|
Greetings!
We hope you've stayed warm over the past few days and that your plants haven't suffered too much damage with the cold weather and ice.
Since we couldn't do much outside, we spent last week updating our website (our 2011 calendar is now online!).
Read on for exciting updates about our 70th anniversary, a new "Plant of the Month" section, our February calendar, and more!
|
Texas Discovery Gardens celebrates 70 years as a nonprofit starting this month!
In 1941, five years after the original building and gardens were created for the Texas Centennial, Texas Discovery Gardens became a nonprofit organization. Since then, we've undergone several metamorphoses as the gardening climate changed.
We're proud to herald 2011 as Year of Discovery as we look back on our 70 years and make plans to keep the gardens viable and vibrant in this new decade.
What's in store: - We will post top ten lists on organic gardening, insects, tips/tricks, and more, which will be consolidated onto one resource page on the website.
- Throughout the year, we will ask for your experiences at the Gardens and your organic gardening advice, photos, videos and more. Stay tuned to our monthly emails and our social media (facebook and twitter).
- We are consolidating prices and offering one admission that includes the Gardens and Butterfly House. It's $8/adults, $6/seniors 60+, and $4/children 3-11. Children 2 and under receive free admission. The outside gardens remain free on Tuesdays (butterfly house is normal admission).
- We are improving outdoor educational signage, as well as adding to our EarthKeepers programming and offering more kid-friendly activities throughout the year (stay tuned for longer summer camps and our Spring Break Blitz!)
- Our rental department is making exciting changes as we craft partnerships with vendors and offer more packages.
Thanks for supporting Texas Discovery Gardens, and we hope you enjoy this Year of Discovery with us!
|
|
February Activities/Workshops
Saturday, Feb 12, 11 am to Noon. Rose Pruning Made Easy Talk & Walk Celebrate the Valentines' flower of love and beauty on this garden tour with Dr. Peter Schaar. You'll fall in love with roses, pricks and all, as you learn how easy it is to grow these gorgeous flowering shrubs in your yard. Included with admission. Saturday, Feb. 19, 11 am to Noon. Garden Walk: Bug Hunt Enjoy a guided garden tour with 'Bug Guy' John Watts as you discover th  e w ealth of hidden insect life during the winter. Appropriate for ages 3+. Included with admission. Saturday, Feb 19, 9 am to Noon. Victory Gardens Workshop: Discover the Art of Vegetable Gardening Join a growing trend and learn how to create a bountiful organic community or backyard vegetable garden. We cover hands on summer gardening topics just in time for you to begin work on your summer gardens. $25; $20 for TDG Members. Saturday, Feb. 26, 9 am to 1 pm. Grow With Us -- Water Conservation Techniques: Methods of efficient Irrigation Learn how water is wasted and methods of irrigation to reduce water waste, with an overview of state regulations. This is the first of three classes. The registration includes March 5 and 12.
$60; Register for Course/Section Number HALT2005.53101 through El Centro College. Call in: 214 860-2147 Walk In: 801 Main St., - 2nd Floor Continuing Education Window. For more information, visit http://www.elcentrocollege.edu/Program/CE/.
|
|
Plant of the Month -- Frostweed, Verbesina virginica
Frostweed lives up to its name in below-freezing temperatures.
When it got below freezing in January, our frostweed in the butterfly garden began pushing liquid from the stalk and freezing in gorgeous patterns.
Frostweed grows tall (up to six feet) and is a biennial with pretty white flowers. It spreads easily, and it works best in a large, natural landscape. You will be rewarded with its "wild" look in the fall, when the flowers attract pollinators by the dozens. We sell frostweed at our annual Butterfly Plant Sale.
Learn about what's going on in the Gardens when it's happening on our facebook page. We posted photos and videos of frostweed when the temperature dropped a few weeks back. Find us and "like" us at facebook.com!
|
|
Stop by and see our current exhibition: Earth, Petal, Wing / Tierra, Pétalo, Ala
Earth, Petal, Wing / Tierra, Pétalo, Ala : A Collection of Scientific Illustrations and Botanical Paintings
 | |
Artist Julio Suarez at the opening reception (middle).
|
Our latest art exhibit runs through Apr. 24, 2011 and celebrates nature in watercolor, prints and acrylic. Earth, Petal, Wing showcases the interpretation of natural subject matter by Cynthia Padilla and Julio Suarez, Texas-based artists who share a passion for nature and the natural sciences and an appreciation for the fragility and simple beauty found in nature.
Cynthia Padilla is an international botanical artist and natural science illustrator. Julio Suarez is a visual artist and art educator with an interest in botany and the natural sciences. The exhibition is curated by Janet Reynolds.
Exhibit runs: through April 24, 2011. Texas Discovery Gardens admission applies.
|
|
Donor Spotlight
 | |
Tony & Chris volunteer at a craft table during "Come to the Tropics."
|
Thanks to the Mecca and Martin Good Humor Band for keeping us in the spirit of the tropics during our "Come to the Tropics" Day Jan. 29.
We'd also like to thank Families for the Rainforest, the DFW Bromeliad Society, and the Greater North Texas Orchid Society for joining us to educate visitors on the wonderful diversity of the tropics. You can now catch some gorgeous blooming bromeliads in our conservatory, courtesy of the Bromeliad Society.
Other booths in attendance included Green Mountain Energy and a tropical drink/snack station from It's a Grind Coffee and Chill Bubble Tea.
|
It's always garden time at the Gift Shop!
|
Are you in gardening withdrawal? Stop by our gift shop and enjoy garden-themed items like calendars, vases, glassware, and more! It's a mini garden vacation to tide you over until the weather warms back up. Plus, we still have great deals on 2010 merchandise and lots of fun children's crafts, experiments and toys to get them through the winter as well!
| | Stop by our Gift Shop to purchase. Open Daily 10 am - 5 pm. |
|
