APRIL

Austin: Lara Schuman, an ISA certified arborist and program manager at City of Austin Urban Forestry, will present "Tree Care During Drought" 10 a.m.-noon, April 9, at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service-Travis Co., 1600-B Smith Road, Austin. For additional information, call 512-854-9600 or email drichards@ag.tamu.edu. To register, visit https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/TravisCounty. 

Houston: "Roses in the West - A Must See" will be the topic of the Houston Rose Society Meeting on Thursday, April 9. Jack Cox, a docent at the Santa Fe, New Mexico Botanical Garden, will share pictures and discuss the evolution of this lovely high mountain garden. The group meets in the Parish Hall of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 1819 Heights Blvd., Houston. Entrance to parking lot is on W. 19th Street near Yale St. Free admission. For more information, visit http://www.houstonrose.org.

La Grange: Bill Adams will lead "Trouble Shooting in the Garden," noon-12:50 p.m., April 9, at the Fayette County Agricultural Building, 255 Svoboda Lane, La Grange. For additional information, call 979-968-5831 or visit http://fayette.agrilife.org.

Quitman: The Quitman Garden Club is hosting a presentation on bulbs by Chris Wiesinger, founder and owner of The Southern Bulb Company (http://www.southernbulbs.com/). The session will be at the Quitman Library, 202 E Goode St., Quitman, on Thursday, April 9, at 10:30 a.m. Chris will have some bulbs and books for sale following his presentation. The session is free, but reservations are required as seating is limited. You can reserve your spot by emailing QuitmanGardenClub@gmail.com before April 3.

San Antonio: Angela Love. R. N. will present her version of relieving stress using aromatherapy at the San Antonio Herb Society's April meeting. The sense of smell is one of our primal senses and has a direct impact on our brain. The meeting will be held Thursday, April 9, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N New Braunfels. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 210-826-6860 or email mbelisle@satx.rr.com.

Tomball: Angela Chandler will present "Ornamedible Climbers" at 10 a.m., Thursday, April 9, at The Arbor Gate, 15635 FM 2920, Tomball. For additional information, email info@arborgate.com or visit www.arborgate.com.

Dallas: The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present its Earth-Kind Landscape Design and Management School April 10-12 in Building E of the Texas A&M Research and Extension Center, 17360 Coit Road in Dallas. Program times will be from 6-9:30 p.m. April 10, from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. April 11 and from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April 12. Those attending the school will learn how to: Design, plant and manage a beautiful, low-maintenance, environmentally responsible landscape; work with Mother Nature to protect homes and communities; and reduce irrigation use in landscape beds by 70 percent, and almost totally eliminate the use of fertilizers and harsh pesticides on the plants, as well as greatly reduce the amount of pruning needed. The cost is $295 per household and includes all class materials and programming. Class size is limited, so enroll as soon as possible. For more information and to get an information sheet for enrollment, contact Kimberly Betancourt at 972-952-9211 or kim.betancourt@ag.tamu.edu.

Austin: "A Passion for Plants: An East Austin Garden Fair" will be held April 11, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center, 2608 Gonzales Street, Austin. 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. Get expert advice from Master Gardeners on all aspects of gardening and composting, as well as backyard chickens and beekeeping. The fair will feature an assortment of DIY and demonstration activities, including garden planning, kids' activities and container garden building. New information this year will address raising backyard rabbits, alternate methods of gardening, building a backyard greenhouse or hoop house, house plants and terrariums, and garden tools and techniques. Long-standing partners and participants include the Sustainable Food Center, Capital Area Food Bank, Festival Beach Food Forest, Green Corn Project, Home Depot Kid's Workshop, Texas 4-H, AmeriCorps, AgriLife Extension Master Wellness Volunteers and Prairie View A&M University. Free vegetable, herb and ornamental plants offered to participants while supplies last. For more information, call 512-854-9600 or visit http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/2015/03/a-passion-for-plants-an-east-austin-garden-fair/.

Austin: Trowel and Error, Mayfield Park Gardening Symposium, will be held Saturday, April 11, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Mayfield Park, 3505 W. 35th Street, Austin (next to Laguna Gloria Art Museum). Presentations include: 10 a.m., "Fabulous Flora for Your Fauna," presented by Jay White, avid gardener, contributing writer to Texas Gardener, Masters in Horticulture; 11 a.m., "Trisha's Ten Terrific Tips for Spring Garden Success," presented by Trisha Shirey, director of flora and fauna, Lake Austin Spa; and at noon, "Botany: Sagas, Secrets, and Surprises from the Grocery Shelves!" presented by Molly Ogorzoly, botanist, educator. There will also be a plant sale with hard-to-find heirlooms and other perennials perfect for the April garden and a "garden goodie" raffle for the discerning gardener will round out the day. Sponsored by Friends of the Parks of Austin, a non-profit organization, Trowel and Error is the solitary fund-raiser for historic Mayfield Park. Although admission is free, a $5.00 donation is requested. For more information, call 1-512-453-7074, email neenok@aol.com, or visit mayfieldpark.org.

