I ns ide this is s ue :

Feature Article 1

President’s Message

3

Gardening Tips & Tidbits

4

Project Highlights 5-8

Announcements 9-10

Upcoming Events 12-13

Education 14

Spring Plant Sales 11

Sell/Swap and Come and Get It

15

Sharecropper Tarrant County Master Gardener Association

M a r c h 2 0 1 5

If you have an idea or would like to contribute to the newsletter, please contact Jackie Heidinger jackieheidinger@verizon.net

March 2015 T & G’s Bees

By Ginger Gage, MG 2014

It’s been said that if bees go extinct the human popu-lation would only last a few more years. That is one question I am asked about every time I give my T & G’s Bee presentation for the Master Gardener’s Speakers Bureau. It’s an important one because bees

pollinate one out of every three bites of food we eat. We know there is trou-ble in the bee hive due to many things done to harm them and our environ-ment.

Shopping malls now replace meadows of wildflowers. Dead trees for habitat are hard to find. There are the Big Ag’s pesticides. We are not talking about just the honeybees being affected. There are approximately 4,000 bee species native to North America that are being affected including Bumblebees, Mason bees, Sweat bees and Squash bees.

When I joined the 2014 Master Gardeners class, I was surprised to discover that out of approximately 350 Master Gardeners in Tarrant County there was not one beekeeper among all those flower and vegetable garden lovers. So I decided it was exactly the right topic for my Intern Project. Happily we now have two bee keepers in our club with the prospect of one or two more joining the ranks.

My husband and I started our own little bee yard after listening to a documentary on the Bees Colony Collapse and my husband an-nounced: “We need to get a bee hive”. It was not anything I had ever thought about doing, but true gardener that I am, could see the benefits of helping the honeybees and my gardens by starting new hives in our back yard.

Photo by Ginger Gage and Adele Claeson

Before we purchased our first bee hive, we attended meetings at the Trinity Valley Beekeepers Club in Dallas (TVBC). It was well worth it. The information we gathered during those meetings and the beekeepers we met set us up for success. A member of the TVBC became our mentor and was there with us when we purchased our first hive and helped us set it up. One very im-portant thing is to check city codes regulating bee keeping. Most cities allow bees but it’s a necessity to check on before you get too far into the process.

My husband and I are minimalist when it comes to opening up our hives. Some people check them regu-larly but when doing that you run the risk of harming or displacing your queen. We figure the bees have been doing fine for millions of years and pretty well know what they are doing. Normally we are in our hives only 2 or 3 times a year making it a very easy hobby without a lot of work.

The most important time of the year we are in our hives is removing the supers to harvest the honey. Some people faithfully do this around the 4th of July when the hot weather lets the honey flow easily. The bee keeper is also sweltering so we harvest in Septem-ber or October. This also lets us check our hives and be aware of any problems they have going into winter.

There are many things in the environment harming the bees we can’t control. The Bee Colony Collapse is just that…the colony seems to die for no reason. They have natural predators that can invade the hive – hor-nets, ants, mites, wax wing moths and mice (if the opening to the hive is big enough). Add to that stress, disease and pesticides. Drought is also a problem they have to deal with.

By far the biggest threat to our bees is the chemicals

on the plants they harvest nectar and pollen from. From the small gardener to the large corporations that delivers bees nation-wide by the truckloads, the chemicals being sprayed on everything is affecting all our pollinators. Pol-linators include wasps, butterflies, flies and beetles – any creature that will crawl into the blossom, transfer pollen from the male anthers to the female stigma and then move on to do the same to another flower. We are harming their food source as well as ours.

The foraging worker bee that brings water, nec-tar and pollen to the hive lives from two to six weeks so they have to multiple quickly. The queen bee lays 1,000 to 2,000 eggs a day to keep the cycle going. If the larva dies from poisoned nectar and pollen being fed to them, they will never see the light of day. It will be a short time before there are not enough worker bees to do the work and defend the hive. Thankfully beekeeping has become a very pop-ular hobby lately. I believe that even though the big bee keepers are losing hives at an alarm-ing rate, the small local backyard beekeepers will prevent extinction.

