fade and the air turns crisp, many gardeners tuck away their gloves and resign themselves to a dormant season. But here’s the secret: your garden doesn’t have to hibernate just because the calendar says so. With container gardening, Fall and Winter become an opportunity to cultivate resilience, creativity, and even a little magic on your doorstep.

A Garden That Moves With You

Unlike traditional in-ground beds, containers are wonderfully adaptable. They can be moved to chase the low-angled sun, clustered together to create microclimates of warmth, or pulled under shelter when frost threatens. On a chilly afternoon, nothing feels more rewarding than stepping outside to snip a handful of fresh parsley or admire a pot brimming with winter pansies, their faces lifted brightly against a gray sky.

What to Plant When the Days Grow Shorter

Cool-season vegetables thrive in pots and often develop richer flavors after a light frost. Imagine a container of kale or Swiss chard on your balcony, leaves ready to be harvested for soups and stews. Carrots, radishes, and beets settle happily into deep pots, their roots sweetened by the cold. Herbs like rosemary, thyme, and chives not only endure the chill but also perfume the air each time you brush past them.

And don’t overlook ornamentals. Ornamental cabbages and kales add sculptural beauty, while pansies and violas lend bursts of color that seem almost defiant against winter’s muted palette. Small evergreens or dwarf conifers provide structure and life when most of the landscape lies bare. Together, they create container compositions that are equal parts practical and breathtaking.

Simple Practices, Big Payoffs

• Choose wisely: Opt for sturdy, frost-resistant containers with good drainage. Darker pots help trap warmth, giving roots a cozy buffer.

• Protect tender friends: A quick cover with burlap or a frost cloth can mean the difference between losing a plant and savoring fresh greens in January.

• Water thoughtfully: Even in cold weather, container plants need moisture—just less of it. Water early in the day so soil has time to absorb before night temperatures drop.

• Mix and match: Pair edibles with ornamentals for containers that nourish both the body and the spirit.

A Touch of Indoor Comfort

Some plants prefer not to face winter’s bite at all. Herbs like basil or tender geraniums can be brought indoors, thriving on sunny windowsills or under modest grow lights. These indoor transplants connect you to your garden when outdoor spaces are snow-covered or damp.

The Joy of Winter Gardening

Container gardening in the cooler seasons isn’t simply about stretching the harvest—it’s about shifting perspective. Instead of seeing Fall and Winter as the end of the garden’s story, you begin to see them as new chapters filled with texture, color, and quiet abundance. Whether it’s the satisfaction of harvesting a handful of spinach for dinner or the beauty of frost-dusted evergreens in a clay pot, container gardening reminds us that growth doesn’t stop just because the days grow shorter.

By Amy Dunlap, Extension Agent, Davidson County

Each fall, monarch butterflies migrate from the northern United States and Canada to the mountain forests of central Mexico. This journey can stretch up to 3,000 miles and takes the butterflies across multiple states and landscapes. Tennessee lies right in the middle of their flyway, so the monarchs we see in September are on their way south.

The monarchs that make this trip are often called the “super generation.” While summer generations live only two to six weeks, the fall generation survives for eight to nine months. That extra lifespan allows them to complete the long flight to Mexico, spend the winter clustered together in oyamel fir forests, and then begin the journey north in the spring. It takes several generations to return north again, completing the full cycle.

Monarchs depend on two things to survive: milkweed for their caterpillars and nectar-rich flowers for the adults. Without milkweed, monarchs cannot reproduce, since it is the only host plant where they lay eggs. In Tennessee, important native milkweeds include common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), butterfly weed (A. tuberosa), and whorled milkweed (A. verticillata). Planting these species provides breeding habitat for monarchs and supports other pollinators as well.

Nectar plants are equally important for fueling migration. Native species like goldenrod (Solidago spp.), asters (Symphyotrichum spp.), ironweed (Vernonia spp.), and Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium spp.) bloom in late summer and fall, right when monarchs are moving through. These pair well with other pollinator-friendly garden plants such as zinnias, lantana, salvias, and Mexican sunflowers. Together, they create a continuous supply of food from spring through fall.

