May 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
Celebrate the unveiling of the new Luci and Ian Family Garden at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Sunday, May 4. The only native plant garden developed for families in Central Texas, the 4.5-acre Family Garden will offer more than a dozen interactive features designed to foster hands-on creative play and learning in nature. Named for lead donors Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon and Mrs. Johnson, and her husband, Ian Turpin, the new $5 million garden doubles the garden acreage at the 279-acre Wildflower Center and is a model for eco-friendly landscaping. Find details at www.wildflower.org.

Enjoy five inspirational private native plant gardens plus those at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, on Saturday, May 10, during the 10th-year retrospective of Gardens on Tour, a Mother’s Day weekend tradition. $25 pass for all gardens, or $6 pass for each individual garden. Children under 5 free. Find details about the self-guided tour at www.wildflower.org.

College Station / Brazos County
Learn about “Earth-Kind Gardens for Butterflies” on May 20, 6:30 – 8 p.m., when Master Gardener Suzanne Milstead explains all about food sources and host plants. The class fee is $15. Register online at rectrac.cstx.gov or call 979-764-3486. Class location is Cypress Grove Intermediate School, 900 Graham Rd., College Station.

Dallas / Dallas County
Celebrate Earth Day Texas at Fair Park by bringing the kids this Saturday or Sunday, April 26-27, to watch the Texas Tree Climbing Championships or to climb trees themselves the way the pros do it. (Events scheduled 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; free admission.) There’s lots to see and do, and there’s a unique fundraising event known as Charitree for doing you part in sustaining a healthy urban forest (e.g., with a gift honoring Mavs Man or CNN Hero Chad Pregracke). Here’s what the event looked like last year. And here’s a way to give to the cause of tree preservation in our great state.

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.

Enjoy Cottonwood Park and shop for art pieces and crafts at the Cottonwood Art Festival May 3-4 in Richardson. Rated as one of the top art festivals in the U.S., the prestigious show is in its 45th year and features 240 artists. Many children’s activities. Food and beverages. Free parking and admission. Find details at www.CottonwoodArtFestival.com.

Attend 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.

Fort Worth / Grapevine / Tarrant County
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

Houston / Harris County
Enjoy free lectures in May at the Arbor Gate in Tomball. Classes this month cover topics like art in the garden and tree problems. Special guest on Saturday, May 10, is Felder Rushing. The Arbor Gate’s Lunch with the Experts series includes lunch on Wednesday, May 14, with Ed Dophin of Grandiflora Services and lunch on Wednesday, May 28, with tree care expert John Warner. Find details at www.arborgate.com.

McKinney / Collin County
Visit area gardens during “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
Attend the May lecture in the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series on Thursday, May 8, when Hayes Jackson, Alabama extension specialist, presents “I’ve Come All the Way from Alabama to Tell You that Everything’s Not Bigger in Texas. Get Over It!” 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
Tour the Birdhouses Exhibit at the San Antonio Botanical Garden now through June 29. The child-sized and kid-friendly playhouses were created in partnership with AIA – San Antonio. Find details at www.sabot.org.

Attend Starlight Movies in the Garden at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. May 2 – Breakfast at Tiffany’s; May 9 – Vertigo. Admission is free. Find details at www.sabot.org.

Sherman / Grayson County
Shop the Grayson County Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 26, beginning at 8 a.m. on the Courthouse Lawn in downtown Sherman. Offerings include perennials, annuals, herbs, vegetables, groundcovers and roses. Prices begin at $1 for a 4-inch pot.