April 2014 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
Attend the Spring Plant Sale and Gardening Festival April 12-13 at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Choose from nearly 300 species of hardy Texas natives. Walks and Talks are scheduled for both days, plus book signings and kids’ activities. Admission is $9 adults (members free), $7 seniors and students, $4 UT faculty, staff or students with identification, $3 ages 5-12. Bring your own wagon and refillable water bottle. Find prices, plant lists and other details at www.wildflower.org/plantsale.

See nature-inspired paintings and sculptures at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center through the spring. Artists include Jules Buck Jones, John Christensen, Nettie Pleuckhahn, and Shou Ping. Find details at www.wildflower.org/exhibits/.

Cleburne / Johnson County
Select from a variety of sustainable plants at the Johnson County Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale, Saturday, April 12, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., on the rodeo grounds of Johnson County Sheriff’s Posse, 1315 S. Main in Cleburne. Selections include drought-tolerant perennials, Earth-Kind roses, shrubs, blooming annuals, herbs, tomatoes, peppers, and a new peach tree released by Texas A&M. See www.txmg.org/johnson/.

College Station / Brazos County
Learn more about Earth-Kind principles at the April 22 community program of Brazos County Master Gardeners, 7-8 p.m., at the Brazos Center, Rm. 102, 3232 Briarcrest Dr. in Bryan. Tim Hartmann, Texas Agri-Life extension specialist, will discuss the benefits of combining the best of organic and traditional gardening methods. No charge.

Dallas / Dallas County
Enjoy Herb Fest this weekend, April 4-6, at North Haven Gardens in Dallas. Friday presentations include “Larval Host Plant Herbs” and “Edible Flowers.” Saturday and Sunday sessions include “Evergreen Herbs for Garden Interest,” “Herbal Folklore,” “Designing with Herbs in Ornamental Containers” and much more. Find times and details at www.nhg.com.

Get a peek at new container gardens at a Home Depot Garden Party on Saturday, April 12, 1-4 p.m., at the Lemmon Avenue Home Depot in Dallas. Carmen Johnston, garden lifestyle expert for Southern Living Plant Collection, will demonstrate a new line of ready-to-go color containers. The Home Depot address is 6110 Lemmon. For additional information, call 251-510-8103.

View the nature-inspired works of 75 national and local artists during Artscape at the Dallas Arboretum April 26-27. Work on display and for sale will include painting, sculpture, 2-D and 3-D mixed media pieces, photography and more. Artists of note who have been juried into this year’s show in the gardens include Fred Prescott of Santa Fe, N.M., whose colorful, kinetic sculptures have been commissioned by Warner Brothers Studios and Walt Disney Co., and Lyn Foley of Round Top, an award-winning glass artist and jeweler. Find details at www.dallasarboretum.org.

Mark your calendar for the City of Richardson’s 22nd annual Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival, scheduled for May 16-18 in the Galatyn Park Urban Center. North Texas’ largest music festival features classic rock, R&B, country, funk, pop, alt-rock, folk and Americana. Find details about performing groups and three-day passes at www.wildflowerfestival.com.

Mark your calendar for Earth Day events in Fair Park on Saturday, April 26. Details to come on Neil’s Facebook page and in our next e-gardens.

Fort Worth / Grapevine / Tarrant County
Shop the Spring Plant Sale at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., in The Grove (wooded area west of the Trial Garden and the Japanese Garden parking lot). Offerings include annuals, citrus trees, fruit trees, perennials, shrubs, vegetables, and vines. Plant societies will offer their specialties as well. BYOW (Bring Your Own Wagon) for convenience in loading plants! From I-30, take the Montgomery Street exit and park in the weekend parking lot on the I-30 access road before Montgomery Street. Parking is free.

Take advantage of one final weekend to see the largest exhibit of live butterflies in North Central Texas at “Butterflies in the Garden,” through April 6 in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Conservatory. During the five-week long exhibit, approximately 12,000 beautiful, exotic butterflies of every hue and size have been released in the conservatory. This year’s theme – “Butterflies of Asia” — features such butterflies as the Archduke, Paper Kite, Scarlet Mormon, and Striped Blue Crow, all from Malaysia. Hours are daily, including Sundays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Purchase tickets for timed entrance at www.fwbg.org, or call 817-392-5510.

