Austin Bonsai Society Monthly Meeting
Zilker Botanical Garden 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, United StatesBonsai is a living art form, with each plant constantly changing under the hand of the artist. It is a painting never quite finished. Bonsai also change with the seasons, with each plant having its own unique attractiveness during each season. Miniature maples, tiny elms, delicate pines, and junipers reflect both the seasons and the climates where they grow. Under our eyes, and in miniature form, we are privileged to watch the budding and leafing out of spring, followed by the flowers and fruit of summer, and the stark, yet beautiful, effect of bare branches against the winter sky. Bonsai is an exciting adventure that cannot be adequately described to those who have not experienced it personally. Miniature trees and landscapes, carefully nurtured in the seemingly too small containers, return to us much more than they exact in the cost of creating and maintaining these plants, which soon become our “children.” Bonsai is an adventure in which you can participate with us. You can find the Austin Bonsai Society on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Forest Gardening Class
The Natural Gardener 8648 Old Bee Caves Rd, Austin, TX, United StatesForest Gardening - Presented by Reed Burnam Forest gardening is a low-maintenance and sustainable practice that draws inspiration from woodland ecosystems. It relies on companion planting to build a productive garden and habitat. Reed will teach you all the basics to get started, including how to properly interplant with fruit trees, shrubs, herbs, vines and vegetables!
Free Day at Zilker Botanical Garden
Zilker Botanical Garden 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, United StatesOn select dates throughout the year, Zilker Botanical Garden offers free days where no admission is charged. Free Days for 2024: January 15, February 19, March 12, April 28, July 14, September 7, November 11, December 26 No advance registration is necessary. Final entry to the Garden is 4:30pm. Parking is always free and available via our main parking lot, which can be accessed through the front entrance of the garden. If overflow parking is needed, our overflow lot at 2300 Stratford Drive will be open. If you park in the overflow lot, you can enter directly across the street through the Hartman Gate at the back entrance. This is a highly ornamental gate and is easily recognizable.
Fruits, Nuts and Berries Class
The Natural Gardener 8648 Old Bee Caves Rd, Austin, TX, United StatesJoin us for this very popular workshop on fruits, nuts, and berries! Jim covers all aspects of home orchard production, from variety selection, to pruning and harvesting. This workshop includes a live demonstration of pruning in our Natural Gardener orchard, so please dress according to the weather! Jim is our Central Texas specialist, having studied and worked in horticulture since the late 1970’s. He is the author of Growing Grapes in Texas: Commercial Vineyard to Backyard Vine and the Texas Peach Handbook. His books will be available for sale and for signing after the class. There is so much information to cover and Jim is so generous with his time. This class is around two hours long.
Grapes: Care & Pruning Class
The Natural Gardener 8648 Old Bee Caves Rd, Austin, TX, United StatesGrapes: Care & Pruning - Presented by Dr. Lacey Mount + TNG Grounds Staff This class will be split in two parts. During the first half hour, Dr. Lacey Mount will be discussing grape varieties for our area as well as the diseases that can affect them. You will then visit our orchard with Roger and David to learn about proper grape pruning techniques.
Texas A&M AgriLife Open House – Houseplants
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX, United StatesJoin Us in the Texas A&M AgriLife Demo Garden for our monthly Open House! The first Friday morning of every month is designated as a FREE open house for the Texas A&M AgriLife Earth-Kind Demonstration Garden at 1600 Smith Road, Austin. You’ll be able to visit the garden and speak with the Travis County Master Gardener volunteers who maintain it as well as get your gardening questions answered by the Plant Clinic staff. Each month will also feature some sort of demonstration or workshop that deep dive into subject areas. See monthly topics below. Monthly Topics January 5th - Tree Trimming February 2nd - Houseplant University March 1st - Rose Pruning April 5th - Spring Vegetable Gardening May 3rd - Mulch 101 June 7th - IPM Insect Management July 5th - Shade Cloth August 2nd - Solarization August 16th - Light Requirements September 6th - Soil Texture and Composting September 20th - Landscape Design Site Analysis October 4th –Entomology and Plant Pathology Scavenger Hunt November 1st – Vegetable Garden layout and rotation December 6th – Tool Care
Austin Ikebana Group Monthly Meeting
Zilker Botanical Garden 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, United StatesThe Austin Ikebana Group was founded by Isamu Taniguchi (circa 1902-1992), who started building the Taniguchi Japanese Garden when he was 70 years old. Ikebana is more than simply arranging flowers-its Japanese characters mean “giving life to flowers.” This art form has spiritual and philosophical roots, where the relationship between every flower, stem, branch, leaf, and even container expresses a balanced and harmonious nature. The feelings of the arranger play a key role as well. Members rotate leading demonstrations and workshops. Because members have trained in various schools of Ikebana, including Ohara, Sogetsu, Ikenobo, and Ichiyo, they bring a rich atmosphere of learning and growth to the meetings. This becomes a contemplative practice of expressing gentleness and elegance through the art of flower arrangement. Meetings are monthly on the first Friday at 10am.
