Speakers Dr. Steve George - Professor & Landscape Horticulture Specialist Texas Cooperative Extension A&M University System Gaye Hammond - President of the Houston Rose Society Claude Graves - Master Consulting Rosarian Steve Chaney - Tarrant County Extension Horticulturist Garey Wylie - Johnson County Master Gardener

contact: Garey Wylie gareywylie@charter.net or Johnson County Extension Office (817)556-6370
  Registration form>>>

April 5, 2008 - Spring Seminar - Terrell, TX
The Kaufman County Master Gardener’s annual Spring Seminar will be held Saturday April 5th at the Church of Christ in Terrell.  This event is free to the public. Information on square foot gardening, Earthkind landscaping, beekeeping, composting, rainwater harvesting, and new plants for 2008 will be available at this event.  For more information on any of these topics, the Spring Seminar, or to learn more about the Kaufman County Master Gardeners contact us at Kuafman-Tx@tamu.edu or call the office at 972-932-6069.

April 05, 2008 - Texas Herb & Art Festival - Independence, TX
Celebrating Spring and all things herbal, the Herb Association of Texas and the Antique Rose Emporium are hosting the first Texas Herb & Art Festival at the Independence location of ARE (10,000 Hwy 50, Brenham) on April 5. Grounds will open at 9 a.m. and close at 5:30p.m. Herbal refreshments will be available for purchase. Speakers will present on the hour on talking about growing, using and enjoying your herbal harvest. For directions to the grounds of the Antique Rose Emporium go to www.antiqueroseemporium.com or call 979-836-5548.

April 10, 2008 - Rainwater Harvesting - Alvarado, TX
Johnson County Master Gardeners
Speaker - Pat Maggard, JCMG
Alvarado Public Library 210 N Baugh, www.alvaradopubliclibrary.org or 817-783-7323 2nd Thursday 7- 8PM

April 10, 2008 - 8th annual Spring Garden Conference & Plant Sale - Athens, TX
Henderson County Master Gardeners
6:00 pm at the Cain Center in Athens, TX. That’s when the Henderson County Master Gardeners come together to share what they do best – share what they have to offer with the community and each other. The offerings are bountiful in this 8th annual Spring Conference. Our keynote speaker is Chris Wiesinger, the Founder and President of Southern Bulb Company.

Come early. The evening will start with a plant sale and auction. Many of these special plants have been carefully nurtured and grown throughout the winter by Master Gardeners especially for this event. We have chosen Sadler’s Catering of Jacksonville to provide our gourmet meal this year.

Tickets are $20.00 each and may be purchased at the County Extension Office Phone: 903-675-6130, East Texas Arboretum or from any Henderson County Master Gardener.

April 12, 2008 - Spring Plant Sale - Quitman, TX
The Friends of the Arboretum will host their First Annual Spring Plant Sale from 9:00AM - 3:00PM, at the Gov. Hogg Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, located in the Gov. Jim Hogg City Park, 518 S. Main Street. For additional information, contact: 903-967-2820, Pam Riley, Chairman or Kathleen Denmon, Secretary, 903-878-2548.

APRIL 12, 2008 - PLANT SALE & SEMINAR - Belton, TX
Bell County Master Gardeners
April 12, 8 am to 1 pm Native and adapted plants will be offered at the Bell County Master Gardener spring plant sale. Dr. Doug Welsh’s latest book, Texas Gardening Almanac , as well as other new and used gardening books will also be available. Tiger Town 4-H will sell hot dogs, snacks and drinks. The Bell County Pecan Growers Association and the Bell County Agrilife Extension Office will host a pecan grafting work shop in conjunction with the master gardener plant sale. Registration for the pecan clinic is 9 am. Commercial growers will receive 2 hours CEU’s. Attendees to the seminar will learn about pecan grafting and treatments for insects and diseases affecting pecan trees. Both of these events will be held at the Bell County AgriLife Extension Office, 1605 North Main, Belton, Texas.
In the photo: Master Gardeners Don Wyatt and Gary Slanga, both of Belton, check plants for diseases and insects in the master gardener greenhouse.

For more information contact Bell County Extension Office 1605 North Main Belton, TX 76513 Phone: 254-933-5305  Email: Bell-tx@tamu.edu

April 12, 2008 - Spring Gardening Conference - Marshall, TX
2008 Spring Gardening Conference Harrison County Master Gardener's will be hosting the 2008 Spring Garden Conference on Saturday, April 12, 2008, with some great speakers on tap.

