Garden captures Delta agriculture heritage - Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - The Memphis Botanic Garden is showcasing some plants that are more often associated with farms than backyards as it pays tribute to the Delta South's agricultural past.

Horticulture director Rick Pudwell tells The Memphis Daily News (http://bit.ly/NaBc1R) that staff drew on their own experiences and conducted historical research for the patch that's being called the Delta Heritage Garden.

Featured are three kinds of cotton, a crop that shaped Memphis and the rest of the Delta region. The cotton isn't the white, fluffy variety most often associated with Southern plantations. One type produces a green boll while another has copper-colored fibers and third sports rich red foliage.

The heritage garden is also growing edible crops, including black-eyed peas, watermelon and okra.

Online:

Memphis Botanic Garden: http://www.memphisbotanicgarden.com/

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