TYLER — This year’s spring landscape and gardening conference will spring off with traditional favorites: presentations on rose growing.
Set Feb. 12 at the Tyler Rose Garden Center, 420 Rose Park Drive, Tyler, the conference will also feature new and unusual topics, said Keith Hansen, Texas AgriLife Extension Service agent for Smith County and event planner.
As one example, Hansen cited the presentation by Smith County Master Gardener David Gary.
Gary, who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy in 1975, will talk about how a “physically challenged gardener, using common tools found at any hardware store, can move about the garden doing planting, tilling, trimming, and watering,” Hansen said.
Gary will not only talk about the nuts-and-bolts of gardening from a wheelchair, but also how it turned his life around, according to Hansen.
“Most importantly, the presentation shows how a positive attitude can help overcome physical challenges,” he said.
Another feature that diverts from usual program will be one by Dave Creech, the director of the Mast Arboretum at Stephen F. Austin State University. Creech will be talking about using native plants in the home landscape, Hansen said.
Registration for the program is $20 at the door and will include break refreshments, lunch, and educational materials. Registration will start at 7:30 a.m.
Topics and presenters will include: “Growing Great Roses,” Mark Chamblee, Chamblee’s Roses, Tyler; “Pruning Roses for Beauty and Health,” Keith Mills and Craig Reiland, former and current, respectively, Rose Garden supervisors; “Master Gardener on Wheels,” Gary; “What’s Bugging You? – Common Pests and Their Control,” Mike Merchant, AgriLife Extension entomologist, Dallas; “Native Plants at Home in Your Yard,” Creech; “Pollinators in the Garden,” Janet Rowe, Rockwell Master Gardener and lifetime beekeeper; and “IDEA Garden through the Seasons,” Hansen, and Smith County Master Gardeners Cindy Harrington and Anne Pattullo.
Following the formal presentations the conference will adjourn to visit the Tyler Rose Garden demonstration gardens.
“Master Gardeners will be stationed throughout to answer questions,” Hansen noted. “And refreshments will be made available in the garden.”
The event is co-sponsored by AgriLife Extension, Smith County Environmental Services, and the City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department.
For more information, contact Hansen at 903-590-2980 or khansen@ag.tamu.edu .
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