By planting native milkweed and nectar sources, and by avoiding pesticides, Tennessee gardeners can play a direct role in supporting monarchs as they pass through our state each year. Even small plantings in backyards, schools, and community spaces add up to meaningful habitat along the migration route. And exhibits like the one at the Nashville fair give us the chance to share these stories with the public, sparking interest and inspiring more people to take action for monarchs.

By Gloria Ballard

From spring through summer, members of Davidson County Master Gardeners have seen their colleagues’ gardens grow and evolve during the 2025 Garden Tour season. And while gardening may be winding down (though some would say the season’s still in full swing!) it’s a good time to take a tour of Tours, looking back at the highlights of this year’s garden tours so far. 

April 26: Donna Jo Carey’s pollinator-friendly spring garden, which she says is “constantly in motion” in Donelson.

April 27: Ginny Russell’s beloved irises – she estimates 300 different varieties that line the driveway and wrap around her Donelson home.

May 3: Rob Quinn & Sheila Armstrong’s west Nashville “learning” garden that Rob compares to art: “It’s like a canvas,” he says, explaining how they see the blank spaces in the yard and decide how to fill them.

June 7: Portland Park, a public space at 21^st Ave. So. And Portland Ave. that Master Gardener Maureen May developed with Second Sunday Gardeners as a pollinator park in the Belmont-Hillsboro neighborhood.

June 8: Ellen Wright’s ever-evolving garden of “ongoing experiments” in Belle Meade, including perennials, shrubs, about 25 tree species, and several areas of white clover in lieu of grass, “for the pollinators.”

June 14: Stacy Fisher’s transformed landscape in the Crieve Hall neighborhood, which began as “an acre of weeds, trees in trouble and over growth on a six foot tall chain link fence in the backyard.”

June 15: Doris Weakley’s meandering paths through her extensive, mature garden of shrubs, perennials, annuals, trees, trellises, garden ornaments and more in Hillwood.

June 22: Amy Thomas’s hillside garden in Brentwood, with its elegant stone stairs winding through terraced beds and leading to a serene pond.

June 28: Amy Peterson’s small-space-big-impact garden of perennial and annual blooms and veggies in the ground, in containers, spilling over porch rails and hanging from the eaves of her home in Old Hickory.

July 27: Genma Holmes’s extensive garden spaces in Hermitage that began as a form of therapy for her son recovering from an injury, and has become a special space for experimenting that she shares with family, friends and especially her “three grands, who believe my backyard is a never-ending field trip.”

August 23: Rachel Esterday’s small but sunny garden space in Sylvan Park, where she embraces the idea of “chaotic gardening” with raised beds, trellises and containers, and where she also enjoys creating cyanotypes (sun prints) of items from the garden.

There’s Still Time to Host a Garden Tour!

Any member ofMaster Gardeners of Davidson County member can show off their garden by hosting a tour or open house. When you host a garden tour, you earn 15 volunteer hours. In addition, any Master Gardener who assists a host in preparation for the tour can record one volunteer hour for every hour you assist (including travel time to and from the garden). Master Gardeners who visit the tour garden can count the visit for one CEU hour.

Decide on a date and time for the tour. Email the request at least two weeks in advance to gardentours@mgofdc.org. Along with the date and time, include the address of the tour, a bit of information about your garden, and a couple of recent images that we can include with the announcement. We encourage tour hosts to include an educational component. Possibilities could include visible labels on plants, including botanical names; a listing of plants in the garden; a handout with information on design/planting/maintenance, or other learning opportunities relevant to your garden.

Plus my favorite recipe for Southern collards.

by Susanna Hadley

One of the reasons I love gardening is because I can always look forward to the change of the seasons. Each one offers a fresh start. Some seasons bring abundance, while others bring more bugs than harvests, or more heat than rain. But no matter what, you always get the chance to try again. Gardening reminds me that there’s always another season ahead and always something to learn along the way.