Attracting bees to our organic gardens with

Photo by Ginger Gage and Adele Claeson

T & G’s Bees—continued

nectar-producing flowers is one positive step to sav-ing the bees. It’s like putting up a billboard promis-ing a sweet drink of plant nectar. The bees emerge at just the right time of year to gather pollen and nectar from specific crops and may forage for only a few weeks. Thus having a variety of plants coming into bloom all season long is important. Being a beekeeper may not be for everyone, but everyone can help the pollinators in their own yards and gardens.

When you discover good bee plants, grow more of them. We can help the bees by planting open single head flowers, planting the same plants in clusters in-stead of peppering them around the garden and plant for a succession of flowers throughout the year. An example would be to try crocus and hyacinths in spring, zinnias in summer, and asters in autumn to keep the bee buffet stocked. Also include purple coneflowers, black-eyed susans, cornflowers, asters, African marigold, snowdrops, hollyhocks, foxglove, forget me nots, borage, lavender and wild thyme to name a few. If possible, let the clover grow in your lawn.

Don’t forget that bees also need drinking water. Set out a bowl of water for them and keep it filled daily. They will visit a shallow birdbath or other water fea-tures, or sip drops of water from sprinklers or irriga-tion systems that you use in your garden. Our bees are so important and will survive with a little extra care from all of us.

Resources: Mother Earth News August / September 2013 How to Attract Native Bees to your garden By Barbara Pleasant Internet – How to Attract Bees To Your Garden Lynn Coulter

Photo by Ginger Gage and Adele Clauson

T & G Bees—continued T & G Bees—continued

P a g e 4

Marilyn Satterfield, TCMGA President

President’s Message Howdy all,

We have been having a preview of spring with the beautiful warm days. It gives a gardener an itch to get our hands in the soil again, as well as removing plants that have decided to grow where they were not planted (or wanted). Isn’t it funny how the weeds are always the first plants to grow in late winter and early spring?

There are a lot of exciting events scheduled, which means a variety of places to volunteer. Check the newsletter and website for the list of happenings so you can be a part of what is going on.

Our Demonstration garden is always a good place to put in some hours. During the Tuesday morning workday we have resident experts over the different areas that can answer questions and give you a wealth of information about the plants being grown. It’s always interesting to see what is growing in the raised beds and greenhouse. The garden is a great place to be creative and experiment with differ-ent plants to see how they produce in the area. There are always plans to expand and improve the garden so come be a part of all the exciting happenings.

Make plans now to come to the monthly meeting March 5th at building 2300.

Logo wear will be putting on a style show between 9:45am -10:00 am.

Harold will be set up to sharpen garden tools, so don’t leave home without them.

There will be a presentation on the Gardens & Greenway Project at A&M by the Texas Master Gardener President Donna Hagar.

Everyone is encouraged to bring a potluck dish for lunch, and let’s give a Big Thank You to the class of 2009 for volunteering to set up the lunch and refresh-ments.

Our own Theresa Vanderpool will be speaking after lunch on the rose Rosette dis-ease.

This will be an exciting and fun meeting,

See you there!

Marilyn Satterfield TCMGA President

S h a r e c r o p p e r

P a g e 5

Flowers & Pre y Plants

• Divide fall-blooming perennials and ornamental grasses, if needed to allow me for them to reestablish before blooming.

• Cut back dead foliage of ornamental grasses only a er you have seen new green growth emerging from the plant base.

• Plant spring annuals for a blast of new color. • Fer lize annual and perennial flowers once this month

with well finished plant derived compost or 1 pound of bone meal.

Soil & Mulch

• Lots of plan ng takes place this month, so do lots of soil prepara on too.

• Purchase good organic ma er or make your own every me you purchase new plants.

• Don’t monkey with the soil too much. If you add a lot of sand and organic ma er to clay soil, you may produce the largest adobe brick known to humanity. S ck to adding just well-finished organic ma er (e.g.., pine bark and com-post).

