News Release
For Immediate Release — June 12, 2008
UT Gardens Blossom Into Independent Program
Dr. Susan Hamilton
Dr, Susan Hamilton, Interim Director of the UT Gardens, and associate professor of plant sciences, will speak at Blooms Days '08 in Knoxville June 28 and 29, and at the Summer Celebration in Jackson July 10.
A gardener plants a seed, then watches over it, giving it water and fertilizer to encourage it to grow. It’s been 25 years since the University of Tennessee Gardens were first planted, and like a seed, after a lot of labor on the part of numerous UT faculty members and local gardening enthusiasts, the Gardens has taken on a life of its own.
In recognition of the Gardens’ expanding programs and its role for UT as well as within Knoxville and the surrounding gardening communities, the UT Institute of Agriculture has appointed Dr. Susan Hamilton, an associate professor of horticulture in the Department of Plant Sciences, as Interim Director of the Gardens.
Hamilton has been visible within the Gardens for some years as director of the nationally recognized annual flower trials, but her new position expands her responsibilities to include full oversight for garden operations including budget management, development, strategic planning, and coordinating the activities of the Friends of the Gardens support group. Hamilton will assume her new role July 1.
Twenty five years ago the UT Gardens began as a research and outreach program of the UT Agricultural Experiment Station. Located on a six-acre plot off Neyland Drive, the Gardens started out as comparative plant research plots and an outdoor teaching laboratory for students of ornamental horticulture and landscape design. It has blossomed to also include the annual flower trial gardens and a Tennessee-certified arboretum. The location has also become a destination attraction for local and regional gardeners.
As a result of her new appointment, UTIA will temporarily suspend the majority of Hamilton’s teaching responsibilities within the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Her appointment will be effective until a permanent Director can be appointed.
Dr. Joseph DiPietro, UT vice president for agriculture, announced the appointment June 10. “I’m pleased that Dr. Hamilton can take on this expanded role. She is already well-known to the gardening community as co-host of the WNOX radio show, ‘The Garden Girls’ and she’s a popular author and speaker. She brings a wealth of valuable professional expertise to the position and is an ideal representative for the Institute.”
In an e-mail to UTIA faculty and staff, DiPietro said, “The Gardens are an excellent example of how our research, teaching and outreach efforts are integrated, and they represent a tangible and ongoing opportunity to communicate that message to our many constituents.”
Hamilton is excited about the new opportunity. “The Gardens are important to the mission of the Institute, and I look forward to establishing a good foundation for their future,” she said. “Of course I will miss my active teaching duties, but once a permanent director is on board I expect to be back in the classroom on a regular basis.” Hamilton will continue to coordinate the Public Horticulture Program and mentor graduate students in the Department of Plant Sciences.
Hamilton will be a speaker at the Gardens’ annual Blooms Days Garden Festival and Marketplace on June 28 and 29. Tickets to the event are free and can be obtained in advance at all UT Federal Credit Union branches and at many area gardening outlets. More details about the event and a complete list of ticket outlets are available online at http://www.bloomsdays.utk.edu
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Contact: Patricia McDaniels, UTIA Marketing and Communications, 865-974-7141