Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Demonstration Garden Open House and Plant Sale

The Travis County AgriLife Extension Service will be hosting its annual Demonstration Garden Open House and Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 20, 2018.
Daphne Richards, Travis County Extension Horticulturist, will be on hand to answer your gardening questions and Travis County Master Gardener Specialists will host informal discussions on a variety of topics, such as, rainwater harvesting, composting, herbs, vegetables, native and adapted plants and roses.
Additionally, the Travis County Master Gardener Association will be holding a Plant Sale featuring pollinator-friendly perennials, such as Duranta, mistflower and Mexican mint marigold. All the plants have been propagated by Travis County Master Gardeners.
The Demonstration Garden is full of plants that fill many different needs, including drought tolerance, brilliant color, plants for full sun or shade and plants of varying heights. There are ornamental trees, flowering shrubs, perennial and annual flowers, roses, vines, herbs, ground covers and vegetables, all watered by a drip irrigation system and harvested rainwater. The best organic and traditional gardening and landscaping principles are combined to create an effective and environmentally responsible garden which encourages water conservation, reduced fertilizer and pesticide use, energy conservation and reduction of waste in landfills.
The Demonstration Garden is located in front of the Travis County AgriLife Extension Service offices at 1600B Smith Road, Austin, 78721. The garden was designed and is maintained by the volunteer efforts of the Travis County Master Gardeners. It serves as a test area for plants, including a newly planted rose garden, and as a demonstration tool for the citizens of Travis County.
For more information contact Daphne Richards at drichards@ag.tamu.edu or 512.854.9600.

Saturday, September 8, 2018

The Care of Trees and Adding Roses to Your Garden - Free Seminar

The Travis County Master Gardeners Association is sponsoring a free gardening seminar on October 6, 2018, on “The Care of Trees,” and “Adding Roses to your Garden.” The seminars will be held in the North Village Branch Library at 2505 Steck Ave., Austin, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.






Trees improve our environment, provide shelter from the hot Texas sun and add beauty to our
landscapes, so keeping them healthy is extremely important. Travis County Master Gardener
Wendy Buck will share tree maintenance procedures, such as mulching, proper pruning, limiting fertilization and supplemental irrigation techniques that will increase your trees’ chance of withstanding our extreme weather swings.

Growing roses in Central Texas is easier than you thought!  Today there are many hybrid
varieties that need little maintenance and have abundant blooms. Travis County Master
Gardener Cher Coleman, who has 30 years’ experience working with roses, will teach methods
for proper selection of rose varieties, site prep and maintenance like pruning, pest control and
fertilization.

For more information or questions, call the Travis County Agrilife Extension Office at
512-854-9600.     

The seminar is free and open to the public.  No reservations are required.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Free* Seminar: Creating Sustainable Designs with Permaculture


Permaculture looks to the flows of nature, such as the sun, wind, and water, as the foundation of design to create regenerative systems that are both productive and beautiful. Its design principles integrate sustainable and self-sufficient gardening practices to create an ecosystem that minimizes its impact on the environment.  Please join us, along with our presenter, Taelor Monroe, Executive Director, Austin Permaculture Guild, as she shares gardening strategies and practical tips, such as companion planting, that can be incorporated in your own garden designs, whether you are updating your landscape or starting anew.

DATE:            Saturday, August 11, 2018
TIME:            10 am to noon
LOCATION:   Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX




*The seminar is free with regular park admission, paid upon entry to Zilker Botanical Garden. Admission fees are $2 per adult, $1 per child (ages 3-12) or seniors (age 62 & over), and $3 for non-Austin Residents. Cash or check accepted.

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Free Seminar: The 6 D's of Container Gardening


Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Travis County Master Gardeners are sponsoring a free gardening seminar on July 14 on “The Six D’s of Successful Container Gardening.”  Whether you want colorful winter flowers or tasty summer vegetables, you can grow them in containers. Travis County Master Gardener, Kirk Walden, will highlight the major considerations and decisions that lead to gardening success – from design and soil to irrigation and sunlight. Participants will come away with a list of recommended plants and resources suitable for Central Texas. 
The seminar will be held from 10 am to 12 pm in the Austin Area Garden Center at the Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Spring Road, Austin, TX 78746.  A park entrance fee is required. Fees are $2 per adult, $1 per child (ages 3-12) or seniors (age 62 & over), and $3 for non-Austin Residents. Cash or check accepted.
For more information on location see Zilker Botanical Garden.

          When:       July 14
          Time:         10 AM to 12 PM
          Cost:          Free Seminar!     $2.00 to $3.00 park entry fee
          Location:   Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Rd


Wednesday, April 11, 2018

It's Time for the East Austin Garden Fair!


A Passion for Plants: An East Austin Garden Fair
April 14, 2018   9:00 am – 2:00 pm

Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center
2608 Gonzales Street, Austin, TX 78702

Rain or Shine – come enjoy this great event.

Ask the experts and get garden ideas.
Kid-friendly activities!

Free Admission
Free Plants
Free Garden books, magazines, seed catalogs and plastic garden buckets
Free
Soil Screening for food gardeners  – Bring a 2-cup soil sample in a quart zip lock bag.
            Easy instructions for soil sampling at http://austintexas.gov/soilkitchen

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Travis County Master Gardeners, and Austin Parks & Recreation present the 12th annual East Austin Garden Fair.

Free and open to the public, this fun, hands-on fair involves community members in creative, low-cost ways to grow vegetables, herbs and fruit to improve the family diet as well as information about Earth-Kind landscaping. Travis County Master Gardeners offer University-based information to fairgoers on a diverse variety of horticulture topics, while Community Partner Organizations provide information on closely-related services, programs and projects.

The fair features an assortment of DIY and demonstration activities, including building a rain barrel, raised bed or compost bin, and information about waterwise irrigation methods and gardening in containers and straw bales.  Learn how to care for house plants as well as your garden tools!  Booths on backyard chickens and beekeeping are a big hit with all ages and there will be plenty of activities for kids.

Long-standing community partners and new participants include the Sustainable Food Center, Green Corn Project, Home Depot Kid’s Workshop, Austin Public Library, Austin Resource Recovery, City of Austin-Urban Forestry,  Austin Herb Society, 4-H CAPITAL AmeriCorps, Travis County 4-H, Travis Co Master Wellness Volunteers, Travis County Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and Travis County Cooperative Extension Program-Prairie View A&M University.

For more information, please call 512-854-9600