Hi, Naanis! And welcome to SW Tennessee. You bet there are clubs and such! A good place to start is Dr. Chris who heads the master gardener program. The extension office is located at the AgriCenter just north of town on G'town Parkway. He can hook you up with the area clubs, activities at the Botanical Center, and a neat community garden in Collierville whose spoils go to the local food pantry. G'town has a beautiful Iris garden down by the tracks. If you wanna grow apples or muskmelons, come see me in nearby, sunny Rossville. Please bring some warm weather with you. Misterbaby. (jawindom@yahoo.com)

Thanks, Misterbaby! I'll be sure to look up Dr. Chris. I took the master gardener class in Virginia but was not able to complete the community service portion because I was still working fulltime. I hope to get involved with the Tennessee program.

I like to eat both apples and muskmelons but have never grown either. I have a fair-sized yard in Germantown and hope to put in a few raised beds for a few tomatoes and such. But mostly I'm a flower gardener.

As for the warm weather--I wish! As soon as Christmas is over, I've had my fill of winter. (maybe before.)

Well, okay then, Naanis! I'm sure that Dr. Chris will have no difficulty whatsoever pointing you toward some interesting community service projects. The Shelby County program is amazingly active.

I tend to focus on fruits and vegetables. Next year I'm going to sharecrop with a lady in MS who owns a large plot of land. We're starting to build the watermelon hills next week for spring planting. There will be several hundred. Nonetheless, I have been known to grow a flower or two. Here are a couple of pics from last summer, first of Bourbon roses, then Asian lillies. Misterbaby.

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WOW!!! You do grow a flower or two. Lovely rose. What kind is it?

The rose is a Zephirine Drouhin, an antique Bourbon which is nearly thornless and nicely fragrant. Misterbaby.

Here is a pic of Mrs. Baby fighting off the sun with Crotons and other bedding plants behind her.

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Nice bed--and I don't see a single weed in that lawn! You and Mrs. Baby are obviously multi-talented.

Several of us have a plant swap in the spring and another one in the fall. It is open to any gardeners in the area. You might watch this forum for more info later. Welcome to the area! It's easy to grow things here and we have quite a variety of flowers and vegetables. Judy

Thanks, Judy. I love plant swaps and I'll be checking back for more info.

Bumping this post.
Wanted to remind you of the wonderful swwap coming up next week. Do come play with the other plant nuts. We are good to new blood, I mean friends. There is a post up for what we are planning so far.