Events

Amanda Spangler of UT's Plant Sciences Department and JD Zimmerman of the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Delaware will share with us how they re-created - on the grounds of the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum - a rare, endangered native habitat called a seep, where water wells up out of the ground and flows along the surface. They will share with us why they decided to undertake this unique project, what native plants require this habitat, and why seeps are important to native ecosystems. At the end of the presentation they'll give us a guided tour of the seep garden. Don't miss it!

Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/seep-garden-tour-at-knoxville-botanical-gardens

About Amanda Spangler:

Amanda Spangler is a Lecturer in Plant Sciences at the University of Tennessee who advances environmental sustainability through community-engaged, field-based teaching. She collaborates with community experts as co-educators and creates practical, place-based experiences where students apply sustainable growing practices beyond the classroom.

About JD Zimmerman:

James Zimmerman is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Horticulture and Design in the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program at the University of Delaware. His work sits at the intersection of ecological design, plant systems, and experiential learning, with a focus on how plant communities inform landscape performance and design practice.

Trained as a landscape architect, he holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Tennessee and brings professional design-build experience with an emphasis on ecological planting design. His teaching spans studio, lecture, and field-based courses, emphasizing hands-on, community-engaged learning that connects students to real-world landscape challenges. His scholarship and built work explore the role of plants in shaping resilient landscapes and advancing experiential education through living systems and community partnerships.

What is a Seep?

According to Dr. Dwayne Estes of the Southern Grasslands Institute, dolomite and limestone seep communities in the Ridge and Valley ecoregion of southwestern Virginia, east Tennessee, northwestern Georgia, and northeast and central Alabama are a unique type of grassland community. A dolomite–limestone seep is a small, naturally wet spot on a hillside where spring water leaks out of cracks in dolomite or limestone rock and slowly flows downhill.  Because the ground there stays wet and the soil is very thin and rocky, big trees usually can’t grow well. Instead, these seeps are mostly covered by smaller plants like grasses, sedges, wildflowers, and mosses. Just beyond the seep—where the soil is deeper and more stable—you’re more likely to see a normal woodland or forest.

Read more about the seep garden: https://www.knoxgarden.org/seepgarden

Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/seep-garden-tour-at-knoxville-botanical-gardens