Ask a Master Gardener

Master Gardeners of Davidson County are hosting an Ask a Master Gardener session at the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center on Saturday, October 10, from 10 AM to 12 PM. It's a drop-in format, so you don't need to register—just show up with whatever's on your mind. The Master Gardeners set up a table and spend the morning answering questions about plants and gardening, and it's open to all ages, so it's as much for kids as it is for experienced gardeners.

The Master Gardeners are members of the University of Tennessee Extension, which gives you a good sense of where their advice comes from. If you've got a specific problem—like a plant that won't thrive or a pest you can't identify—you can bring a photo or a description and get a direct answer. It's also a fine place to just talk through what you're planning for next season if you're not sure where to start.

Knowing the venue helps set the scene. The Shelby Bottoms Nature Center is an environmental education and recreation facility run by the Nashville Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation. It serves as a reference center for the more than 950-acre Shelby Bottoms Greenway and the 336 acres of adjacent Shelby Park in urban East Nashville. The center itself houses natural and cultural history exhibits, an organic demonstration and teaching garden, a Cumberland River Compact rain garden, a children's Nature Play area and trails, and a library of field ID guides. It's also where the city runs free public nature and environmental education programs, school field trips, volunteer opportunities, and Scout programs.

The Greenway and Park are less than four miles from downtown Nashville's Honky Tonk Row, with two Nashville B-Cycle stations nearby, so it's an easy trip from the city center. The session runs from 10 AM to 12 PM on Saturday, October 10, at 1900 Davidson St, Nashville, TN 37206, and it's free.