Participate in the Fall Hancock Native Plant Swap – Oct 24, 2015

A big reason to have the swap:

• a mass quantity of Tropical milkweed seeds donated
• this morning picking up a large quantity of native Antelope Horn milkweed seeds

The gardeners who attend the swap are the best way to distribute and successfully grow these seeds far and wide.

Location: Mother’s Cafe & Garden

Date: October 24th, time TBD (early).

If you’ve never been, here’s how it works:

• pot up and label some transplants, cuttings, or bring seeds
• set them in the appropriate area: Sun, Shade, Part Sun/Shade, or Water
• look around for plants that you would like or ask one of the experts (they will wear badges)
• Take as many home as you brought

Many people just hang out the whole time talking about plants, helping others id mystery plants, and generally enjoying their coffee, free doughnut holes, and all things gardening.  Master Gardeners and NWF Habitat Stewards will also be there to assist with plant identification.

Our mission is to make all yards in our neighborhoods more beautiful and easier to maintain, while consuming less water…for free!  

 

Now more than ever, we need to reproduce the plants that do well in our hot Texas summers.  Bring the plants that did well this summer so our yards will have less of the “California Golden” color next summer.

 

Do you have zero plants? Come anyway, we’ll send you home with some.

Seeds for Education $500 Grants

WildOnes has a grant competition offering $500 to support the following projects:

Teachers and students across the US are expanding learning opportunities by enhancing their schoolyards with nature trails, butterfly gardens, prairies, woodland wildflower preserves, and similar projects. These projects enrich the learning environment and provide aesthetic and environmental benefits.

By planning, establishing and maintaining such projects, students learn valuable life skills – including patience and teamwork. They can engage parents and the wider community in a project they can point to with pride for years to come.

We offer assistance for all aspects of such projects. Cash grants under $500 are available for plants and seeds, and in-kind donations from Nursery Partners can help stretch these dollars. We can help you locate experts and information specific to your area – anywhere in the US. In the past decade, we’ve supported over a thousand such projects, and we can use this experience to help you.

Applications for awards for next year are due October 15th.  Please contact us if you have any questions.

The link to the full information is: http://www.wildones.org/seeds-for-education/sfe/

Good luck!

TWO Habitat Talks on garden prep, design, & planning – Free 1/10/15

JANUARY 10 (2 Sessions)

(9:30-11am) Winter Garden Maintenance and Prepping the Garden for Spring
Learn how to assess shrubs and small trees for health and beauty and learn how to trim overgrown areas (and what to trim) as necessary to make way for spring blooms.
Instructor: Cathy Nordstrom, Sans Souci Gardens
REGISTER FOR THIS SESSION

(1-4pm) Design and Planning for a Successful Habitat Garden
Learn the basic elements of site assessment and how to transform a traditional “lawn-scape” into a haven for wildlife. If you have one, please bring a copy of the survey of your property to class.
Instructor: Marya Fowler, National Wildlife Federation
REGISTER FOR THIS SESSION

“Habitat Talks” happen at Discovery Hill Outdoor Learning Center located at the Science and Health Resource Center in Austin ISD. Discovery Hill is a National Wildlife Federation premier demonstration habitat that NWF funded and implemented in AISD in 2013.

For more information about the sequence of talks in 2014-2015, go to http://www.nwf.org/South-Central-Region/temp_event_AUS_HabitatTalks.aspx

Habitat Talk about Birds – Free on 11/8

NOVEMBER 8 – Birds in the Winter Garden

(9:30-11am) Learn how to keep birds happy through the winter, what you might expect to see, and some of the best native plants to sustain birds during the cold months.
Instructor: Ryan Fleming, Wildewoode Landscapes
REGISTER FOR THIS SESSION

“Habitat Talks” happen at Discovery Hill Outdoor Learning Center located at the Science and Health Resource Center in Austin ISD. Discovery Hill is a National Wildlife Federation premier demonstration habitat that NWF funded and implemented in AISD in 2013.

For more information about the sequence of talks in 2014-2015, go to http://www.nwf.org/South-Central-Region/temp_event_AUS_HabitatTalks.aspx

Fall Native Plant Sale at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center – this weekend

Choose from nearly 300 species of hardy Texas native plants that thrive in our Central Texas climate, provide habitat for wildlife and can help make your garden look like Texas.

MEMBERS-ONLY SALE

Friday, October 10, 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.

11:30 a.m.: Presentation by renowned Texas architect Ted Flato about his book “Lake-Flato Houses: Embracing the Landscape.” A signing will follow in the store until 2:00 p.m. Reserve your copy in advance by calling 512.232.0130.

11 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Travis County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer questions.

Become a member today to take advantage of the Members-Only Sale!

PUBLIC SALE DAYS

Saturday, October 11, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

All Day: Make Ecopots in the Courtyard.

11 a.m. – Noon: Drought-tolerant plants garden tour with Jackie O’Keefe, NPSOT.

11 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Book signing for “On the Road with Texas Highways” with J. Griffis Smith.

Noon: Presentation by James Truchard, author of “Memories from a Hill Country Garden.” Signing follows until 2 p.m.

Noon – 4 p.m.: Texas Yaupon Tea sampling in the store with Maridel Martinez.

1 – 2 p.m.: Hill Country Ecology garden tour with the center’s Michelle Bertelsen.

2 – 3 p.m.: Deer-resistant plants garden tour with Patricia McGee, Capital Area Master Naturalists.

Sunday, October 12, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

All Day: Make Ecopots in the Courtyard.

11 a.m. – Noon: Hill Country Ecology garden tour with Michelle Bertelsen.

Noon – 4 p.m.: Yaupon tea sampling with Maridel Martinez.

1 – 2 p.m.: Drought-tolerant plants garden tour with Jackie O’Keefe, NPSOT.

1 – 3 p.m.: Learn about seedballs from David Werth and Jolyn Piercy.

1 – 4 p.m.: Thomas Koschmieder in the store signs his “Common Tree & Shrub Leaves of Central Texas” guide.

Tending the Fall Habitat Garden (free workshop on 10/11)

OCTOBER 11 – Tending the Fall Habitat Garden

(9:30-11am) The class will cover fall maintenance, seed collection, and suggested plantings. After discussion, participants will be able to practice what they have learned in the garden and help with seed collecting.
Instructor: Judy Walther, Environmental Survey Consulting

Hope to see you there.

You must:
REGISTER FOR THIS SESSION

For a description of the full series (October-May) please click on the following link. http://www.nwf.org/South-Central-Region/temp_event_AUS_HabitatTalks.aspx

How Academic Performance Can Be Improved By Connecting Kids to Nature (free talk, 10/5)

How Academic Performance Can Be Improved By Connecting Kids to Nature

Sun, 10/05/2014 – 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Research shows that environment-based learning is an effective means of engaging students in core subject areas such as math and science. Marya Fowler, Senior Education Manager for National Wildlife Federation will show how and why schoolyard habitats and outdoor classrooms help students learn.

Prior to joining NWF in 1999, Marya taught for several years at the secondary level. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Environmental Planning/Landscape Design and worked in the field of landscape design, creating restoration management plans for habitat and wildlife using native plants. As Senior Education Manager for NWF’s South Central Regional Center, Marya focuses on the advancement of NWF’s K-12 school-based programming in the region, including Eco-Schools USA, Schoolyard Habitats and global warming education and literacy, with an emphasis on integrating these programs at the state/school district levels and promoting environmental education as a means to improving student academic performance.

Host(s):

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Pubic Affairs Forum, Green Sanctuary Committee, 4700 Grover, Austin, Texas

Weblink:

http://austinuu.org/wp2013/community/public-forum/