Of all the seasons, fall is my favorite to garden. I’ve always loved September: the evenings turn cooler, kids head back to school, and football season begins. I don’t even follow a team these days, but my hometown had a strong high school program, and the sound of Friday night games always takes me back. While some people save their “fresh start” for January 1, mine has always been September.

Like many of you, this summer was a challenge for me. My time was spread thin between work and family, and my garden suffered under the hot sun and long stretches without rain. More than once, I stood at my kitchen window wishing I could spend a few hours outside, only to be pulled back to everything else demanding my attention. To be blunt, my summer garden was a flop. But even in that disappointment, I kept reminding myself: there’s always fall. I also learned that even a little work every day adds up. I don’t always need to carve out hours at a time in order to make progress.

This fall, I decided to focus on planting what I love to eat. Growing up, my mom usually cooked kale if she made greens, so collards weren’t on my table until I moved to Atlanta for college and started spending time in south Georgia with my now-husband. That’s when I fell in love with them. These days, collards are a staple at my table for dinners and holidays. I even save the pot liquor, that rich, smoky broth from the greens, and sip it from a mug once the last of the collards are gone. So this season, I dedicated two of my 4x8 raised beds to Southern Georgia collards, along with cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, and lettuce throughout my garden. Clearing out my summer beds and filling them with fall crops felt like stepping into that fresh start I had been waiting for.

So while my summer didn’t give me much, my fall garden may give me more than I can eat. Hopefully I can share my collards with my neighbors as the weather continues to cool. Here’s one of my favorite ways to cook them:

Instant Pot Collards with Smoked Turkey

Ingredients

• 2 bunches collard greens, washed, rolled, and sliced into ribbons
  

• 2 smoked turkey wings
  

• 2 cups water + 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon (or 2 cups chicken broth)
  

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  

• 1 tablespoon onion powder
  

• 1 small onion, sliced

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  

• Salt and pepper, to taste
  

• A few dashes Louisiana hot sauce
  

Instructions

1. Prep the greens: Wash collards thoroughly (multiple times—few things worse than sandy greens). Remove stems by folding leaves in half and pulling the stem from the back. Roll the leaves into bundles and slice into ribbons. Set aside.
   

2. Sauté onions: Slice the onion thinly. Set Instant Pot to sauté mode, add avocado oil, and heat for a few minutes. Add onions and a pinch of salt, cooking until tender.
   

3. Add turkey: Rinse and pat dry the smoked turkey wings. Add them to the pot with onions and sauté briefly.
   

4. Build the broth: Add water with Better Than Bouillon (or broth), vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Stir.
   

5. Cook the greens: Add collard ribbons, stir everything together. Don’t worry if it looks like too much — they’ll cook down. Close the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.
   

6. Release & serve: Let pressure release naturally for 10–15 minutes, then quick release. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a few extra dashes of hot sauce before serving if you like heat.
   

Tip: Best enjoyed with cast iron cornbread on the side. Save the collard stems for homemade veggie stock!

Gardening teaches me that even when the outcomes are different than expected, there’s always another season. 

By Mollie Henry

As urban gardeners, strong soil health is a major factor in the health and vitality of our plants. Through mulching, crop rotation, cover crops and other best practices, we can protect soil from nutrient depletion and erosion. However, even these practices can sometimes fall short, and many gardeners turn to buying commercial fertilizers and store-bought soil with unknown origin.

But there’s a better way! By composting kitchen waste and leaves, you can “grow” your own soil, which saves money, provides better nutrients for your beds and cuts down on your household garbage and yard waste.

Kitchen waste – also known as “greens,” provide the critical nutrients of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium that plants need for root, flower and fruit development. Dead leaves – also known as “browns,” provide carbon, the main fuel source for plants. Trees capture solar energy in their leaves, store it as carbon, use that carbon as fuel to grow, and when they drop their leaves in the fall, much of that carbon remains in those leaves that can feed the microbial workforce that turns compost into humus and continues to make soil good for plants. Humus provides structure and a continued source of carbon for our homemade soil. 

