Austin Ikebana Group Monthly Meeting
2024-06-07 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-07-05 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-08-02 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-09-06 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-10-04 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-11-01 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Chicago) | Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
The 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 Bonsai Society Monthly Meeting
2024-06-12 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-07-10 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-08-14 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-09-11 19:00 - 20:00, 2024-10-09 19:00 - 20:00 | Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
Bonsai 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.

Austin Herb Society Monthly Meeting
2024-07-02 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-09-03 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-10-01 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-11-05 10:00 - 11:30 | Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
Since 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

Texas A&M AgriLife Open House - Shade Cloth
2024-07-05 09:00 - 11:00 | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX, 78721, United States
Join 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

Free Day at Zilker Botanical Garden
2024-07-14 09:00 - 17:00, 2024-09-07 09:00 - 17:00 | Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX, 78746, United States
On 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.

Texas A&M AgriLife Open House - Solarization
2024-08-02 09:00 - 11:00 | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX, 78721, United States

Texas A&M AgriLife Open House - Light Requirements
2024-08-16 09:00 - 11:00 | Lakeway Municipal Utility District, 1097 Lohmans Crossing, Lakeway, TX, 78734, United States

Lakeway Garden Club Autumn Member Mixer
2024-09-05 10:30 - 12:00 | Lake Travis Community Library, 1938 Lohmans Crossing, Austin, TX, 78734, United States
Lakeway Garden Club hosts a quarterly meeting for all members at the Lake Travis Community Library. Our September 5th autumn get together will include group discussions about colorful garden topics and opportunities for volunteering in local garden projects. We’d love to display photos of our members’ gardens, so please post your garden pix to our Facebook page and we will share them during our meeting. If you would like to request a future garden topic or have a specific gardening question, please let us know. All are welcome to join for free if they are not already a member. See you then!

Texas A&M AgriLife Open House - Soil Texture and Composting
2024-09-06 09:00 - 11:00 | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX, 78721, United States

Texas A&M AgriLife Open House - Landscape Design
2024-09-20 09:00 - 11:00 | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX, 78721, United States

Landscape Design Class: Curb Appeal
2024-09-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Lakeway Activity Center, 105 Cross Creek, Lakeway, TX, 78734, United States
Join 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.

Lone Star Gourd Show
2024-10-04 - 2024-10-05 | TX
29th Annual Lone Star Gourd Festival

OCTOBER 4-5, 2024 9:00am – 5:00pm
DRIPPING SPRINGS RANCH PARK
1042 Event Center Drive
DRIPPING SPRINGS, TX

Classes available October 3-4-5

Texas A&M AgriLife Open House - Entomology
2024-10-04 09:00 - 11:00 | Lakeway Municipal Utility District, 1097 Lohmans Crossing, Lakeway, TX, 78734, United States

Central Texas Seed Savers - Seed Swap
2024-10-12 11:00 - 13:00 | Austin Central Library, 710 W. César Chávez St., Austin, TX, 78730, United States
Join us for the 6th annual seed swap with Central Texas Seed Savers in the Austin Central Library 1st floor Demo Area and on the library’s east grounds near Shoal Creek. Please bring your seeds, plants, and cuttings. Swap with others who can give them a new home. For more information or to reserve a table for your swap items, please Ask a Librarian.
The Central Texas Seed Savers are having a seed swap on October 12th at the Austin Central Library from 11 am to 1 pm. The address is 710 W Cesar Chavez St., Austin, TX 78701. It’s free and open to all. You don’t need to bring seeds to participate.

Community Swaps are a space for our community members to meet up, give away items they no longer need, acquire those that they do and participate in sustainable living. Bring it. Trade it. Leave no trace behind.

Seed Collection Gathering
2024-10-14 15:00 - 16:30 | Austin Central Library, 710 W. César Chávez St., Austin, TX, 78730, United States
Join us for Seed Collection Gatherings on the second Monday of each month from 3–4:30 pm in the northwest corner of the Austin Public Library Main Branch on the 6th floor.
What is the Seed Collection?

The Seed Collection is a joint project of the Austin Public Library and the Central Texas Seed Savers, a grassroots group of seed savers, gardeners, horticulturists and social activists that coalesced around the idea of establishing a repository and exchange system for seeds of land race, heirloom, locally adapted and native varieties of fruits and vegetable and other useful plants in Central Texas region. The Seed Collection is housed in the classic card catalog cabinet on the Austin Central Library’s 6th floor. Everyone is welcome to “check out” and “return” seeds from the collection. If you have more questions about this project or would like to join our green gang, please Ask a Librarian.

The Seed Collection has taken root!
The Central Texas Seed Savers and the Austin Public Library are committed to supporting the local environment and community by sharing seeds and related knowledge through our programming and circulating collection. We believe that seeds are nutritional and historical suitcases which contain the potential for both physical and cultural sustenance. Seed collections like ours are intended to promote sustainability, self-sufficiency, food security and interpersonal exchange.
How does it work?
Browse the drawers, check out up to four seed packets per visit and record them on our checkout clipboard on top of the catalog cabinet. When you have extra seeds, keep the spirit alive with a donation. Fill out a form from drawer 19, and place it with the donation in drawer 20. If needed, you can find seed envelopes in drawer 21. The Seed Collection relies upon your contributions to keep it growing.

Fall 2024 Earth-Kind Gardening Field Day
2024-10-19 09:00 - 13:00 | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX, 78721, United States
Join us for “Fall 2024 Earth-Kind Gardening Field Day” by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Travis County Master Gardeners! This family-fun and educational event will be held on Saturday, October 19th from 9 am to 1 pm at the Travis County AgriLife Extension office located at 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX 78721. Parking is available along Smith Road. The event is free and open to the public. It will be held rain or shine. For more information please visit https://travis-tx.tamu.edu/events/. See you there!

Texas A&M AgriLife Open House - Vegetable Garden
2024-11-01 09:00 - 11:00 | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, 1600 Smith Road, Austin, TX, 78721, United States
