August Events

To submit a garden-related public event for the e-gardens calendar, please e-mail details to events@sperrygardens.com. Deadline is the 15th of the month prior to the event date.

Austin / Travis County
Enjoy free admission to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Tribute Day, Sunday, July 28, 9 a.m. — 5 p.m., in honor of Lady Bird Johnson and all she did for our nation’s treasured environment. The center offers special activities for the whole family. Activities include tours, a book signing with Pam Penick, author of Lawn Gone!, plus story time and a chance to meet watercolor artist Jan Heaton. Learn more at http://www.wildflower.org/tributeday/ or call 512-232-0100.

Corpus Christi
Sign up for August classes at the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center: “Cultivating and Cooking Cactus,” Saturday, Aug. 10, 10 a.m. — noon, featuring J.T. Garcia with the Texas Cactus Council (free with admission); and “Contain Your Vegetable Passion,” Saturday, Aug. 24, 10 a.m. — noon, led by Nueces Master Gardener Stephanie Martin (free with admission). Find details at www.stxbot.org/.

Register in advance for “Beginning Birding ID 101,” a 10-class and three-fieldtrip series led by the entertaining, award-winning birder and naturalist Gene Blacklock at the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. Class size is limited. $200 non-members; $165 members. The series begins Sept. 23. Prepaid registration is required by Sept. 18. Call 361-5558-1829 with questions, or see details at www.stxbot.org/.

Dallas County / Collin County
Join the fun at Texas Discovery Gardens at its annual celebration of insects, Saturday, Aug. 3, 10 a.m. — 3 p.m. Enjoy displays of live and pinned insects, get a chance to eat a bug, and stay for family-friendly activities, butterfly house tours, crafts and more. Admission: $8 adults, $6 ages 60+, and $4 ages 3-11. The book Butterfly Gardening for Texas, by Geyata Ajilvsgi, is hot off the presses and available in the TDG gift shop. Find details at http://texasdiscoverygardens.org.

Bring the family for Summer Adventures in Fair Park, now through mid-August. The celebration features 20 acres of rides, games, stage shows, water-play pools, fountains and misters. Summer Adventures visitors can climb aboard the Top o’ Texas Tower, a new 500-foot ride more than twice as tall as the Texas Star Ferris wheel, for a panoramic view of downtown Dallas and the Metroplex itself. A Summer Adventures passport allows explorers to experience The Children’s Aquarium, offering interactive exhibits for friends of sea creatures, while butterflies galore are at one’s fingertips in Texas Discovery Gardens. One-price general admission: $29.95 adults; $24.95 seniors age 65+ and children under 48 inches tall. Open daily through Aug. 18. Hours vary; see www.fairparkfun.com.

Enjoy the Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Flower Village at the Dallas Arboretum, now through Aug. 31. Sights include four topiary flower houses nestled in the shade of the Pecan Grove. Costumed characters during Family Fun Fridays bring the stories to life. See www.dallasarboretum.org.

Mark your calendar for the dedication of the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden at the Dallas Arboretum on Sept. 21. This 8-acre laboratory for preschool to middle school children features 17 outdoor and indoor galleries. It is an amazing and innovative new garden at the north end of the Arboretum on the hillside overlooking White Rock Lake, and is destined to be the gold standard for children’s outdoor educational facilities in the years to come. Find details at www.dallasarboretum.org.

Pre-order tried and true heirloom and naturalizing bulbs during the month of August from the Collin County Master Gardeners. The association’s 10th Annual Exclusive Bulb Sale concludes this year with a Bulb and Perennial Mart on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Myers Park and Event Center in McKinney. The bulbs offered are perennial, do not require pre-chilling, are drought tolerant, and are excellent choices for water-wise gardens. Find details at www.ccmgatx.org.

Fort Worth / Tarrant County
Mark your calendar for “The Monarchs of Fall,” a presentation for both children and adults, on Saturday, Sept. 28, 10:30 a.m., at the Grapevine Public Library. Jenny Singleton, an educator, Monarch Watch volunteer, and seasoned butterfly tag wrangler, will present a program for those who want to learn about the beautiful monarch butterflies as they magically appear in North Texas the end of September. The program is presented by the Grapevine Garden Club. Call 817-410-3404 for further information.

Nacogdoches, East Texas and Points East
Attend the August lecture in the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series on Thursday, Aug. 15, when Paul Cox, retired director of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, presents “Lessons in Nature: Reflections on the Meaning of Life from a Plantsman’s Point of View.” The garden lectures are held in room 110 of the Stephen F. Austin State University Agriculture Building. Refreshments and a rare plant raffle are included. Free and open to the public. For more information call 935-468-1863 or e-mail grantdamon@sfasu.edu.

Mark your calendar for the 15th Annual Haynesville Celebration of Butterflies on Saturday, Sept. 14, in the Butterfly Capital of Louisiana. The festival begins at 9 a.m. with a parade, followed by a day full of entertainment, education and vendor attractions, and ending with an evening concert featuring country, bluegrass and gospel music, all on the Claiborne Parish Fairgrounds. Celebrity guests include horticulturist Felder Rushing, botanist Charles Allen, bluebird expert James Dean and nurseryman Jeff McMillian. For information, call 318-624-1929 or 870-234-4910, or e-mail loicelacy@att.net.

San Antonio / Bexar County
Enjoy a Concert Under the Stars at the San Antonio Botanical Garden on Aug. 13, when Joe Posada and The Show Band perform with Wednesday Ball. Tickets: $5 (buy one, get one free); ages 12 and under free. Gates open at 6:30 p.m., with performances starting at 7:30 p.m. Find details at www.sabot.org.

Stroll the beautiful grounds of the San Antonio Botanical Gardens with your favorite canine friend during Dog Days of Summer, Aug. 3 and 4, 8 a.m. — 5 p.m. Special doggie biscuits from Anne Marie’s Carriage House Bistro, and water bowls in the shade of the tent. In addition, the Animal Defense League will have an information booth and a few very special adoptable dogs walking around. You’ll have fun exploring the Garden, while also supporting local animal-friendly charities. In addition to the regular garden admission, a $5 donation per dog will apply. Find details at www.sabot.org.

Capture the excitement of carnivorous plants in the Savage Gardens exhibit at the San Antonio Botanical Garden now through Dec. 1. Find details at www.sabot.org.