Composting is the way we make soil and is essentially mixing kitchen waste and leaves (or other dead plant matter) at a ratio of 1:3 and letting the mixture decompose. The rate of decomposition will vary, and you can accelerate the rate by chopping (mowing) your leaves before adding them to your compost, making sure your compost pile is large enough to retain heat (or is in a container that you can expose to sunlight), mixing the compost every week and keeping it moist (this isn’t very difficult, because kitchen waste generally contains a lot of water – but if your compost ever appears dry, it’s OK to water it). In my yard, I can convert a load of compost into a rich, dark amendment in about six months, which is why I have four separate compost containers in production all at once, at various stages. They give me about three one-gallon buckets of fertile, energy-rich, organic soil every quarter that I use for side-dressing or working into new beds. 

The fall season is a great time to start your soil farming career – in fact, soil farmers call this the annual “gold rush,” because free carbon is everywhere in places with deciduous trees. Many people have climbed aboard the “leave the leaves” campaign to support their yard’s insect ecosystem, which needs leaf cover for overwintering – and that’s a worthy endeavor. If you’re on that team but still want to grow your own soil, leave your own leaves and help yourself to your neighbors’ bags of leaves that will inevitably appear on curbs throughout Nashville. Pro tip: Bags in paper (rather than plastic) are easier to manage and save. Four or five leaf bags can be enough to feed your soil farm for an entire year!

By Melanie Brewer

As September begins, I think my pollinator and shade gardens look a little weary and worn as summer merges into autumn. Bee balm, coneflower, salvia, phlox, black-eyed susan, and hardy hibiscus have spent blooms and tattered foliage, as well as the hydrangeas, hostas, coral bells, and ferns. Then I notice the goldenrod and asters just beginning to flourish. A variety of bees are feasting on agastache. Buddleias are full of blooms providing for butterflies. There’s still life in my gardens! And there’s my American beautyberry. I’ve waited all summer for its crowning moment.

Although it is native to the southeastern US, I first saw an American beautyberry only four years ago. The American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a woody, deciduous, perennial shrub that establishes quickly, requires little maintenance, and is beneficial to wildlife. In spring the leaves slowly appear, followed by clusters of tiny buds. By midsummer, the buds have opened into small pale pink flowers which turn into green berries by late summer. The magic begins in September when the berries ripen to a vibrant magenta. The shrub’s arching branches and sprawling shape become stunning when full of beautiful berry clusters. Berries may last through early winter and are a good food source for songbirds.

Keeping in mind “right plant for right place,” the beautyberry prefers part shade to full sun (mine is happy in part shade.) It will grow 3’-8’ tall and 3’-5’ wide in all types of soil provided it has good drainage. Consider using it as an accent plant, at the back of flower beds, or along woodland edges. It may also be used as mass planting in large spaces. Pruning may be done in late winter. It has no significant insect or disease problems. It can be propagated by seeds or stem cuttings. Learn more at plants.ces.ncsu.edu

By Tammy Carpenter

Let’s be honest, cities aren’t exactly known for their lush greenery. They’re more about honking horns, coffee-fueled chaos, and pigeons with attitude. But tucked between concrete and chaos, something quietly magical is happening. People are growing gardens. Real ones. With tomatoes, herbs, and kale that looks like it could bench press a bus.

Urban gardening is what happens when someone looks at a fire escape and thinks, “You know what this needs? Cucumbers.” It’s the kind of optimism that turns a cracked sidewalk into a flower bed and a forgotten windowsill into a basil jungle. These gardeners aren’t waiting for perfect conditions, they’re making do with milk crates, mason jars, and whatever container hasn’t already been claimed by the recycling bin.

And the plants? They’re thriving. These are city plants, resilient, scrappy, and just a little dramatic. They grow despite air pollution, nosy neighbors, and the occasional squirrel turf war. They lean toward the sun like they’re chasing a dream, and honestly, they are. But urban gardening isn’t just about growing food. It’s about growing connections. Neighbors swap seeds and zucchini like they’re trading baseball cards. Rooftop gardens become gathering spots. Bees show up like tiny VIP guests. And suddenly, the city feels a little less lonely, a little more alive.