• Please remember there is no need to amend the soil when plan ng a tree this me of year, back fill with na ve soil to encourage the root system to branch out instead of gir-dling.

Plant Care

• Be prepared for the onslaught of weeds this month. Mulching, pulling, mowing, trimming, and, as a last resort, spraying are viable strategies in the war on weeds.

• Hopefully you finished most of your pruning back in Febru-ary, if not finish up now.

• Beware of late freezes, even though we have had a mild winter doesn’t mean Mother Nature may throw us a late curve. Protect plants if needed using me honored tech-niques such as hay, straw, leaves, and frost blankets.

• For severely freeze-damaged perennial flowers and shrubs, it may be best to let new growth begin this month and then prune off all dead wood above the fresh new growth.

• Move cold sensi ve plants back outdoors in March, but be prepared to move them indoors if a late frost is predicted.

Lawns

• Mow the warm-season lawn grasses (e.g., St. Augus ne and Bermuda) one inch lower than the height at which you ended last year. This is not “scalping” the lawn to pre-vent thatch. This simply removes winter-damaged leaves to clear the way for new spring growth.

• Employ weed-preven on strategies quickly, as weeds will be emerging in March. A properly watered, fer lized and mowed lawn will win the ba le against most weeds.

• Irrigate the lawn only if it shows symptoms of stress due to lack of water—footprin ng, leaf rolling, off color of gray-green.

• Don’t fer lize the lawn yet, even though there are lots of adver sements about it. Responsible spring lawn fer liz-ing occurs in late April early May in north central Texas.

Houseplants

• Move houseplants (and garaged plants) out to vaca on on the deck or pa o weather permi ng. They have been cooped up all winter and would appreciate a li le sun and fresh air.

• Trim and shape them, remove dead or damaged branches and leaves, spray-wash the foliage , water the soil thor-oughly, fer lize, eliminate any insects, and let your house-plants grow.

Bu erflies, Birds & Squirrels

• Plant a few plants that provide the essen al needs of ur-ban wildlife: food, shelter, and a place to rear their young. In addi on to bu erflies, birds, and squirrels, urban wild-life for many Texans include deer, rabbits, possums and lots of other animals.

• Don’t forget to provide water for the birds with birdbaths, bubblers, and fountains in your yard as well.

Last but not least, don’t forget the sheer joy and enjoy-ment of gardening in the outdoors as well as introduc-ing children to it as well!!

Timely Garden Tips—by Steve Chaney, CEA—Home Hor culture

Gardening Tips & Tidbits

P a g e 6 TCMGA PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS The Molly Hollar Wildscape at Veterans Park

By Molly Hollar

T he preserva on of the last piece of Eastern Cross Timber Woodlands in Arlington was a vision that Molly Hollar shared with members of the Arlington Conserva on Council and the Arlington Organic Garden Club. So, with help from these organiza ons and support and approval from the Arlington Parks and Recrea on Department, work began and a plan was submi ed to the Texas Department of

Parks and Wildlife in 1994. With the TDPW’s approval, a band of volunteers began spending reless hours transforming a rather bare ½ acre into the nearly 5 acre woodland of lush na ve plants that exists today. With the formal ribbon cu ng in 1995, The Wildscape has become the second most frequented park in a city that boasts more than 90 parks! By 2000, the Wildscape was a TCMGA project that con nues to flourish, thanks to the many Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists and other nature lovers who have dedicated their me to en-sure that the ongoing goal of educa ng the community in the use of na ve plants in order to conserve re-sources, a ract wildlife, promote sustainability and connect with nature is met. This goal naturally leads to ci zens and visitors of all ages as the target audience. And, as with all Master Gardener projects, educa on is the main focus. By providing adults and children alike with a venue for experiencing the use of na ve plants, volunteers succeed in the quest to provide informa on on the posi ve impact the use of na ve plants has on our environment.

