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Fall is almost upon us and that means prepping your plants for the cooler weather. For fall garden prep ideas and planting tips, I could only think of one place to turn…
Who better to give us tips than one of Nashville’s leading Horticulturalists – who just so happens to work in the gardens of Gaylord Opryland, one of my favorite vacation destinations – Brooks O’Brien.
Fall Garden Prep for Winter & Spring Planting
Brooks gave 3 helpful tips to prepare our summer gardens for winter:
Tip #1 – Cutting back and cleaning up
- Cut back perennials.
- Remove & compost your annuals and seasonable vegetables.
- Remove weeds and leaf debris
Tip #2 – Protect and prepare
- Take pictures so you can remember where you planted perennials
- Winterize containers or bring plants inside
- Add more soil, compost, mulch
Tip #3 – Plan for next season
- Fall is a great time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials, winter annuals, bulbs and cool season vegetables
Plants You’ll Find Inside Opryland
Of course, with the Opryland atriums being 72 degrees all year long, they’re able to grow plants you wouldn’t normally find in Nashville. Here are just some of the horticultural treasures you’ll find when walking around the resort:
- 50,000 tropical plants, rare international blooms, romantic Southern species
- 9 acres of indoor, temperature-controlled gardens
- Garden Conservatory – 10,000 tropical plants, palms, banana trees.
- Cascades Atrium– 8,200 tropical, ornamental plants – 40ft food Alexandria Palm, ginger bushes, iasminum vines
- Delta Atrium – 370 trees and palms, reaching 40 ft tall. Black olive trees and West India mahoganies.
Horticulture Fun
If you’d like to learn more about all the greenery inside the atriums and Garden Conservatory, guests can take the Self-Guided Horticulture Tour. (Don’t miss the Zombie Palm!)
Another can’t miss experience at Opryland for nature lovers is the Delta Flatboat ride. This 15-20 minute tour has a guide who expertly shares information on all the plants, trees, fish, and waterfalls you’ll see along the way.
Fall at Opryland: Goblins & Giggles
This fall, guests are invited to Gaylord Opryland Resort to experience a memorable family vacation by enjoying the resort’s Goblins & Giggles celebration, occurring weekends September 11 through October 31, 2020.
Goblins & Giggles offers a wide array of family-friendly activations from spooky animal encounters and a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt featuring Spookley the Square Pumpkin to trick-or-treating and cruising along our indoor river aboard one of the resort’s flatboat rides.
In celebration of Goblins & Giggles, the resort is offering a special package starting at $245. The package includes a one-night stay, two Hide and Seek Scavenger Hunt booklets and four passes for a ride on a Delta River flatboat inside the Resort. The package excludes resort fee and parking.
Christmas at Opryland
Of course, you know Christmas preparations are already underway at “The Most Christmassy Hotel” in the country. After all, those 3 million Christmas lights don’t hang themselves!
The horticulture team starts their prep for “A Country Christmas” in the heat of the summer months. I got to ride high on the cherry picker to see just how it’s done and trust me, I will never complain about hanging Christmas lights at my house ever again.
SoundWaves Still Open
Chill vibe or thrill ride, riding the waves or floating along a lazy river, SoundWaves upscale water attraction fuses music and water to create an exclusive Nashville experience with something for the entire family.
EXCLUSIVE OFFERS: Non-hotel guests who are Tennessee residents can still purchase a one-day pass Monday – Thursday valid select weekdays. TN Residents can also save 25% on an overnight SoundWaves Experience Package.
Watch the full video from The Sami Cone Show:
This segment originally aired on Episode 13.
Gaylord Opryland is the presenting sponsor of The Sami Cone Show