Topics will include; Earthkind™ Roses, Insect Management, Water Gardens, Drip Irrigation and the Master Gardener Daylily Plant Sale. Fun for all, make plans to attend!!

The conference will be held in the Wiseman Center, in historic downtown Marshall. The event will start at 9:00 AM and conclude that afternoon around 3:00 PM.

April 12, 2008 - How to make friends and influence plants - Marshall, TX
Save the date – April 12th– and come to the square in downtown Marshall for a trifecta of thrilling events.

• For one thing, April 12th is Second Saturday – a day for shoppers and vendors to take to the streets.
• For another thing, April 12th is the sixth annual “Faux Paws” Dog Walk Extraordinaire, a big fund-raiser for our four-legged friends.
• And finally and most importantly – April 12th is the Third Annual East Texas Lawn and Garden Show, held for the first time ever in downtown Marshall, and hosted by our volunteer force of hard-working, lawn-loving, plant-growing friends, The Harrison County Master Gardeners.

So whether you love dogs, people, or the green, green grass of home, you will find your thrill in downtown Marshall on April 12th, 2008.

The Third Annual East Texas Lawn and Garden Show kicks off at 9 a.m. at the historic Weisman Center in downtown Marshall, with events also at The Blue Frog Grill, and with vendors inside, outside, all along the downtown sidewalks, and also in the parking lot behind the Weisman Center. Stuff will be happening all over.

• From 9 a.m to 3 p.m., speakers will share their insights, while vendors unveil their amazing products to save your lawns, kill your weeds, make your gardens grow, and give your life more beauty – the daylily sale will make you smile. Among the speakers, noted pest expert
• Dr.Scott Ludwig with Texas Agrilife Extension Service will speak in the third floor auditorium at the Weisman Center about pest management, and
• Paul Amos, specialist in irrigation and ponds, will speak on the second floor mezzanine. Mr. Amos knows everything there is to know about ponds -- he’s built and maintained more than 15 ponds in the Houston area.
• The celebrated, self-taught plant specialist Roy Botts from Louisiana will talk in the first floor reading area about the mysteries of plant identification.
• And Bob Shear from Tyler will tell you everything there is to know about Knockout Roses.

Meanwhile, at The Blue Frog Grill, Master Naturalists will gather for a question and answer session from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• Experts include Master Naturalist Program Instructor Vanessa Adams, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Biologist for the Caddo Lake Wildlife Management Area;
• Master Naturalist Instructor Ricky Maxey, TPWD Program Specialist for Endangered Species; Mark Williams, US Fish and Wildlife Refuge Manager;
• Paul Bruckwicki, US Fish and Wildlife Refuge Biologist; and Jay Webb, President/Volunteer Coordinator for the Friends of Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Admission is free to the Third Annual East Texas Lawn and Garden Show. Vendor space is selling out quickly, but some booths are still available at $100 for the day. For more information, call 903-935-8413 or contact Master Gardener Deborah Jones at 903-668-2553 or Wjfarm@aol.com

April 14, 2008 "Budding and Grafting Ornamentals, Fruit And Nuts" - Victoria, TX
All classes are led by Victoria Master Gardeners.
FROM 12 NOON TO 1 PM at the Pattie Dodson Health Center 2805 N. Navarro, Victoria Tx.

"LUNCH AND LEARN WITH THE MASTERS" a monthly seminar held on the second Monday of each month. Interested persons who attend are invited to bring their own lunch and drink, as these will not be provided. The sessions will be free at the Dr. Pattie Dodson Public Health Center, 2805 N. Navarro St., at noon, for an hour of gardening information.

The public is invited at no cost. For more information contact Victoria County Extension Office 442 Foster Field Drive Victoria, TX 77904 Phone: 361-575-4581 or visit the Victoria County Master Gardener website http://www.vcmga.org/

April 19, 2008, Party for the Planet in celebration of Earth Day - Glen Rose, TX
Somervell Cou nty Master Gardeners
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center has invited the Somervell County Master Gardeners Association to participate in their second annual Party for the Planet in celebration of Earth Day. This year's theme is "We Do Conservation". The exhibitors will be set up in the grassy area near the Visitor Center at the entrance to Fossil Rim. In keeping with the theme, the SCMGA's booth will be selling native and adapted plants as well as rainwater harvesting barrels.

April 19, 2008 - Spring Plant Sale - Victoria, TX
Victoria County Master Gardener Association SPRING PLANT SALE Saturday April 19, 2008 8:00 a.m to 12:00 Noon - Victoria County 4-H Activity Center 259 Bachelor Drive At Victoria Regional Airport by the Control Tower (Please follow the signs to find us) *Wonderful plants grown by master gardeners* *Information about growing those plants* *Ideas for landscaping* Perennials, Tropicals, Annuals, Herbs, Veggies and MORE!!