During the ini al planning phase, a landscape architect as well as an urban biologist from TDPW assisted in the development of the layout. Experts within the Arlington Parks Department as well as the TCMGA and Master Naturalist organiza ons assisted. Since the majority of the understory vegeta on was missing, restora on of this was the main focus of the original work. The city parks department generously allowed Wildscape volun-teers the use of one of the city’s greenhouses for propaga ng most of the plants that were and con nue to be used. All of the actual implementa on was and con nues to be by dedicated volunteers. Thanks to generous grants from the TDPW, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Partnership Program, the NPSOT and the Arlington Parks and Recrea on Department, the Wildscape began to take shape. Today, monetary support from TCMGA, gi s from businesses and private ci zens, and revenue from the yearly plant sale of plants propagated in the green-house, ensure the con nued upkeep and progress of this beau ful na ve habitat.

This ongoing care has led to many posi ve results. The Wildscape is a collec on of demonstra on gardens. A bu erfly garden consis ng of both nectar and host na ve plants greets visitors upon entering. A natural ero-sion area is planted with na ves that alleviate runoff. A berm area is planted with Blue Grama and Buffalo Grass to show lawn alterna ves for ul mate water conserva on. A wetland area demonstrates the use of plants necessary for the survival of this delicate ecosystem. And of course, the woodland with its variety of

P a g e 7 TCMGA PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS The Molly Hollar Wildscape at Veterans Park—cont’d

trees and understory growth provides food and shelter for the wildlife of the area. As a whole, the Wildscape is a place that provides a variety of ex-periences for anyone. On any given day many come to walk, jog, meditate or just sit and enjoy nature. Many partnerships have resulted. Students from Arlington ISD take guided tours known as “Walks on the Wildside” as part of their science classes. Volunteers set up a variety of sta ons throughout and teach hands-on lessons ranging from the benefits of com-pos ng to iden fying plant parts and their func ons, to making wildflower seed balls. Special Needs students from the 18 Plus program work along-side Wildscape volunteers. At least a dozen young men have completed their Eagle Scout projects at the Wildscape. Teens from the Juvenile Jus ce Alterna ve Educa on Program come out periodically and work with the vol-unteers. The local Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership organiza on (HOBY) has chosen the Wildscape as their community service project for the last 5 years. One Saturday a month a mini-class is presented to the general public and volunteers. These classes provide informa on on subjects per nent to successful conserva on and sustainability. Such con nued outreach to the community has resulted in Molly and other volunteers receiving a variety of awards from state and local organiza ons. The TDPW published an ar cle about the Wildscape in its March 2009 publica on, and also declared the Wildscape to be an outstanding wildscape example.

Without volunteers the Wildscape could obviously not exist. The physical stamina, extensive knowledge and love of nature that the volunteers possess are an inspira on to all. Visitors frequently thank the volunteers and comment on how much they enjoy the Wildscape. Seeing the volunteers in ac on also give visitors the opportunity to ask gardening ques ons and will some mes inspire them to join in. There are currently be-tween 6 and 10 Master Gardeners volunteering on a regular basis.

The Molly Hollar Wildscape at Veterans Park is a vital part of Arlington. Its beauty and opportu-ni es for relaxing, playing and learning has touched many lives and promises to be an inte-gral part of the city for decades to come.

P a g e 8 TCMGA PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS Volunteer Opportuni es at Alice Carlson

By Patsy Miller

H istory may be repeating itself at Alice Carlson Outdoor Learning Environ-ment. In 2003, Sharon Chastain’s in-tern class took over the neglected

school garden and with funds from the school PTA and the Rainwater Foundation, they turned it into a Tarrant County Master Gardener project that is a show place for outdoor learning.

The nearly half acre former tennis court became a school garden in the mid-1990s, but without ongo-ing care fell into disrepair. Located near Texas Christian University, the MG-maintained outdoor learning center now boasts three different rain wa-ter harvesting systems, a rain garden, dripping springs, living roof over a fossil dig, composting area, active children’s vegetable garden and large beds of Texas natives and some roses here and there. Another part of the garden features a pond-less waterfall and a small pond. It is the type of children’s garden they don’t build any more.

