Rue-anemonePlant sales are a sure sign spring has sprung -- and this weekend there are five gardening events happening around the Tennessee Valley to tempt gardeners.
Crabtree Farms and Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center are holding their annual spring sales, which offer sustainably propagated starts for sale. Members of Daisy United Methodist Church are giving away young plants from their own gardens.
The Hamilton County Master Gardeners are sponsoring their comprehensive Master Your Garden expo at Camp Jordan in East Ridge. And for those in search of fun in the great outdoors, Friends of the South Cumberland has geared its annual Trails and Trilliums to family events around the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly grounds in Sewanee, Tenn.
Here's a roundup of gardening events to weed through, plan your schedule of speakers to catch each day, find out where to get free expert gardening advice, then dig in.
Eddie Stiles selects plants from a tray at the 2014 Reflection Riding Spring Native Plant Sale.MASTER YOUR GARDEN EXPO
* Where: Camp Jordan Arena, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge.
* Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
* Admission: $5 ages 12 and older, ticket good both days.
* What's offered: Ongoing demonstrations in mulching, composting, raised-bed gardening, gardening for the physically challenged, a children's corner where kids make garden-related crafts and take home a pot of seeds, vendors selling starts, yard art, information on area special-interest gardening groups, a bonsai show, educational seminars and free advice from Master Gardeners on any type of gardening question.
* Information: mghc.org
Seminar schedule
Saturday
* 10:30 a.m. "Mushrooms in the Landscape" by Angel Miller, 2 Angels Mushrooms in Harrison, Tenn.
* Noon. "Growing Wild Things in a Polite Neighborhood" by Linda Fraser of Atlanta.
* 1:30 p.m. "Conifers -- More Than a Christmas Tree" by Jeff Harvey, Dirt Dawg Nursery, Watertown, Tenn.
* 3 p.m. "Roses/Equipment/Tools" by Wendy Tilley of Acworth, Ga.
Sunday
* 10:30 a.m. "Herbs and their Uses" by Pat Stewart, Down to Earth Herb Farm, Hixson
* Noon. "Perennials and Tropical Ferns" by Eleanor Craig, Fern Ridge Farms, Cedar Bluff, Ala.
* 1:30 p.m. "Tillandsias" by Michael Seal, The Funny Farm, Poplarville, Miss.
SPRING PLANT SALE
* Where: Crabtree Farms, 1000 E. 30th St.
Hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. today-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.
* Admission: Free.
* What's offered: Workshops, crafters, a dozen vendors and more than 300 varieties of plants from A (artichoke) to Z (zucchini). Starts will be sold in fruits, herbs, annual flowers, perennials and 84 varieties of vegetables.
* Information: crabtreefarms.org/events/spring-plant-sale
Robin Gottfried, at right, leads a wildflower hike at last year's Trails & Trilliums festival in Monteagle, Tenn. Gottfried and his wife, Yolande, will be recognized as this year's Yeatman Education Award recipients during the Wine & Wild- flowers reception on Saturday at 5 p.m.Seminar Schedule
Saturday
* 10 a.m. "Growing Edible Mushrooms" by Josh Nason
* 11 a.m. "Organic Gardening 101" by Joel Houser
* Noon. "Cooking with Herbs" by Stefan Austin, Root Kitchen
* 1 p.m. "Backyard Fruits" by Jon Geerlings, Home Flavors
* 2 p.m. "Heirloom Flowers and Herbs" by Scott Drucker, Tina Jennings and Ivana Patterson, Tennessee-Alabama-Georgia Garden Club.
Sunday
* 11 a.m. "Organic Gardening 101" by Joel Houser
* Noon. "All About Bees" by Tennessee Valley Beekeepers Association, program for children includes tour of hives with beekeepers following talk.
* 1 p.m. "Composting" by Bud Hines, Hamilton County Master Gardeners
* 2 p.m. "Kids Garden Planting"
SPRING NATIVE PLANT SALE
* Where: Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center, 400 Garden Road.
* Hours: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. today-Saturday.
* Admission: Free to plant sale only; to tour property is $10 adults, $7 ages 4-11 and senior adults.
* What's offered: All the nursery-propagated plants are indigenous to this area. Many are propagated from seeds gathered from Lookout Mountain and the surrounding areas of the Cumberland Plateau. The sale offers more than 7,000 native plant varieties in 130 species for purchase, with experts on hand to answer questions about growing them.
* Information: reflectionriding.org/riding/greenhouse/native-plant-sale-brochure
Seminar schedule (Same schedule both days)
* 11 a.m. "Native Hawthorns of Tennessee" by Ronald Lance
* 12:30 p.m. "Spring Ephemerals" by Chris Mahoney
South Cumberland ranger Jessie McNeel will be one of 15 nature educators presenting children's programs during Trails & Trilliums in Monteagle. On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., free "connecting children with nature" activities will be offered. Activities include a ropes course and giant swing, hayrides, Survivor 101, building fairy houses, nature hikes, outdoor games and more. No reservations are needed for children's activities.* 1 p.m. Wildflower hike led by naturalist Michael Green
* 3 p.m. Wildlife presentation by Tish Gailmard, Nature Center director of wildlife
SPRING PLANT GIVEAWAY
* Where: Daisy United Methodist Church, 9508 Old Dayton Pike, Soddy-Daisy.
* Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.
* Admission: Free.
* What's offered: A variety of vegetable and flower starts propagated by members of the church. The plants are free, but there is a limit as to the number one family may take home.
* Information: 326-9248.
TRAILS AND TRILLIUMS
* Where: Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, Highway 41-A, on the Cumberland Plateau near Sewanee, Tenn.
* Hours: 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. CDT today, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. CDT Saturday-Sunday.
* Admission: $10 per person general admission to festival; $20 per person includes festival, guided hikes and workshops. Free to children and any adult accompanying a child.
* What's offered: April is peak wildflower season on the Cumberland Plateau, according to Friends of the South Cumberland, so the group hosts a three-day festival of 20 guided hikes, workshops, garden tour, a native plant sale and children's events. Preregistration is encouraged for guided walks and workshops due to limited seating. Those who register and pay online are given preference.
For full schedule, prices and registration, go to trailsandtrilliums.org.
Contact staff writer Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.