AgriLife Extension in Travis County to present landscape series on dealing with drought

AUSTIN Now is the time to learn about ways to help landscapes and gardens perform in the hot, dry summer months that lie ahead while conserving, preserving and protecting water resources, said Daphne Richards, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service horticulturist for Travis County.

Landscaping for drought will be the general focus of a series of monthly programs to be held at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service office in Travis County, located at 1600-B Smith Road in southeast Austin. (Texas A&M AgriLife Research photo)

Even though its still winter, the well-prepared gardener should be thinking about choosing plants and trees and pondering how to best maintain them during the summer, especially under the drought conditions that tend to prevail here in Central Texas, Richards said.

To help gardeners prepare, AgriLife Extension and the Travis County Master Gardeners will present a series of monthly seminars.

Dealing with Drought in the Landscape programs will be held monthly from Feb. to June. They will each be held from 10 a.m.-noon at the AgriLife Extension office, 1600-B Smith Road in southeast Austin.

The cost is $10 per seminar for early registration and $15 per seminar for late or on-site registration.To register, go to https://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/TravisCounty.

Dates and topics for the drought series are:

Feb.12 Landscaping Basics: Learn basic landscape principles and become familiar with the native and adapted plants to incorporate into your garden. Carolyn Williams, a long-time Master Gardener who holds both basic and advanced landscape design certifications, will share her experience in landscaping designs.

March 12 Using Native Plants in the Landscape: Native Texas plants bring beauty and function to your garden while being well adapted to handle blazing sun, drought and other weather extremes. They also provide great benefits to pollinators and birds. 4-H Capitals gardening specialist and Texas Master Naturalist Meredith OReilly will guide you in choosing the right native plants for your yard and garden. .

April 9 Tree Care During Drought: Many trees are stressed by prolonged periods of hot, dry weather. Selecting trees that use water efficiently is one way to make your landscape more resistant to droughts. This program focuses on tree maintenance procedures such as mulching, proper pruning, limiting fertilization and supplemental irrigation.Lara Schuman, a certified arborist and acting program manager at City of Austin Urban Forestry will share her knowledge on caring for trees.

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AgriLife Extension in Travis County to present landscape series on dealing with drought