Now Project Lead Sharon Chastain is planning to move to Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband and the Alice Carlson project needs a new lead. But maybe only a temporary one.

“This new 2015 intern class seems to have taken a real interest in Alice Carlson and it looks like a group of them will be taking it over as their pro-ject. I would love to continue the Master Gardener presence. In order for the garden to thrive it has to have an MG presence,” said Sharon.

Since the interns can’t formally take over the pro-ject until they graduate, Sharon is looking for a temporary lead. Julie Taber, the current co-chair, will be staying on in that position – at least for now. Sharon has no timetable for the move to New Mexico, and ideally would like to be able to work

with the interim project lead. And there is always a need for more volunteers.

The project workdays are Mondays and Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. in the summer. “It is such a large gar-den that there is a niche for every gardener.” Anyone in-terested in being interim project lead or getting more in-formation, contact Projects Chair Rocky Deutscher.

TCMGA PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS—cont’d

A N N O U N C E M E N T S

P a g e 9 TCMGA

Judy Barrett will be our speaker for the March 5th meeting. Judy is the editor and publisher of Homegrown: Good Sense Organic Gardening. She was previously the editor of The New Garden Journal and one of the hosts of the public television series, The New Garden. She holds both BA and MS degrees in English and has used her skills in writing about her passion for gardening. She has authored six books on gardening topics including herbs, heirloom plants, growing roses, using tomatillos in cooking, growing roses and becoming an organic gardener. She spoke at the Mid-land State MG Conference last year and enjoys sharing her knowledge. Her topic for our meeting will be: "What's So Great About Heirloom Plants". Her website is homegrowntexas@yahoo.com

Upcoming 2015 Programs

April 2, 2015 Sam Kiescnick of Oliver Nature Park in Mansfield Topic- All about the Nature Park and the People it Serves May 7,2015 Larry Womack of Womack Nursery in Deleon, Texas Topic-Fruit and Nut Trees for Texas June 4,2015 Garage sale and breakout sessions-TBA July 2, 2015 Dr. Brooke Best of BRIT Topic- What We Have Learned from the Living Roof

Marianne Levine

Program Chair

March 2015 Program

If your birthday is this month and you don’t see it, please contact LaVonne Nowlin. If you know of anyone who is ill in the Master Gardener Associ-ation and/or deaths in their immediate family, please contact LaVonne Nowlin.

Also we are in need of cards to send to our membership. If you could bring any extras you can donate, please bring them to the meetings, it would be so appreciated.

LaVonne Nowlin 817) 581-1850 or email lavonnen@sbcglobal.net.

3 Linda Campbell, Debbie Boyle 4 Robert Lundin 5 Jody Morris, Charlotte Krystinik 7 Linda Mitchell, Mary Ann Rojas 8 Linda Manning 9 Julie Tabor, Linda Osburn 10 Susan Miller, Kay Lewis 11 Stephen Purdy, Sherry White 12 Emily Ward 13 Pat Oliver, Claudia Teague, Diana Vincenti 18 Pat DeBusk, Jay De Zeeuw 19 Nancy Price 21 Randy Barkley 22 Sandy Dhabolt-Hertzler 26 Sharon Nice 29 Susan Stanek, Carol Lally 30 Dawn Hancock , Bernice Ramsbottom 31 Jo Poppelreiter, Kim Freeman

August 6, 2015 Melinda Adams of the Forestry Service Topic- Care of Trees during Drought Conditions September 3, 2015 Dell Perry of Dallas Iris Society Topic-Iris Types and their Cultivation

October 1, 2015 Marilyn Simmons of the Cowgirl Gardeners Topic-Perennial Gardening November 5, 2015 Dr. Barney Lipscomb Topic-Poisonous Plants

A N N O U N C E M E N T S

P a g e 1 0 TCMGA

Order your Memorial Brick for the Community Demonstra on

Garden now!

Order form can be found at tarrantmg.org

MEMORIALBRICK

Newsletter Changes!

