Wildflower hikes
Sequatchie Valley Institute1233 Cartwright Loop, Whitwell, Tenn.› SVI naturalists and foresters will lead hikes into Sequatchie Valley to see spring wildflowers beginning at 1 p.m. CDT on Saturday, March 25. Participants should arrive at the parking area no later than 12:30 p.m. to catch a shuttle to the SVI Center, which is one mile away.› A moderate 2-hour hike will meander below the bluffs. A more rugged hike will continue on Hick’s Creek, up into the canyon.› A tour of the institute’s permaculture landscape, hand-crafted solar homes and arboretum trail will be offered Saturday at 11 a.m. CDT. Participants are invited to bring a lunch or snacks to picnic.› Wear long pants and sturdy shoes, bring water, snacks and camera. Kids are welcome; pets are not.› Donations of $8 to $20 for the hike are requested. For more information, call 423-949-5922.Cloudland Canyon State Park122 Cloudland Canyon Park Road, Rising Fawn, Ga.› Join a walk through Sitton’s Gulch to learn to identify blooming flowers. The 1-mile route is a flat trail by the river, appropriate for ages 10 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult.› The two-hour hike is offered at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 25; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 26, and Tuesday, March 28. More hikes are schedule April 3, 5, 7 and 8.› Admission is $10 per person, plus $5 parking. Reservations are required: 706-913-7170.
Spring has sprung and there is a variety of choices this weekend that can help backyard gardeners get ready to dig in or entertain others who just want to get out of the house and enjoy the weather.
A half-dozen gardening classes and workshops are set for Saturday and Sunday, March 24-25, including EarthCare's annual workshop, which will highlight the use of native plants.
EarthCare Spring Workshop
* When: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, lunch included
* Where: Greenway Farm, 5051 Gann Store Road
* What: "Beautiful and Functional Native Plants To Replace Invasive Exotics" is the theme of the day's workshop led by Sally Wencel, Master Gardener of Hamilton County. She is a founder of Chattanooga Native Plant and Wildflower Group, co-chair of Chattanooga Area Pollinator Partnership, member of Wild Ones national board and a member of the Chattanooga Tree Commission.
EarthCare is a Christian nonprofit whose mission is to promote environmental awareness and stewardship of God's creations.
Wencel will identify exotic invasive plants commonly found in this area, give an overview of control methods and suggest native trees, shrubs, grasses, ground covers, vines and flowers that may be used as substitutes.
Trailhead Nursery will have some of these native plants on-site to sell participants.
* Registration: The workshop is free, but reservations must be made today, March 23, since a potluck lunch will be provided. To register: email activities@earthcareonline.org or call 706-278-3979.
Apple Grafting
* When: 2-4:30 p.m. Saturday
* Where: Crabtree Farms, 1000 E. 30th St.
* What: Matt Whitaker and Tom Burford lead hands-on grafting tutorial. Unlike most plants, apple varieties can't be reproduced by planting the seed from an apple variety; grafting is necessary.
"All apple trees are produced that way," says Whitaker. "There's no other way to produce them if they are a named variety."
Every participant will go home with a grafting knife, two grafted apple trees and a grafting guide.
* Registration: $50 Crabtree Farm members, $55 nonmembers. To register: 423-493-9155.
SATURDAY, MARCH 25
* Azaleas, Hydrangeas, Pollinators and Perennials: The Barn Nursery, 1801 E. 24th St. Place, 3-4 p.m. free. Craig Walker gives hands-on tips about flowering shrubs, pollinator gardens, new dwarf shrubs for color and flowering ground covers. 423-698-2276.
* Grasses, Everything You Want To Know: The Barn Nursery, 1801 E. 24th St. Place, 11 a.m.-noon, free. Grass Class 101 teaches various kinds of seeds and sod, drought tolerance, how and when to mow and the best grass for your landscape. 423-698-2276.
* Growing Blueberries and Fruit Trees: Ooltewah Nursery, 5829 Ooltewah-Ringgold Road, 10 a.m., free. Jim Yates leads interactive workshop using plants from nursery; everyone receives booklet to take home. 423-238-9775.
SUNDAY, MARCH 26
* Interior Plant Decor: The Barn Nursery, 1801 E. 24th St. Place, 3-4 p.m., free. Basics of how to select plants for certain rooms of the house, correct fertilizing and how to care for them. 423-698-2276.