Dealing With Drought in the Landscape Series

Are you prepared for the hot, dry summer months that lie ahead? Now is the time learn about ways to help your landscape and garden perform while conserving, preserving and protecting our water resources.  Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Travis County and Travis County Master Gardeners will present a series of monthly seminars called Dealing with Drought in the Landscape starting in February.

The programs will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the AgriLife Extension office in southeast Austin, located at 1600-B Smith Road.  
Cost is $10 per seminar for early registration and $15 per seminar for late or on-site registration.  To register, go to https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/TravisCounty.  For more information, contact Richards at 512-854-9600 or drichards@tamu.edu

February 12 - Landscaping Basics   
Learn basic landscape principals and become familiar with the native and adapted plants to incorporate into your garden. Carolyn Williams has been a Master Gardener for over 14 years and a gardener in Central Texas for over 40 years. She hold both Basic and Advanced Landscape Design Certification from ACC. She will share her experience of working with good Texas tough plants to use in your designs.

March 12 - Using Native Plants in the Landscape 
Native Texas plants bring beauty and function to your garden while being well adapted to handle Texas’ blazing summers, drought, and other weather extremes. In addition to being water-wise, native plants provide great benefits to pollinators and birds. 4-H CAPITAL’s gardening specialist and Texas Master Naturalist Meredith O’Reilly will guide you in choosing the right natives for your yard and your garden goals.

April 9 - Tree Care During Drought 
Many trees are stressed by prolonged periods of hot, dry weather. Selecting trees that use water efficiently is one way to make your landscape more resistant to droughts. Learn about several tree maintenance procedures to increase a tree’s chance during drought such as mulching, proper pruning, limiting fertilization and supplemental irrigation.  Lara Schuman, an ISA Certified Arborist and acting Program Manager at City of Austin Urban Forestry will share her knowledge on caring for trees.

May 14 - Alternative Methods of Gardening 
If you have limited garden space or time yet still have a desire to nurture your green thumb, Master Gardener Pat Mokry will teach you how to raise carefree veggies, herbs and flowers using self-sufficient grow boxes. Then, for some more ‘new’ gardening techniques, Master Gardener Marian Stassney will describe the ancient practices of both keyhole gardening and hugelkultur.

June 11 - Preparing for the Fall Vegetable Garden 
Imagine gardening without sweat dripping from your brow or mosquitos buzzing in your ears or having to water every day. Those are just a few of the many benefits of the cool season vegetable garden. Join us as we discuss vegetable selection, soil preparation and the importance of timing for the fall and winter garden.  Master Gardener Patty Leander is a writer for Texas Gardener magazine and grows vegetables year round in her Oak Hill garden.