Sure, there are challenges. Space is tight. The soil might be questionable. And sometimes your mint plant tries to take over your entire life. But urban gardeners are undeterred. They’re rebels with watering cans, dreamers with dirt under their nails, and poets of potting soil.

So, if you’ve got a sunny corner, a spare pot, or even an old boot lying around, why not plant something? You don’t need a farm. You just need a little hope, a handful of soil, and maybe a tomato that believes in you.

Because in the middle of all the noise and neon, a single sprout is a quiet act of joy. And that’s something worth growing.

By Landon Amonett, Lab Manager, Bastos Lab, Vanderbilt University

A sure indicator of warmer weather for many Tennesseans, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird is easily identified by its iridescent green plumage, adorned with creamy white belly and, in mature males, a bright patch of dazzling red on its chest. These chittering birds zip about gardens from mid-April to the early days of October, taking advantage of the generous offering of sugar water provided by enthusiastic gardeners, birders, and porch-sitters across Tennessee.

That voracious appetite is well warranted. Not only does the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird travel an approximate 500 miles (one-way) to arrive in the state during the warmer breeding season, they continue to beat their tiny wings an impressive 53-55 times per second during their stay over the spring and summer months. All that movement means a very high metabolism, which is best fueled by a basic combination of 1-part sugar to 4-part water.

While there are pre-made, dyed hummingbird foods offered in stores or online retailers, these offerings are not only more expensive than making your own but can also be actively harmful to hummingbirds as the chemical additives and dyes can be toxic. Instead of hurting your hummingbirds (and your wallet), simply boil 1 cup of water, add ¼ cup of sugar, and stir until the sugar is entirely dissolved. After allowing the liquid to cool entirely, add your food to the feeder of your choice. Red and orange tinted feeders seem to be the preferred colors of hungry birds. Be sure to clean your feeders often, as this high-sugar cocktail can ferment in the presence of a hot sun and natural yeasts. If the nectar is cloudy, it’s time to provide fresh food.

Color of your feeder isn’t everything, however. Placement is also important when deciding to establish your feeders, and the optimal area is close to deciduous trees or bushes. In these trees, the female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird will construct an open, walnut-sized nest consisting of dandelion, spider-silk, thistle and camouflaged in lichen. Here she will lay her 2-3 pea-sized eggs and will brood them for around 14 days. The materials used in this nest will allow adequate stretching as the eggs progress from hatchlings to fledglings, before leaving home after about 20 days.

The end of the warm season sees the departure of our beloved Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, however there is a chance to see other species during the colder months. While our Ruby-Throated is the only mating species of hummingbird within the state, populations of non-breeding species have been observed by lucky ornithologists and eager birders on increasing average since the early 2000s. While it’s unknown whether this increase is due to population booms or simply feeders being left out during the cooler months, seven Eastern species (Allen's, Anna's, Black-Chinned, Broad-tailed, Calliope, Green Violet-ear, and Rufous Hummingbirds) have been seen with recurrence across Tennessee.

So, while our warmer weathered hummingbirds make the 500-mile voyage back South as the air cools, I encourage an avid birder to keep their feeders out and food fresh during our chillier season. Though not as abundant as the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, a Western species sighting in at your feeder may bring you joy in the knowledge that you are supporting a less common visitor – perhaps one that brings a newfound appreciation for our cooler months.

Master Gardeners Christen Harper and Brenda Peterson with Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell at the Hummingbird Festival, September 13

Nathan Fields was greatly impacted by several Master Gardeners before he knew anything about the Master Gardener program. While working as a Special Education teacher in a Metro Nashville school in 2017 he volunteered to help in the school garden project, and that is where he first met some Master Gardeners, learned about the program, and developed a love of gardening. Before becoming an intern in the MG class of 2025, he had also worked alongside Master Gardeners in community gardens and has now been part of 6 different school garden club programs. He loves the way gardening can bring people of all ages and abilities together, and how it can impact both individuals and whole communities. His favorite parts of the class have been when interns were divided into teams and collaborated on a project, such as landscape design. 