Beginning March, the TCMGA meeting minutes will be published via eblast only.

TCMGA Project information is now located on the TCMGA website under the Projects tab.

TCMGA Leadership information can be found on the TCMGA website: Tarrantmg.org

TOOL SHARPENING will be provided by Harold Annis during the March 5 meeting. Harold has a lot of experience having re-cently completed sharpening all the tools in the tool barn at our community garden.

Bring your tools (pruners, shovels, etc.) to the raffle table and they can be sharpened before you leave. Please mark your tools with your name and phone number if possible. ID tags will be provided if you forget. Donations will be accepted and all pro-ceeds will be distributed among Master Gardener Projects.

TOOL SHARPENING

SOUTHLAKE GARDEN TOUR—MAY 3, 2015 Volunteers needed for the SOUTHLAKE GARDEN TOUR, Sunday May 3, 2015.........

The Perennial Garden Society of Southlake needs Master Gardener volunteers to help with the Southlake Garden Tour as docents. We will have five gardens on tour in the Southlake area and will need 4-6 volunteers per house with morning and a ernoon shi s. We will have a table for sign up at the March Master Gardener mee ng or you can contact:

Renie Stricklen rstricklen@1scom.net

Shari Worsham sworsham@verizon.net

Diana Berg dmberg1006@aol.com

May 11—13, 2015

Email blhammack@ag.tamu.edu to volunteer and let me know what size shirt you will need. For further information, please call 817-884-1296

WATERAMA VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

The Directories for 2015 will be available for

pickup at the March Mas-ter Gardener Mee ng.

Please see Steve Purdy.

2015 DIRECTORIES!

P a g e 1 1 2015 PLANT SALES

We will be taking caladium prepaid orders at the March meeting or you can purchase online or your order can be mailed, with the appropriate check to:

Marilyn Satterfield. 1120 Cottonwood Dr., Crowley, TX 76036

The bulbs can be picked up at our May meet-ing. We will again offer 4 fancy leaf varieties:

Candidum (all white), White Queen (white with red veins), Carolyn Whorton (green with red veins and pink mottling), Red Flash (green background with red center).

The 2 strap leaf varieties are Red Ruffles (green with red centers) and Miss Muffet (light bright green with red center and purple speckles).

The strap leaf varieties are more heat tolerant, shorter and compact with “strappy” leaves. All the bulbs are #1 size. Each year the sale has grown because of the fine quality of the bulbs and the good prices being offered.

Caladium order form is online at tarrantmg.org.

ORDER ONLINE NOW AT tarrantmg.org.

Marilyn Satterfield President

2015 Caladium Sale Texas Native Plant Sale Native Plant Society of Texas, North Central Chapter

NOTE: New sale location - this spring only

5111 W. Arkansas Lane (Redenta's Garden – go to designat-ed area behind outdoor greenhouse), Arlington

Date: May 2, 2015 Time: 10am – 2pm Cash, Checks, credit cards.

Spring Plant Sale Parking is behind Montgomery Street Antique Mall along the I-30 access road. This lot is adjacent to the Plant Sale Grove area.

April 10—11 9:00am—2:0pm Grove Area

P a g e 1 2 Upcoming Events MARCH

March 5 TCMGA Meeting 9 am – Social hour starts at 9am, meeting starts at 10am. March 7 9 am – noon Yard Smart—Ft. Worth Botanic Garden March 7-8 Saturday Moonlight African Violet Show/Sale 9 am – 5 pm http://fwbg.org/events/333/moonlight-african-violet-showsale/ Sunday 1 pm - 5 pm

March 11 9 am FWBG Perennial Garden Guided Tour March 12 9 am FWBG Trial Garden Guided Tour

March 21 9 am – 5 pm Collin County Master Gardener Association Garden Show or more information contact www.ccmgatx.org/TheGardenShow or call 972-548-4232. March 24 9:30 am – 5 pm Grapevine Garden Club Meeting—program is titled The Delight of Daylilies given by Tim Thompson from Three Creek Gardens Location is the Grapevine Convention Center, address is 1209 South Main Street, Grapevine. Accommodations are limited to 20-30 master gardeners.