Austin Herb Society Monthly Meeting
Zilker Botanical Garden 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, United StatesSince 1983, the Austin Herb Society has been educating members and the community about herbs, including propagation, landscaping, history, folklore, and culinary, medicinal, and decorative uses of herbs. While our members are united by an interest in herbs, they are also a diverse group of individuals: from gardeners and herbalists to cooks and business owners. AHS members design and maintain the Zilker Herb Garden-a dazzling landscape of color and fragrance that has become a centerpiece of Zilker Botanical Garden. Here, visitors can touch, taste, and smell they way through nearly 200 varieties of herbs, depending on the season. Bees and butterflies dot the beds of basil, lavender, and calendula. There are classic culinary herbs like rosemary, mint, and thyme alongside herbs revered for their health attributes, including aloe and echinacea. In addition to hands-on learning in the Zilker Herb Garden, members enjoy: Monthly meetings with expert speakers on diverse topics (currently via zoom) Educational workshops and seminars throughout the year Study groups focused on culinary herbs and herbal products Field trips to unique gardens and herb-loving businesses Delicious herbal refreshments at our in-person meetings Fellowship with interesting and informed herb lovers Please join us in exploring the wonderful world of herbs! You can also find us on Facebook
Austin Bonsai Society Monthly Meeting
Zilker Botanical Garden 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, United StatesBonsai is a living art form, with each plant constantly changing under the hand of the artist. It is a painting never quite finished. Bonsai also change with the seasons, with each plant having its own unique attractiveness during each season. Miniature maples, tiny elms, delicate pines, and junipers reflect both the seasons and the climates where they grow. Under our eyes, and in miniature form, we are privileged to watch the budding and leafing out of spring, followed by the flowers and fruit of summer, and the stark, yet beautiful, effect of bare branches against the winter sky. Bonsai is an exciting adventure that cannot be adequately described to those who have not experienced it personally. Miniature trees and landscapes, carefully nurtured in the seemingly too small containers, return to us much more than they exact in the cost of creating and maintaining these plants, which soon become our “children.” Bonsai is an adventure in which you can participate with us. You can find the Austin Bonsai Society on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Free Day at Zilker Botanical Garden
Zilker Botanical Garden 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, United StatesOn select dates throughout the year, Zilker Botanical Garden offers free days where no admission is charged. Free Days for 2024: January 15, February 19, March 12, April 28, July 14, September 7, November 11, December 26 No advance registration is necessary. Final entry to the Garden is 4:30pm. Parking is always free and available via our main parking lot, which can be accessed through the front entrance of the garden. If overflow parking is needed, our overflow lot at 2300 Stratford Drive will be open. If you park in the overflow lot, you can enter directly across the street through the Hartman Gate at the back entrance. This is a highly ornamental gate and is easily recognizable.
Native and Adapted Plants – Texas Tough Plants Series
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX, United StatesWhat are the best native and adapted plants to use in central Texas that can tolerate extremes of heat and cold, drought and deluge? Find out when the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension-Travis County kicks off the 2024 Texas Tough Plants webinar series with Native and Adapted Plants for Central Texas and Wild About Plants, on February 21st, 10 am to noon. Those interested must register in advance to receive a link to the webinar. Attendees can submit questions during the webinar and get answers live as time allows. More information on the entire webinar series can be found here.
Landscape Design Class: Curb Appeal
Lakeway Activity Center 105 Cross Creek, Lakeway, TX, United StatesJoin HGTV featured Landscape Designer Gay Gray and learn how to create an inviting landscape in your yard. Learn the basics in curb appeal and backyard design from Gay Gray who has been a featured landscape designer on HGTV and focuses on earth wise and organic gardening. Learn what deer-resistant and drought-tolerant plantings will work great in your landscape. Now your home can be more inviting to family and friends and have that extra detail which may have a potential buyer taking a closer look. The first 5 participants who register will have their pictures used as examples in class for design suggestions and ideas. About Gay Gray After a long career as an intellectual property litigator focusing on patent law, Gay Bonorden Gray decided to do her part in making the world a more beautiful place. Leaving a secure position in a Fortune 500 company as in-house counsel, Gay went back to school to pursue a career in horticulture. Since starting her business in landscaping, Gay’s designs have appeared in print in several publications by Sunset Magazines and Books (available at retailers like Barnes and Noble and Home Depot) and have appeared multiple times on HGTV. She filmed two television shows for HGTV's Landscape Smart, and had much fun doing it.