JACKSON, Tenn. (July 6, 2015) — The 2015 Summer Celebration Lawn and Garden Show will celebrate pollinators and creative garden displays with the theme “Bees, Birds, Butterflies and Bottles.” Many of the 15 garden talks at this University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture event will cover pollinator health and habitat, while the Master Gardener Plant Sale will feature plants that attract butterflies. It all happens Thursday, July 9, at the UT Gardens, Jackson, located at the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center.

Bees, Birds, Butterflies and Bottles Headline 2015 Event

A complete program guide can be found online at the West Tennessee AgResearch Center’s website: west.tennessee.edu.

Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 18. Included in admission are all garden talks and tours and access to the UT Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic. The UT Soil, Plant and Pest Center will also host a free soil pH testing station. Those interested in learning the pH of their soil should bring a sandwich bag full of the soil they wish to be tested.

Those desiring more comprehensive tests should visit the SPPC website (ag.tennessee.edu/spp) for instructions or call a local UT Extension office. Fees for more extensive tests are posted on the website.

New to the Summer Celebration this year is an additional $5 charge for tickets to the UT Kitchen Divas’ cooking shows. Included in the fee are generous samples of the Divas’ signature recipes. This year the featured ingredient is squash. Tickets are available for purchase at 9 a.m. outside the demonstration kitchen. A total of seven shows will be presented hourly beginning at 10 a.m.

Fans of the gardens’ bottle art will be pleased to see the collection expand in 2015. Prepare to be wowed by these elaborate displays featuring more than 7,000 bottles. The ornamental plantings will also impress. See the superb scenery on a guided tour or peruse the grounds on your own. All plants are labeled.

In addition to the extensive selection of plants at the Master Gardener Plant Sale, visitors can enjoy great shopping at the Exhibitor Tent. Around 50 businesses will set up booths here, selling plants, lawn equipment, garden art and crafts. The Summer Celebration experience will also be enhanced with added food and refreshment options.

The 15 garden talks begin at 10 a.m. and repeat throughout the day. They’re held both indoors and out. Experts from across the state will show you how to create a garden that attracts beautiful wildlife, complements natural habitat and provides year-round interest. Learn to manage weeds in your lawn and to grow your own vegetables. There are also talks on honeybee health, butterfly counts and birdhouses. UT Extension’s West Tennessee horticulturalist Carol Reese will present a talk titled “Sex in the Garden,” which is sure to arouse interest!

A wagon tour of the West Tennessee AgResearch Center rounds out the program. These tours will depart every 30 minutes.

Summer Celebration runs from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.