Shop the Tarrant County Master Gardeners Association’s annual plant sale Saturday, April 12, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the TCMGA Community and Demonstration Garden at Fort Worth’s Resource Connection. The sale will include perennials, annuals, roses, herbs, succulents, vines, native plants, grasses and hanging baskets. Demonstrations include composting, tool sharpening, container gardens and rain barrels. Credit cards accepted for purchases over $25. The garden is located off Campus Drive, north of I-20 at 1801 Circle Drive, Fort Worth.

Select drought-tolerant plants, butterfly host and nectar plants, as well as heirloom perennials at the Grapevine Garden Club’s Survive and Thrive Plant Sale, April 26, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Botanical Gardens, Heritage Park, 411 Ball St., Grapevine. Free seminars include “Drought-Tolerant Plants” with Barb Atkins, 9 a.m.; “Designing a Rain Garden” with Lynne Carpenter, 10 a.m.; and “Year-Round Color for Your Garden” with Toni Moorehead, 11 a.m. Find information at www.grapevinegardenclub.org.

Stroll beautiful pathways during the Spring Festival in the Japanese Garden at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, April 26-27. Special sights and sounds include koto music, taiko drumming, dancers, and martial arts demos. You can participate in the tea ceremony, peruse the bonsai and ikebana exhibits, and examine the wares of many vendors. Plentiful children’s activities, plus food in the food court. Admission: $6 adults, $3 ages 4-12. From I-30, take the Montgomery Street exit and park in the parking lot on the I-30 access road before Montgomery Street. Or take the University exit north and park in the Garden Center/BRIT lot. Find details under Calendar of Events at www.fwbg.org.

Gonzales / Gonzales County
Shop the 4th Annual Spring Plant Sale sponsored by the Gonzales Master Gardeners on Saturday, April 5, 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in downtown Gonzales at Texas Heroes Square (St. Louis and St. Joseph). Choose from vegetables, herbs, annuals, perennials, succulents, cacti and houseplants. Other activities include planting projects for children, an “Ask the Master Gardener” booth for those with gardening questions, a silent auction, and food and drink. Proceeds benefit community projects and educational opportunities for both school children and adults. Call 830-672-2953 for additional information.

Houston / Harris County
Enjoy free lectures in April at the Arbor Gate in Tomball. Classes this month cover topics like citrus growing, tropical plants, wildlife-friendly natives, herb gardening and much more. The Arbor Gate’s Lunch with the Experts series includes lunch on Wednesday, April 9, with vegetable gardening expert Jeremy Kollaus and lunch on Wednesday, April 23, with ice cream expert Henry Flowers. (No need to pack dessert for this one.) Find details at www.arborgate.com.

McKinney / Collin County
Mark your calendar for “Heirloom Gardens,” the Official Garden and Home Tour of the McKinney Garden Club on Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tickets are available online and at local retailers. Visit www.mckinneygardenclub.org.

Nacogdoches / Nacogdoches County
Support Louisiana’s Briarwood Nature Preserve by attending the Annual Picnic and Fundraiser on Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m. until mid-afternoon, at the Caroline Dormon Nature Preserve, 216 Caroline Dormon Rd. in Saline, La. You’ll enjoy tours, a plant sale and a community of people with wide-ranging interests in native plants. Tickets ($50) available at the gate. Or call 318-576-3379.

Attend the April lecture in the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series on Thursday, April 10, when Jerry Parsons, retired TAMU extension specialist, presents “Growing the Best Tomatoes in Texas.” The garden lectures are held on second Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the new Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. in Nacogdoches. A rare plant raffle is included. Free and open to the public, but donations will be appreciated. For more information call 936-468-1832 or e-mail sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

San Antonio / Bexar County
Celebrate Viva Botanica and shop the Plant Sale at San Antonio Botanical Garden, Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Live entertainment and a children’s parade are among the features. Find details at www.sabot.org.

Waco / McLennan County
Get your tickets for the Mother-Daughter Spring Tea at Carleen Bright Arboretum, Sunday, May 4, 3 p.m., in the Arboretum Pavilion. Tickets $10; admission by reservation only. The fun includes a Spring Hat Contest, silent auction and harp music. Call 254-399-9204.