Chandler: "The Backyard Buffet" will be presented Saturday, April 11, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m, at Blue Moon Nursery, 13062 Farm to Market Rd 279, Chandler. Vegetables and fruits do not have to be relegated to a separate area alone and by themselves. Mary Wilhite will show how to incorporate edible crops into an existing landscape both for beauty and food, $15 (or $45 for season pass to all six Lecture Series programs). For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ETGardeningConference.

Dallas:  Attend the popular annual Butterfly Gardening Workshop at Texas Discovery Gardens Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. If you plant it, they will come! Discover how easy it is to garden and attract native butterflies with Horticulture Director Roger Sanderson & Entomologist John Watts. Bring home a flat of starter plants valued at more than $64. Cost is $64, members $52. Register in advance at www.texasdiscoverygardens.org or call 214-428-7476 ext. 343. The Gardens are at 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Dallas, Texas 75210.

Kerrville: Hill Country Master Gardeners present Blooms & Barrels, their annual plant and rain barrel sale, as well as free gardening programs on Saturday, April 11, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Hill Country Youth Event Center, 3785 Hwy 27, Kerrville. For more information, visit www.hillcountrymastergardeners.org.

McKinney: The 12th Annual Plant Sale will be held indoors, rain or shine, hot or cold inside the Stall Barn at Myers Park, 7117 County Road 166, McKinney, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., April 11. To find out more about the plant sale, visit www.ccmgatx.org or call the CCMGA Information Center at 972-548-4232.

New Braunfels: On April 11-12 the annual native plant sale will be held by the Lindheimer Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas during the Folkfest celebration in New Braunfels. The sale will feature many different natives and three varieties of milkweed. Look for native butterfly and hummingbird plants too. The sale is for all ages and includes a children's activity working with plants. Hours are Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun., noon-5 p.m. Folkfest is held in Heritage Village, 1370 Church Hill Drive, New Braunfels.  (Take exit 189 off Interstate 35 and proceed west on Loop 337 to Church Hill Drive and turn right. Signs will also refer to Loop 337 as State Hwy. 46 Bypass.) For more information, visit http://npsot.org/wp/lindheimer/main-page/.

Nacogdoches: Stephen F. Austin State University's SFA Gardens will host its annual Garden Gala Day Spring Plant Sale and Earth Day Celebration from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 11, at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St., Nacogdoches. A variety of hard-to-find, "Texas tough" plants will be available, including Texas natives, heirlooms, tropicals, perennials, shrubs, trees, unusual species and exclusive SFA and Greg Grant introductions. Most of the plants at this year's sale are extensively trialed in the university's gardens before being offered to the public. Additionally, most of them are produced by the SFA Gardens staff members and volunteers. This popular event benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, Pineywoods Native Plant Center, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden, Gayla Mize Garden and educational programs hosted at the gardens. The educational programs offered at SFA Gardens reach more than 15,000 students of all ages on a yearly basis. The eighth annual SFA Earth Day Celebration, presented alongside SFA's Garden Gala Day Spring Plant Sale, will begin at 10 a.m. and feature informational booths, guest speakers, activities for kids of all ages, free food, live music and much more. Held at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, the outdoor festival is sponsored by SFA's Campus Recreation's Outdoor Pursuits program, the SFA Student Sustainability Coalition, SFA Gardens and Nacogdoches Naturally. The celebration is an opportunity for members of the SFA student body and the Nacogdoches community to join together in furthering the vision of a sustainable campus and community.Parking is available at the nearby Early Childhood Research Center, 2428 Raguet St. The public is encouraged to arrive early and bring a wagon. For more information, call 936-468-4404 or visit www.sfagardens.sfasu.edu. A complete list of available plants will be listed on the website two weeks prior to the sale.

Orangefield: The Orange County Master Gardener's Annual Bloomin' Crazy Plant Fair will be held Saturday, April 11, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Jewel Cormier Park, 8235 FM 1442, Orangefield (Exit 869 S off IH 10). Perennials, annuals, shrubs, tropical, Satsuma's, limes, lemons, cold-hardy avocados, Texas Superstars and heirloom vegetables are just a few of the unique and hard to find plants we will have available. Specialty booths will be available selling unique items. For more information contact Sheri Bethard at 409 673-5057 or sheribethard@yahoo.com.