APRIL

April 2 TCMGA Meeting 9 am – Social hour starts at 9am , meeting starts at 10am. April 8 9 am FWBG Perennial Garden Guided Tour April 9 9 am FWBG Trial Garden Guided Tour April 9 5 pm – 7 pm FWBG Plant Pre-sale for members April 9-11 FWBG Master Composter Class http://fwbg.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Composter-Class-Spring-2015.pdf April 10-11 9 am – 2 pm FWBG Plant sale April 11 8 am – 12 noon SmartScape Water Conserving Plant Sale and Fair - Home Depot 7100 N. Freeway, Ft Worth, Tx 76137 http://www.txsmartscape.com/events/plantsale.asp April 16-17 Texas Master Gardener Conference, Belton, Texas http://txmg.org/2015tmgaconference/ April 18 8 am - 1 pm Grapevine Garden Club - SURVIVE and THRIVE – Annual Spring Plant Sale, 411 Ball Street, Grapevine

P a g e 1 3 Upcoming Events APRIL (cont’d)

April 18 – 19 Saturday Flowercade and Rose Show and Iris Show - FWBG Moncrief Center 9 am – 5 pm Sunday 1 pm – 5 pm April 25 9 am – 2 pm TCMGA 2015 Plant Sale at Resource Connection April 25 8 am – 12 noon Prairie Fest—Tandy Hills Natural Area http://www.tandyhills.org/fest

April 25 8 am – 12 noon SmartScape Water Conserving Plant Sale and Fair - Home Depot 300 Village Ctr. Dr., Southlake Tx 76137 http://www.txsmartscape.com/events/plantsale.asp April 25 8 am – 12 noon SmartScape Water Conserving Plant Sale and Fair - Weston Gardens 8101 Anglin Dr., Ft Worth, Tx 76140 http://www.txsmartscape.com/events/plantsale.asp April 25 – 26 Saturday Spring Festival in the Japanese Garden - FWBG 10 am – 5 pm Sunday 11 am - 5 pm April 25 – 26 Plano Garden Club presents “Gardens to Inspire and Delight” – a tour of five Plano gardens www.planogardenclub.org

Please let us know if there is an event we missed! Contact jackieheidinger@verizon.net.

Notable Upcoming Events

August 29 9 am – 1 pm TCMGA Regional Conference "Vegetable Gardening in North Texas: Fall is a 1 pm – 3 pm Great Time to Start" 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Resource Connection, 2300 Circle Drive, Fort Worth and 1 - 3 p.m. Community Demonstration Garden, 1801 Circle Drive

EDUCATION

P a g e 1 4 TCMGA

Plant Propagation – Tarrant County May7,2015@12:30pm-May9,2015@12:00pm More info can be found at: http://tarrantmg.org or http://txmg.org/?s=specialist+training

Irrigation Efficiency Specialist – Bexar County March23,2015@8:00am-March25,2015@5:00pm More info can be found at http://txmg.org/event/irrigation-efficiency-specialist-bexar-county/

SPECIALIST TRAINING

P a g e 1 5 SWAP/SELL/COME AND GET IT

ITEM: SNAPPER CHIPPER/SHREDDER COST: $250-$300 CONTACT: Toni Moorehead EMAIL: antonice@verizon.net PHONE: 972-754-9849

ITEMS FOR SALE! ITEMS: 2 CHILDREN’S PICNIC TABLES COST: $35 for each table CONTACT: Gay Larson EMAIL: gaylarson@ymail.com PHONE: 817 441-6560

ITEM: SMALL LIVE OAK TREE CONTACT: Dorothy Launius EMAIL: ddlaunius@gmail.com PHONE: 817-797-5047

COME AND GET IT!

ITEM: 150 gallon hard plastic pond liner and 8 ft. tall white PVC arch/trellis CONTACT: Jackie Peel EMAIL: jackiepeel@sbcglobal.net

PHONE: 817-235-8682