Don't Miss This Great Garden Tour!

Inside Austin Gardens Tour
Water-Wise Gardening
Saturday, May 14, 2011
9am - 4pm

www.insideaustingardens.com

The Travis County Master Gardeners Association in cooperation with the Travis County AgriLife Extension Service will host the Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2011 on Saturday, May 14, 2011, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This year, the tour focuses on water-wise gardening.

Gardening through a Central Texas summer can be trying. At the same time, escalating water rates and mandatory restrictions have made a water-sapping plant palette or a grass lawn a luxury or impossibility for many.  The Inside Austin Gardens Tour 2011 will include gardens that feature rain-water collection systems, drip irrigation, xeric and native plant selections, rain gardens, shade gardens, and water-conserving practices. As in years past, the event will include gardening demonstrations and education sessions at each location.

The tour will feature the work of Master Gardeners Sheryl Williams, Sue Nazar, Rebecca Matthews, and Joe Posern, each of whom uses a variety of water-wise techniques in creating their distinctly different spaces. A collaborative effort between Master Gardener Link Davidson and neighbor Wendy Brennan demonstrates that cooperation can have some pretty nice consequences, including a more efficient use of rainwater. Jeff Pavlat, president of the Austin Cactus & Succulent Society, joins the group, opening his phenomenal succulent and cactus garden to tour visitors. Finally, the LCRA's Redbud Center completes the group as a corporate participant, opening their grounds to share with visitors the importance of the Colorado River and water conservation; the gardens teach water-wise practices while offering suggestions for plant selection.

Tickets will be available at each garden on the day of the tour; a single-garden entry costs $5, or visitors can buy a $10 pass which gives access to all tour sites. More information at www.insideaustingardens.com