For more information contact: Victoria County Extension Office 442 Foster Field Drive-Victoria, TX 77904 Phone: 361-575-4581 Email: Victoria-tx@tamu.edu

April 19, 2008 - Inside Austin Gardens 2008 - Austin, TX
The Travis County Master Gardeners’ Association is pleased to invite you to tour Inside Austin Gardens 2008, Saturday, April 19, featuring 6 private gardens and one public venue, with the stated goal of demonstrating to the public the fundamentals of sustainable gardening, or if you will, “Gardening with 20/20 Vision.” Our gardeners have created garden sites intermixed with edibles and flowers, no lawns, water collection systems, drip irrigation and composting on site. The result is a palette that Monet would die for. For full information: www.insideaustingardens.org.

April 19, 2008 - Spring Garden and Landscape Seminar - Longview, TX
The Gregg County Master Gardeners will hold its Spring Garden and Landscape Seminar on April 19 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM at The Pope John Paul II Center at St. Matthews Catholic Church 2904 Arrow Lane, Longview, TX (near Pine Tree Road and Dundee)

Featured Speakers: Dr. Douglas Welsh, Professor and Extension Horticulturist Texas A&M University System Aubrey King, King's Nursery, Tenaha, Texas

Please see http://www.greggmastergardeners.org/ for details.

APRIL 19, 2008 - SPRINGTACULAR GARDEN TOUR - Belton, TX
Bell County Master Gardeners
Bell County Master Gardeners are hosting the Deanna Rankin Memorial Garden Tour April 19, 2008. The tour this year is named in honor of Deanna Rankin, member of the class of 2001, who served as a director on the board and was a member of the garden tour committee for many years. Mrs. Rankin was active in The Bell Fine Arts Association and this love of gardening and art is reflected in her home and gardens. Deanna’s large cottage garden will be featured on the tour along with seven other gardens.. Deanna’s garden has a panoramic view of Lake Belton and showcases native plants, poppies, fragrant herbs and roses. Its many sitting areas, garden art, bird feeders, birdhouses and native trees like Desert Willow, Texas Vitex, Texas Mountain Laurel and ancient Oaks give her garden year round interest.

Eight gardens will be opened to the public for the tour which begins at 9 am and ends at 4 pm.. The gardens are vastly different in size and theme, but they all show a love of nature and gardening enthusiasm. They each demonstrate a unique gardening perspective. Some gardens are quiet woodlands and other are loud and boisterous with color. Some feature xeriscaping and others have water features. Many gardens showcase rainwater harvesting, composting, vermiculture and demonstrate the benefits of mulching.

A fee of five dollars will be charged. Money collected from the tour will be used to fund Master Gardener greenhouse projects. and a portion of the proceeds will be offered to the Living Memorial Garden Fund at the First Methodist Church in Killeen in memory of Deanna Rankin.

Sue Morgan ( 254-698-8668)and Rae Schmuck (254-933-7765) are co-chairwomen of the event. Information and directions to the gardens will be available at area nurseries in Belton, Killeen and Temple. Brochures and directions to the gardens can also be obtained at the master gardener greenhouse gate and the Texas AgriLife Extension Office located at 1605 N. Main, Belton, Texas.
For more information contact Bell County Extension Office 1605 North Main Belton, TX 76513 Phone: 254-933-5305  Email: Bell-tx@tamu.edu

April 19 & 20, 2008 Heart O' Texas Orchid Society's 37th Annual Orchid Show & Sale, Orchid Passion
2008 Zilker Botanical Garden Center 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX 78746 (512) 477-8672 Show & Plant Sale: 10:00am - 5:00pm Saturday & 10:00am - 4:00pm Sunday.

This year we are very proud to present the 37th Annual Orchid Show here in Austin. There will be hourly raffles of plants and/or plant related items, which will be donated by the 9 vendors we will have at the show. Plus there will be hundreds of blooming orchids and helpful information from vendors as well as society members. Admission to the event is free. The public is encouraged to attend, so come join us and help celebrate Earth Day, 2008. For a complete schedule of events, or for more information, please contact: Geoffrey Frost, 1011 Strickland Drive; Austin, TX 78748 (Telephone (512) 280-2271; E-mail geoffreylfrost@yahoo.com ), or visit our Web-site: http://www.hotos.org/