Sunday, January 24, 2010

Learn to Garden Successfully in Central Texas

Gardeners who move to Central Texas are often mystified by our gardening seasons, environment and successful plant selections.  New to gardening in Central Texas or looking to refresh your knowledge of the basics to successful gardening here?  This seminar is for you!

Central Texas Gardening 101
Saturday, January 30, 2010
10am-noon
Zilker Botanical Garden
2220 Barton Springs Rd., Austin TX, 78746


Austin offers a unique mixture of weather, soil, and environment and the rules of gardening here are likely different from other areas you might have gardened before.  This seminar is great for those establishing new roots in our area and trying to figure out how to encourage their plants to do the same or for those who need a refresher on the gardening basics of our area. 

Join Daphne Richards, Horticulture Agent at the Texas Agrilife Extension Service for Travis County, to cover what you need to know to be a successful central Texas gardener.  Included in the discussion will be our seasonal growing calendar, how to work with challenging soils, maintenance schedules for pruning and planting, tips on giving your plants the best start in your garden, and more. 

This seminar is free, open to the public and requires no reservations.  It is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners Association, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County. For information, see http://www.tcmastergardeners.org or call the Travis County Master Gardener's help desk at (512) 854-9600.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Get Growing & Keep Going Conference for Educators

Get Growing & Keep Going (GGKG), a symposium that will provide teachers, administrators and parents with the tools to integrate gardens and nature areas into the school environment, will take place February 6th, 2010 from 8am-4pm at Gonzalo Garza Independence High School (located at 1600 Chicon St., Austin Texas, 78702). The symposium is themed "Greening Our Schools", and features keynote speaker Kevin Coyle, National Wildlife Federation Vice President of Education. Field experts will lead a variety of sectionals on topics including rainwater harvesting, vermiculture, double digging, schoolyard habitats, entomology, environmental stewardship, fundraising, and building a garden community. Teachers will receive seven continuing education credits (through Texas AgriLife Extension Service) for participating in this event.

Registration costs $25 before January 15th and $30 until January 29th. For more information, contact Lisa Anhaiser with Texas AgriLife Extension Service at LAAnhaiser@ag.tamu.edu or call 512-854-9600. To register for the Get Growing & Keep Going symposium, visit: http://online.nwf.org/GGKG.