I belong to the East Tennessee Daylily Society, the East Tennessee Iris Society, the UT Arboretum Society (not a garden club, but of botanical interest), and the American Conifer Society (which usually has at least a couple of local events per year) as well as some non-local organizations. If you want more info on any of those, just let me know. There are a couple of other local plant-related clubs in which I have never participated (the East Tennessee Hosta Society, the Tennessee Rose Society, The Tennessee Native Plant Society, the Knoxville Bonsai Society, and I'm sure there are others). There is supposedly a Greater Knoxville Cactus and Succulent Society, but they seem rather hard to contact or find out anything about.

As for swapping plants, you just missed the East Tennessee Plant Swap. It was this past Sunday. We'll have another one in the Fall. I doubt any club would be able to provide the variety of plants available at one of our swaps. We always post an announcement here before each swap, and you can also sign up for our email group at our website, www.easttnplantswap.com

If you are interested in starting a local general interest gardening club, let me know. I might be interested. I enjoy the clubs/societies I am part of, but do see a benefit to a more generalized group.

Oh, BTW, I noticed you are new. Tell us a little about yourself!

Thanks for the information. I will get online and check these societies out a little more to see what they are all about. I will also get on the email group for the ET Plant Swap for the fall.

A good place to start is Friends of the UT Gardens. They have all sorts of activities and workshops during the year.
Check out Bloomsday this June. There will be lots of workshops and great events.
Also check out Knoxville Permaculture Guild. They have lots of different activities through the year and are working to promote legal chickens in Knoxville. Definitely a dirty hands group.
http://knoxvillepermacultureguild.ning.com/
Beardsley community farms is an interesting group. They are definitely working in the soil.
http://beardsleyfarm.org/
And do visit the Knoxville Botanical Garden. It's just getting started and needs volunteers and supporters.
http://www.knoxgarden.org/

Here is a link that might be useful: UT Gardens

Hi. Just wanted to let anyone know that might be interested, we are starting a Seymour Garden Club(it is definitely hands on!) and the first meeting is June 23, 2011, at 6:30 pm at the Seymour branch library, Macon Rd, Seymour TN. Contact Cathi Cogle 577.0038 for more information.

will try to attend the meeting in Seymour, as a seymour resident I dont find much garden clubs. I recently discovered a lady off boyds creek that has an Iris farm...all the years living here and I just found out that is how hard it is to find info around here. I am into rare iris's now and starting my own iris garden, would like to find more Iris collectors

The East Tennessee Iris Society is a good place to meet fellow iris growers. We have members from south Knoxville, but none (that I know of from Seymour). If you are interested, please join us at one of our regular meetings at 7pm on the second Monday of the months, March through October, at Bethel United Methodist Church, 5955 West Emory Road, Knoxville, TN 37931. Doors are usually opened at 6:30pm for socializing and refreshments. At least one of our south Knoxville members is a well-known, award-winning iris hybridizer.

Hello, I also am new to the area and am very interested in joining or becoming active in some substantial clubs as I have had very little luck so far. Nice to find a site that seems totally legitimate and as helpful and kind as you all. I will contact the above mentioned sites and would love to hear more from you all.

Truly nice to be here!