Here come the blooms, ready or not. 

Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29 were busy days at the University of Tennessee Gardens and for good reason - Blooms Days blossomed into season once more, making it 25 years.

To honor Blooms Days' 25th anniversary, silver anniversary sponsor UT Federal Credit Union allowed visitors to come without fees.

Vendor Brian White, owner of Whites Nursery, said the numbers were up this year because of free admission. 

"It's been a real great turnout," White said on Saturday.

Alongside White, vendor Janet Edkins, who sold sumi-é art, hand-made cards and prints, framed and unframed, said the festival had been great, despite the humidity. Edkins, a native of England, was not accustomed to such warm weather, but enjoyed Knoxville life just the same.

"You've really got the best of both worlds," Edkins said of Knoxville.

Other vendors offered a wide variety of goods like handmade pottery, flowers and various shrubberies, herbs and garden decorations as well as house-warming gifts.

Different workstations surrounded the vendors' tent and kept visitors busy working on anything from finger-painting for children to 10 ways to use herbs for adults.  Workshops informing visitors of "how to contain your vegetables" also taught the public space-saving strategies.

Activities for children included an insect zoo and butterfly house, sprinklers, face painting and story time at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily.

Visitors of Blooms Days didn't have to walk around the gardens in silence; different bands serenaded guests with Celtic sounds and music from the mountains.  Performers included Wild Blue Yonder, Four Leaf Peat and Early Morning String Dusters.

Food provided by Buddy's Bar-b-q and Mediterranean Delight was available from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.  Ice cream was also available for dessert and provided guests a way to cool off under the shade trees.