San Antonio: Annual Grafting Seminar will be presented Saturday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to noon at Fanick's Garden Center, 1025 Holmgreen Road, San Antonio. Dr. Larry Stein from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension service will show you how and why fruit, nut and citrus trees are grafted. You will learn all the different grafting techniques like inlay, four flap, cleft, approach grafts and some of the budding techniques like chip budding and t-budding. You will also learn about the overall care of your fruit, nut and citrus trees before and after you graft them. This seminar is very popular so arrive early for best parking and seating. Seminar is free. 3 CEUs for Master Gardeners who attend. For additional information, visit http://fanicknursery.com/.  

Schertz: "Keyhole and Elevated Garden Beds with Drip Irrigation Demonstrations" will be presented at the Guadalupe Community Gardens, 1101 Elbel Road, Schertz, 10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, April 11. $15 recovery few. For more information, call 830-303-4712 or 830-303-3889 or visit guadalupemastergardeners.org. 

Tomball: Dr. William Welch, TAMU, and Chris Wiesinger, The Southern Bulb Co., will present "The Southern Garden" at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 11, at The Arbor Gate, 15635 FM 2920, Tomball. For additional information, email info@arborgate.com or visit www.arborgate.com.

Tomball: Gaye Hammond, Houston Rose Society, will present "Landscape Design" at 11 a.m., Sunday, April 12, at The Arbor Gate, 15635 FM 2920, Tomball. For additional information, email info@arborgate.com or visit www.arborgate.com.

Victoria: Victoria County Master Gardener Association will hold a Lunch and Learn With the Masters program Monday, April 13, on "Rainwater Harvesting: Capturing Nature's Bounty," with master gardener Kathy Chilek as guest speaker. The event will be at the Pattie Dodson Health Center, 2805 N. Navarro St., Victoria from noon until 1 p.m. The event is free to the public. Those attending may bring a sack lunch and beverage.

Woodway: "EarthKind Landscaping" will be presented by Master Gardener Sandy Back-Katz from noon-2 p.m., April 15, at the Pavilion at Carleen Bright Arboretum, 1 Pavilion Way, Woodway. Learn about plants for brutal summers, how to save on water bills, the newest Texas SuperStar plants and other valuable tips on EarthKind landscaping. For more information, call 254-399-9204.

Belton: The Bell County Master Gardener Association is hosting the 2015 Texas Master Gardener State Conference April 16-18 at the Bell Count Expo Center in Belton. The Conference features amazing speakers such as Texas Gardener Contributing Editor Greg Grant, Felder Rushing, and Peter Hatch covering the following topics: Bees, Bats, Water Rights, Olive Trees and Foraging. Workshops on Vermicomposting, Floral Design, Bee Hive Construction, Leaf Casting, Edible Plants and Native Plants for Birds are part of the Conference. Additionally, tours to Salado, Fort Hood, Railroad Heritage, Train Trip to McGregor and various local gardens will be offered. This Conference is open to all Master Gardeners and to the public as well! Attend the entire Conference or just one day. Visit the Conference Website for complete information: http://txmg.org/2015tmgaconference/.  

Dallas: Purchase hard-to-find native and adapted butterfly host and nectar plants at Texas Discovery Gardens' annual Pollinator Plant Sale. The Greenhouse will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18 and 19, with a Members' Preview April 17 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Members also receive a 10 percent discount. Interested in learning more about the established plants? Register for a Plant Sale Safari that runs an hour before the sale on Saturday (and before our members' preview sale)! Find details at www.texasdiscoverygardens.org. 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dallas.

Nacogdoches: On April 17-19, Stephen F. Austin State University will host the sixth Big Thicket and West Gulf Coastal Plain Science Conference. The focus of this year's plenary session will be "Watersheds and Waterflow" to be addressed by invited speakers. Dr. Francis "Ab" Abernethy, professor emeritus of English at Stephen F. Austin State University and editor emeritus of the Texas Folklore Society, and Dr. Kirk O. Winemiller, Regents Professor, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University will give plenary presentations. The Science Conference provides a forum for scientists and resource managers to share their research in the West Gulf Coastal Plain ecosystem, which comprises a variety of communities including southeastern pine forests, bottomland hardwood forests, and prairies. All topics relevant to the ecology of the region are appropriate, including studies of plant communities, wildlife, restoration ecology, effects of climate change, invasive species, fisheries, and large-scale disturbance ecology. In addition to the general call for papers, symposia or special sessions may be planned and available on a variety of topics. Contact the Program Committee BigThicket2015@gmail.com  if you are interested in hosting a session. Presenters are encouraged to submit manuscripts to be published in a special issue of the peer-reviewed journal, Southeastern Naturalist. All manuscripts will be subject to the full peer-review process and the standards of the Southeastern Naturalist. Abstracts for papers can be submitted to Dr. Chris Comer BigThicket2015@gmail.com by 1 March. Registration fees are $100 by 20 March; late registration is $150 and student registration is $25. Registration for only one day is $60. Optional field trips are not included in fees. Three trips are planned: 1) Saline Prairie, led by Will Godwin and Jason Singhurst; 2) Tonkawa Sand Hills, led by James Van Kley, and 3) Birding in the SFA Experimental Forest, led by Cliff Shackelford. Sponsors of the event include the Big Thicket Association, Stephen F. Austin State University, USFS Southern Research Station, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and the Big Thicket National Preserve. Contact Dan Saenz of the U.S. Forest Service (Conference Chair) with questions at dsaenz@fs.fed.us or check the conference website at www.bigthicket.org for additional information.

