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Saturday, April 20, 2024
This week on Minute with the Mayor, Mayor John Huffman continues a budding friendship with Carol Dowd of the Southlake Master Gardeners to learn about Texas-native and Texas-adapted plants.
At the Pollinator Garden at the Bob Jones Nature Center & Preserve, you can see all types of critters. Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and more make these plants their landing bed as they help pollinate and grow the vegetation.
As Mayor Huffman made a stop in the floral playground, he got to know a bit more about the intentions behind each plant.
“Texas-adapted and Texas-native plants do the best here. They are from this particular area, and some of the horticulturists at Texas A&M have tweaked some of the Texas-native genes and made the plants bigger or they’ve had better blooms, or they survive the drought better. Texas is known for drought, and we may be having more of it this summer, but Texas-natives and Texas-adapted plants will survive when other things don’t,” said Dowd.
Dowd is a Southlake resident and gardening enthusiast. Her talent and interest in plants are used in many places around Southlake but specifically at the Bob Jones Nature Center & Preserve. This special group of Master Gardeners who volunteer their time continues the mission of this Texas A&M program affiliate by promoting good gardening practices.
Mayor Huffman mentioned that Texas-native and Texas-adapted plants can help water conservation efforts during drought months. Since they require less water than non-native species, these plants can make a difference in your water bill or even the look of your garden!
Dowd encouraged those who want to be more intentional about their gardens to visit the Texas Smartscape website which provides information about native and adapted plants as well as local plant sales, demonstration gardens, and much more.
As the summer rolls in, be sure to take a walk in the pollinator garden to see nature at work. The beautiful flowers, plants, and critters provide the sights, sounds, and smells to transport you to a place of serenity. We hope to see you there!
To watch the full episode of Minute with the Mayor, click below.
March is Texas SmartScape Month! Save money and water in your landscaping by using SmartScape tools.
It’s almost time to roll up our sleeves, pull out the garden gloves and prepare flower beds for spring spruce-ups and landscape planting! As you consider what you’d like to plant and where to place it this year, look at the Texas SmartScape website for some plant and landscape design inspiration. The Texas SmartScape program has carefully curated a database of perennials, shrubs, grasses, vines, groundcover, and trees that are either native or highly adaptive to the North Central Texas region. This means that you can trust that these choices will survive our specific climate and soil challenges and look attractive even in years of drought! Once established, these plants will not only require less water and fertilizer, but will also provide important habitats for wildlife and pollinators to live in.
Want to spruce up your yard, reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and save water?
This spring, the City of Soutlake will be focused on promoting wise water use in and outside your home.
This March and April 2016, the City of Southlake is promoting several events that encourage wise water use and conservation inside and outside your home. The lists of events include:
“Fix a Leak” Week (March 14-20): This annual event aims to empower individuals to take control of water use in their homes by identifying and fixing common sources of water leaks. Beginning the week of March 14, a display will be in the lobby of Town Hall that shows helpful tips on identifying and fixing common household leaks. In addition, there will be several free items at tables near the display that will help you identify leaks, save water and save money.
The “Get to Know Your H2O” Forum (March 29): The conversation about water doesn’t stop once Fix a Leak Week is over. Join us March 29, 2016 at 6:00PM for the “Getting to Know Your H2O” forum to be held in the City Council Chambers of Town Hall. Come to the event and engage experts in a discussion about water use and conservation and hang around the lobby and learn what you can do to take control of your water use all year ’round.
Texas SmartScape™ Plant Sale (April 23): Searching for the best candidates for your landscape? Texas SmartScape™ will help you identify native or adaptive plants that can thrive with less water. This means you can save money and still have a beautiful yard. Go to the Southlake Home Depot at 300 S. Village Center Drive from 8:00am to 12:00pm on April 23rd to get ideas and tips for landscaping by talking with a master gardener, plant expert, or irrigation specialist.
Learn and Grow @ Bob Jones Nature Center (April 30): This free workshop at the Bob Jones Nature Center is all about lawn care. Speaker Dr. Dotty Woodson from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will discuss lawn care maintenance, the benefits of native and adaptive plants, and sprinkler system quick fixes. Space is limited for this workshop. RSVP with Leigh Langford at 817-491-6333 or llangford@bjnc.org.
Take control of your water use and come join us in March and April for any or all of these events!