Learn About Sustainable Landscaping Practices at the UT Gardens, Knoxville
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – How smart is your yard? If you are interested in upgrading your yard or property to a smart yard by using native plants, responsible and efficient rain drainage and other sustainable landscaping practices, then come to the third annual Smart Yards and Friends Festival.
The event is Saturday, September 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the University of Tennessee Gardens, Knoxville, 2518 Jacob Drive on the UTIA campus. It’s hosted by Knox County Master Gardeners. UT Extension and Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension with support from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
At the festival, visitors can explore the Gardens, talk with and ask questions of Master Gardeners, swap yard chemicals for native seeds and learn about water management, composting, native plants, turning your lawn into a meadow, soil conservation and gardening for wildlife.
The event is free, but pre-register for extra raffle ticket giveaways such as a rain barrel, worm bin, native plants, wildflower seeds and a bat box. There will be a food vendor on site and a selfie booth. You must be present to win. Pre-register online at tiny.utk.edu/smartyardsfestival.
Tennessee Smart Yards is an Extension-led program that guides Tennesseans on practices to create healthier and more ecologically-sound landscapes and communities. Residents incorporate nine foundational principles to have a certified Tennessee Smart Yard. The principles include planting the right plant in the right place, managing soils and mulch, practicing sustainability, watering efficiently, fertilizing appropriately, managing yard pests, reducing stormwater and pollutants, providing for wildlife and protecting the water’s edge. The program is a 2025 winner of the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award for Environmental Education and Outreach and has certified more than 850 yards across the state in the last five years.
Last year, more than 200 people attended the second Smart Yards and Friends Festival.
Here is a schedule of events:
9 a.m. – Doors open
9:30 a.m. – Worm compost bin demonstration
10 a.m. – “Conservation, But Make It Pretty – Native Plants for the Flower Garden” presentation
10:30 a.m. – Building a bat house demonstration
11 a.m. – “Things You Always Wanted to Know About Bats” presentation
11:30 a.m. – Water efficiently demonstration
Noon – “Living at the Edge: Smart Planting for Healthy Waterways” presentation
1 p.m. – Festival ends
For more information about Tennessee Smart Yards, visit tnyards.utk.edu. The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.