His initial love for gardening in general grew into a more specific desire to garden for wildlife, choosing native plants based on their ability to provide food and habitat for a multitude of species. Although he has a small urban yard, he estimates he has over 100 different varieties of native plants growing in his 1,000 square foot of planting space. Along with others, he also co-founded a company called Plant for a Change in 2020. The company’s  mission is focused on selling quality items made by quality people, including some with intellectual disabilities. Beautiful native seed packets, butterfly houses, bird feeders and bug hotels are some of the things you can find on their website and at their booth at the Nashville Farmers’ Market. The company has a registered USDA farm, is a certified nursery and native plant farm, and is licensed to be a certified seed and plant dealer. Another part of the  company mission is to provide greater access to affordable and fresh food to the community, especially those impacted by disability. If you would like to read more about Plant for a Change, the website is plantforachange.com.

Although Nathan did not grow up gardening, he does remember his grandfather giving him seed packets to sell when he was 7 years old, and how excited he was to earn a quarter for each sale. He also sold petunias in college, so maybe it was just a matter of time before he combined his passion for helping people with disabilities with his college minor in field biology  and his love for selling things that help wildlife thrive. 

Spending time with his family is a high priority, and Nathan and his wife have twin girls, age 9,  and a son who is 11. He has helped in Garden Clubs at their school, and they all stay busy with softball and baseball practices and games. He also enjoys Beaman and Shelby Parks and identifying over 2,200 different species (so far!) with his inaturalist app.

“I love ALL things gardening” is the way MG Intern Eleanor James sums up her reason for wanting to take the MG class, and her enthusiasm in sharing what she grows in her yard is contagious. As a child, Eleanor gardened alongside her mother, who had grown up in the country, grew vegetables and flowers, and always had a meticulously tended yard. When Eleanor, her husband, and 3 children moved into a new home with minimal landscaping 30 years ago, she had a blank slate to create the yard of her dreams, and it continues to be a source of joy, peace and fulfillment. Landscape design is a special interest of hers, and her yard now includes 8 Japanese Maple trees, over 100 hostas, along with azaleas, rhododendrons and other plants. She hopes to add a bridge, fountain, and raised beds one day, but with a yard that has limited full sun it is sometimes hard to find the right place for some of the things she would like to grow. Her favorite season is Spring and her favorite time to work in her garden is early morning, often starting by 5 am but always ending before noon. She loves the process of watching things grow and seeing her yard come alive as flowers bloom, and like many gardeners, finds herself talking to her plants at times. One plant had not bloomed for 3 years and she remembers telling it one day that it had better bloom soon or she might dig it up- and the next day it had blooms!

This is the first time Eleanor has applied to be in the MG class, but she had thought about it for several years and kept missing the application cut-off dates. She loves to learn and has enjoyed the class, but her favorite part has been getting to know classmates and sharing information. She has worked in the Demonstration Garden at Ellington and is eager to help at Sevier Park once that gets started, as that project will likely include some landscaping design opportunities. She sees garden areas as big puzzles with individual plants being puzzle pieces, and she loves to see how they can best fit together to complete a wonderful design.

In addition to gardening, Eleanor loves to travel and usually finds time to visit local botanical gardens wherever she is. She worked almost 25 years in the hospitality industry as an event manager and in other roles, but after the pandemic she decided it was time for a change and now works at the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville. She and her husband have 3 adult children and a dog named Quincy, who is her gardening buddy. Her favorite holiday is Christmas and she decorates the inside of the house while her husband does the outside. Their yard has won neighborhood awards for “Best Christmas Decorations” but has never won for “Most Beautiful Yard” in the spring or summer- yet! Eleanor thinks the judging is done after many of her flowers have already bloomed and faded, but with all her plans for future enhancements in the yard, a Most Beautiful Yard award may be in her future. She also wants to meet the requirements for a Smart Yard and maybe open her garden for a tour in the future after some work on their home is completed.