Dealing with Drought in Landscapes

Starting in February, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service-Travis County will be offering monthly seminars on Dealing With Drought in the Landscape.    When: 10 a.m. to noon Where: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service-Travis County, 1600-B Smith Road Cost: $10/seminar for early registration; $15/seminar for late or on-site  Register: https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/TravisCounty Contact:  Daphne Richards, 512-854-9600 or drichards@ag.tamu.edu February 12 - Landscaping Basics    Learn basic landscape principals and become familiar with the native and adapted plants to incorporate into your garden. Carolyn Williams has been a Master Gardener for over 14 years and a gardener in Central Texas for over 40 years. She hold both Basic and Advanced Landscape Design Certification from ACC. She will share her experience of working with good Texas tough plants to use in your designs.   March 12 - Using Native Plants in the Landscape  Native Texas plants bring beauty and function to your garden while being well adapted to handle Texas’ blazing summers, drought, and other weather extremes. In addition to being water-wise, native plants provide great benefits to pollinators and birds. 4-H CAPITAL’s gardening specialist and Texas Master Naturalist Meredith O’Reilly will guide you in choosing the right natives for your yard and your garden goals.   April 9 - Tree Care During Drought  Many trees are stressed by prolonged periods of hot, dry weather. Selecting trees that use water efficiently is one way to make your landscape more resistant to droughts. Learn about several tree maintenance procedures to increase a tree’s chance during drought such as mulching, proper pruning, limiting fertilization and supplemental irrigation.  Lara Schuman, an ISA Certified Arborist and acting Program Manager at City of Austin Urban Forestry will share her knowledge on caring for trees.   May 14 - Alternative Methods of Gardening  If you have limited garden space or time yet still have a desire to nurture your green thumb, Master Gardener Pat Mokry will teach you how to raise carefree veggies, herbs and flowers using self-sufficient grow boxes. Then, for some more ‘new’ gardening techniques, Master Gardener Marian Stasney will describe the ancient practices of both keyhole gardening and hugelkultur.   June 11 - Preparing for the Fall Vegetable Garden   Imagine gardening without sweat dripping from your brow or mosquitos buzzing in your ears or having to water every day. Those are just a few of the many benefits of the cool season vegetable garden. Join us as we discuss vegetable selection, soil preparation and the importance of timing for the fall and winter garden.  Master Gardener Patty Leander is a writer for Texas Gardener magazine and grows vegetables year round in her Oak Hill garden.