Show Basket   Update Profile   Daylily Search   Checkout

 
Daylilies, Hosta, Dahlias, and Roses; tour the grounds - Sunshine Hollow Gardens
Garden's Present and Future Activities
Hollow Ridge Road
One of the newest completions is the "Hollow Ridge Road." It is a three mile road around the ridges of the Hollow. Deep woods and steep slopes give the impression of a rugged mountain road. The terrain is typical of the many ridges in the Great Valley of Tennessee. The road will be available for driving, horseback riding, and hiking. Wagon rides around the road may also be available in the future.
Dave's Trail
Another new gentle walking trail which runs around the interior of the Hollow is named "Dave's Trail" because it is his "piece de resistance" of all the eight miles of trails on the property. It is approximately two miles in length. This trail travels through the hollow where hundreds of native azaleas bloom in the Spring. In addition to the Native Azaleas, we eventually hope to display a large number of Rhododendron and Azalea species and hybrids as well as numerous Hellebores along the trail. The combination of the different bloom seasons will give us late Winter bloom from the Lenten Roses (Hellebores), early Spring bloom (Native Azaleas) and late Spring bloom (Rhododendrons). This trail is almost finished except for one bridge near the end that we hope to build this year.
Fern Gully Trail
The Fern Gully trail has just been completed this past Fall.  It leads off the main Garden path "Vicki Lynn Trail" and follows the creek that feeds the two acre lake at the center of the Hollow.  The area has magnificent older trees and is cool even in the Summer time.  The moisture from the Creek has fostered hundreds of Native ferns.  This winter we have added another ten varieties of Native and Hybrid ferns to the area.  We intend to keep upgrading the amount and variety of ferns in this area and possibly expanding the walking trail into other areas as well as adding benches for sitting.
George Wetland Area
Just below the large dam that creates "Sunshine Hollow Lake" is a large Bog or Wetland. We are developing this naturally swampy area for use in displaying water-loving plants such as Lotus, Iris pseudacorus, Louisiana Iris, Cannas, Carnivorous plants, sweet flag and others. In 2004 we roughed in a trail around the perimeter of the area. In 2008 we cleared out the underbrush and cull trees and cleaned out the little creek through the area. A little water pond we named "The Casper Pond" because it looks like Casper the Ghost was built also in 2008. Two foot bridges were built in 2009 to access the area from the "Fred Lee Rhyne Nature Trail". Now we will be adding plant material to the area in the next few years.
Floating Water Gardens
Visitors this year will see the first edition of something new we are going to try at the Gardens.  We will be adding small floating plant islands to at least one of our ponds this year.  These "Floating Islands" will contain plants which will use the surrounding water for nutrients.  We think that most plants that can be rooted in water or that will grow in moist areas could be used in the "Floating Islands".  Examples of some of these are Impatients, creeping jenny, Hosta, Houtennyia, yellow flag iris and many others.

[Gardens Home]   [Contact Us]   [Newsletter]   [Privacy]   [Main Home]  

Version: e, February, 2007. Page generated 07:20 CST; Wednesday, March 10, 2010.