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.