Fort Worth: "Art in Bloom - As I See It" is the theme of the Garden Club Council of Fort Worth's annual Flowercade, April 18 and 19, at the Deborah Beggs Moncrief Garden Center at the Botanic Garden Center, 3220 Botanic Garden Drive, Fort Worth. The flower show is open to the public for viewing at no charge on Saturday, April 18, 12-6 p.m. and on Sunday, April 19, 1-5 p.m. Market Day, with opportunities to purchase plants, rose bushes and gardening-related items, is Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The standard flower show with its horticulture and design division exhibits the plants which have been grown successfully by participants and offers the opportunity to view new varieties of horticulture specimens. Guests may evaluate plants to add to their own collection. For further information, contact Pam Braak, Publicity, at p.braak@verizon.net or 817-488-5665.  

Houston: The Houston Rose Society will hold a Rose Show on Saturday, April 18, at  the Parish Hall of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 1819 Heights Blvd, Houston. Entrance to parking lot is on W 19th Street near Yale St. The Show opens to the public at 12:30 p.m. See award-winning blooms grown by competitors from around the state! Consulting Rosarians will be on hand to answer rose questions. Roses will be for sale, including Kordes roses from the MD Anderson Trial garden. Free admission. For additional information, visit http://www.houstonrose.org.   

Jacksonville: The Cherokee County Master Gardeners' Spring Plant Sale will be held Saturday, April 18, 8 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Ruth Nichols Arboretum, 1015 South East Loop 456, Jacksonville. 

Midland: Annual Plant Sale by Permian Basin Master Gardeners - Saturday April 18, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Midland County Horseshoe, I-20 and Cotton Flat Road in Midland. Flowering perennials, ornamental grasses, shrubs, trees, herbs, Earth-kind roses and more - all drought tolerant and perfect for West Texas and eastern New Mexico. Call 432-498-4071 for more information.

Tomball: Paul Cox will present "A Tree for Every Place" at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 18, at The Arbor Gate, 15635 FM 2920, Tomball. For additional information, email info@arborgate.com or visit www.arborgate.com.

Tomball: Angela Chandler and Dean Cook will present "Bee Friendly Forum" at 11 a.m., Sunday, April 19, at The Arbor Gate, 15635 FM 2920, Tomball. For additional information, email info@arborgate.com or visit www.arborgate.com.

Tomball: Dawnvolynn, Big Chicken Daylily Farm, will present "Superstars in the Southern Garden" at noon, Wednesday, April 22, at The Arbor Gate, 15635 FM 2920, Tomball. For additional information, email info@arborgate.com or visit www.arborgate.com.

Dallas: Discover how to prepare vegetable plots, pick the right seeds for our climate and season, and veggie growing basic with the "Seed to Table" class April 25 from noon to 2 p.m. at Texas Discovery Gardens. This makes a good beginner or refresher course. $25, $20 for members. Then, stay for "Nutrition Facts: Gardens do not come with Labels," in which you learn how to really read nutrition facts and what homegrown veggies would say if they were labeled. 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.; $25 and $20 for members. Register in advance at www.texasdiscoverygardens.org or call 214-428-7476 ext. 343. The Gardens are at 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dallas.

San Antonio: Turfgrass 101 Seminar will be presented Saturday, April 25, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Milberger's Landscape Nursery, 3920 N Loop 1604 E., Exit Bulverde Road, San Antonio. David Rodriguez from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will discuss the basics of lawn maintenance through proper nutrition, mowing, weed control and irrigation. This seminar is very popular so arrive early for best parking and seating. Seminar is free 1.5 CEUs for Master Gardeners who attend. For additional information, visit http://www.milbergernursery.com/.

Grapevine: Gail Manning, Entomologist and Director of Education at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, will present Monarch Butterflies at the April 28 meeting of the Grapevine Garden Club. She will speak about one of our native butterflies - the marvelous Monarch. We will learn about their life cycle, the food they need to survive, recording and tagging to determine their flight patterns during migration and the issues they face on their journey. The group meets at the Grapevine Convention Center, 1209 South Main Street, Grapevine. However the actual location of the building is the corner of Vine Street and Municipal Way, 1 block east of Main Street. Social time begins at 9:30 a.m. and the program begins at 10:00 a.m.