Jason Reeves - in the garden

Jason Reeves - in the garden Garden Tours, Garden Lecturer & Writer, Photographer, Landscape Designer and Consultant with more than 25 years experience in the green industry.
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I don’t know what kind of magic my coworker has been practicing but if it has something to do with rain I think he needs...
09/09/2026

I don’t know what kind of magic my coworker has been practicing but if it has something to do with rain I think he needs a new wand! 😂

What a great day at Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville.Thanks to four volunteers for helping me groom and fertil...
09/08/2026

What a great day at Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville.

Thanks to four volunteers for helping me groom and fertilize the 105 pots, planters and hanging baskets scattered about the property. Rebecca and Danielle came from Jackson, Sandy from Cottontown and Linda from Nashville.

I had a birthday a few days ago and celebrated with my family today. Three of my favorite gifts are a copper ring wateri...
09/07/2026

I had a birthday a few days ago and celebrated with my family today. Three of my favorite gifts are a copper ring watering sprinkler, a hand forged antique funnel and a cool wooden plaque. I especially love the daffodils on it.

Tips for watering from the end of a hose. Focus on the root zone when possible.Time of day. Water in the morning when po...
09/06/2026

Tips for watering from the end of a hose.

Focus on the root zone when possible.

Time of day. Water in the morning when possible. When the soil is dry and the plants are thirsty, water when you can. The old wives tale that if you water a plant when the sun is out, it will burn the leaves is nothing but just that, an old wives tale. The plant doesn’t care when you water.

Water deeply and thoroughly. Annuals and turf grass concentrate their roots in the top 6-8 inches of soil. Perennials, shrubs and trees in the top 12-18 inches. It may take hours for water to percolate down. Use your finger or a shovel to check the progress.

During dry periods trees and shrubs less than a year old will likely need direct watering every 7 to 10 days. If planted in the last couple months, they will likely need it more often.

If you have drip or soaker hoses that is great. If dragging a hose using the right tool on the end makes a huge difference. See captions under photos for details.

When I am dragging the hose in my garden its easy for me to overlook or even turn my head on plants that are not flowering. Don't forget to keep a eye on trees and shrubs that are not well established and plants that form their flower buds in late summer in preparation for fall, winter or spring blooms. Camellias, whichhazel, azaleas, Edgeworth and Corylopsis (spike winterhazel) are some not to be overlooked. It will not be long before fall blooming camellias will begin flowering.
Also shrubs that are know to rebloom or continue to bloom when conditions are favorable (such as Endless Summer ® Twist-n-Shout® , BloomStruck® , Summer Crush® and Pop Star® hydrangeas).

Many of my fall, winter and spring blooming shrubs are planted in the edge of my woods individually and not in beds. Using a sprinkler at the base of each plant to directing water to its root zone as opposed to watering the entire area conserves water and the water bill. I like to use a value connect to the sprinkler to control the amount of water in the area it is covering. The value also makes it easy when moving from plant to plant to not get wet. Use your timer on your phone as a reminder when to move the water.

Gardeners give the best gifts! Coworkers from when I worked UT, Charlie & Susan came by my farm this evening with a bas...
09/06/2026

Gardeners give the best gifts!

Coworkers from when I worked UT, Charlie & Susan came by my farm this evening with a basket full of produce and a box of potatoes.

It was great showing them around the farm and progress on the house.

If you shop the farmers market in Jackson Tennessee check out their fresh produce.

Plant of the day. ‘Buttered Popcorn’ daylily. In bloom today for its third time, this is why ‘Buttered Popcorn’ has been...
09/05/2026

Plant of the day. ‘Buttered Popcorn’ daylily.

In bloom today for its third time, this is why ‘Buttered Popcorn’ has been my go to landscape daylily for more than 20 years.

It is the most dependable reblooming daylily I am aware of. Under ideal conditions in zone 7 I have know it to flower four time and be in bloom at Halloween in a mild fall.

All reblooming daylilies will perform their best with the addition of water after the first round of blooms. If you have reblooming daylilies that no longer perform as they once did, they most likely need to be dug and divided. Also they benefit from compost and/or fertilizer and mulch. Lack of full sun also affects their performance.

‘Buttered Popcorn’ was introduced in 1971 by hybridizer Frederick M. Benzinger.

A few notable dates:
1993 — Won the American Daylily Society President’s Cup.
2006 — Named an All-American Daylily, winning in the landscape category.

This morning‘s project. Leveling out the sand in the area which will be my front porch. 10 feet deep and 75 feet long. I...
09/05/2026

This morning‘s project. Leveling out the sand in the area which will be my front porch. 10 feet deep and 75 feet long. I will then cover it with high-quality landscape fabric and use it for storage particularly for all my ceramic pots in the winter months. The area is 4 feet high on one and and 6 feet on the other.

Pots and volunteers opportunity.105, the number of pots, planters and hanging baskets at Tennessee Department of Agricul...
09/05/2026

Pots and volunteers opportunity.

105, the number of pots, planters and hanging baskets at Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Ellington Agricultural Center. 

If you have visited Ellington before but not recently, or have never visited, you would stop in for a visit. The pots and gardens are at their peak now. The grounds are open daylight to dark year-round and the Tennessee Agricultural Museum is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM and free to visit.

We are looking for a few more garden volunteers. If you’re interested in gaining hands on experience in horticulture while beautifying the campus, please  private message me through this page. If anyone would happen to be available this Monday, I could use someone to help me fertilize the 105 pots.

Sunday (August 30) the first of my Lycoris radiata (red spider lilies) begin to open. Today there are probably 50.On Oct...
09/05/2026

Sunday (August 30) the first of my Lycoris radiata (red spider lilies) begin to open. Today there are probably 50.

On October 1, 2021 my mother and I
transplanted 406 bulbs from her garden to my farm planting them in several locations in the lawn. On November 23, 2024 Mother and I planted 1200 more bulbs given to me by a Facebook follower and friend.

It can take Lycoris 2 to 3 years to flower after being transplanted. They can vary from year to year in bloom time but typically in September. I occasionally have had some flowering as last as the second week of October.

If you’re not familiar with them they flower now and then their foliage comes up a little bit later staying green all winter and then dying down in the spring when it gets hot. Just like pink surprise lilies (Lycoris squamigera), daffodils, spring and summer snowflake (Leucojum) and Colchicum they are poisonous to squirrels, chipmunks, deer, aliens, groundhogs, voles and other mammals so you don’t have to worry about them being eaten. Clarksburg, Tennessee hardiness zone 7.

Anyone with medium and/or large tomatoes cages you would like to get out of your way? I would love them to place around ...
09/05/2026

Anyone with medium and/or large tomatoes cages you would like to get out of your way? I would love them to place around trees at my farm to keep the deer from rubbing their antlers on them.

They don’t have to be in the best of shape. The small one on the right is to small to do the job.

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4339 Park Ave
Memphis, TN
38117

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