• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Texas A&M Forest Service
  • Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Research
  • Texas A&M College of Agrculture and Life Sciences
Texas Master Gardener Program
Texas Master Gardener ProgramVolunteers Supporting the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 1978
  • Menu
  • Home Page
  • TMGA
    • Annual Reports
    • Association/IRS Public Records
    • Bylaws
    • Chartering Information
    • Directors Meetings
    • 2025 TMGA Executive Committee
    • Emeritus Members
    • Outreach – Counties by District
  • Resources
    • 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Status
      • Group Exemption Information
      • State Sales Tax Information
      • Conducting Business In Meetings
      • Parliamentary Procedure
    • Association Member Eligibility
    • Forms
    • Logos and Brand Guide
    • Management Guide
    • Members Only
      • 2025 Committee Chairs and Members
      • Financial Documents
      • Officer/Director Rosters
      • Scholarships, Educational Contests, and Grants
      • Texas Gardener Magazine
      • VMS Training
    • Micro Grant Program
    • New Officer/Director Reference Guide
    • Past Presidents
    • Rules Of Order
    • Service Milestones
    • Social Media Guidelines
    • Speciality License Plate
    • Texas Floral Certificate
      • Texas Department of Agriculture – Floral Certificate
    • Volunteer Agreement
  • Conference
    • 2025 International Master Gardener Conference
    • International Call for Speakers
    • 2024 Conference Information and Registration
    • Archived Conference Photos
  • Awards
    • Awards Program
    • 2024 Awards Winners
    • 2023 Award Winners
    • Janet Laminack Extension Personnel Award
    • Wayne Rhoden Excellence in Service Award
    • Archived Awards
      • 2022 Award Winners
      • 2021 Award Winners
      • 2020 Award Winners
      • 2019 Award Winners
      • 2018 Award Winners
      • 2018 Award Winners and Photos
      • 2016 Award Winners and Entries
      • 2015 Award Winners and Entries
      • 2015 Award Winner Photos
      • 2014 Award Winners and Entries
    • David Gibby Search for Excellence (SFE) Awards
  • Endowment
  • Newsletter
    • E-blasts for Texas Master Gardeners
    • Newsletter Guidelines
    • Association Member Newsletters
      • A-C (Newsletter)
      • D-F (Newsletter)
      • G-I (Newsletter)
      • J-L (Newsletter)
      • M-O (Newsletter)
      • P-S (Newsletter)
      • T-V (Newsletter)
      • W-Z(Newsletter)
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Merchandise
    • Letter to Vendor
    • Years of Service Pins
    • Apparel and More
    • Advanced Training Lapel Pins
    • Emeritus Pins
    • Ribbon Pin Holder
    • Name Badges
  • Contacts
    • State Office Personnel
    • Member Associations (by county)
      • A-C (Contact)
      • D-F (Contact)
      • G-I (Contact)
      • J-L (Contact)
      • M-O (Contact)
      • P-S (Contact)
      • T-V (Contact)
      • W-Z (Contact)
    • 2025 TMGA Executive Committee
    • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
    • Texas AgriLife Extension Horticulture
    • Master Gardener Coordinators (by state)
  • FAQ’s
    • Membership Application Questions
    • Membership Liability Questions
  • Agents Only

Linda Keese – Hays County

When Linda Keese and her husband retired to San Marcos in 1989, Linda helped organize the very first Master Gardener class in Hays County. In the summer of 1991, she helped train a second group of gardeners and led a team to landscape the newly renovated train depot in San Marcos with old roses. She also wrote a grant to landscape the surrounding area with native trees, receiving Special Recognition for the project from the group.

On May 22,1992 at Texas A&M, 22 delegates from 14 counties, including Hays, met and ratified the newly proposed Texas Master Gardener Association during the first Master Gardener Advanced Training Seminar. With 101 volunteer hours from July ’91 to July 92 and re- certification CEU’s from the seminar, on July 21, 1992, Linda became a certified Hays County Texas Master Gardener. Armed with additional information on native seasonal color in the landscape, along with snake oils and science from the conference, she began presenting programs to garden clubs and civic groups and helped with each new training class group, as well as writing a weekly gardening column for the San Marcos Record, highlighting a blooming native plant of each month. She wrote the column for 8 years until her first grandchild was born, then only wrote what to plant where and how for 10 more years. She also served on the San Marcos Parks and Recreation Board.

November 29, 1994 she was given Special Recognition for over 800 hours of outstanding volunteer service to the Master Gardeners. She has held many offices, including president (1996) and led many projects, including co-chair for the Bexar/Hays sponsored Texas Master Gardener conference in San Antonio. She has written countless published articles, made hundreds of presentations and led many workshops on seed balls and cloning roses. In May 1998 at the Texas Master Gardener Conference in Galveston, she was recognized for her achievements as an Individual Master Gardener. Also in 1998, the Hays County Master Gardeners were called upon to help organize the Texas Master Naturalists, a volunteer organization sponsored by both the extension office and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Linda was part of the small group of Master Gardeners who attended the conference near La Grange to organize a chapter of HCMN from Hays County.

After 27 years of service, and thousands of volunteer hours, Linda is slowing down a bit these days, but she will always be a Texas Master Gardener, an avid plant collector and Texas Rose Rustler. She is still active on the HCMG Speakers Network and leads workshops for training classes. She is also certified by the Texas Native Plant Society at Level 4, Landscaping with Natives, extolling the virtues of native plant selection, with knowledgeable Master Gardener taught cultivation, to all who will listen.

Upcoming Events

Jun 19
June 19 @ 12:00 pm - June 21 @ 3:00 pm

ADVANCED TRAINING: Herbs

Jun 20
10:00 am - 11:00 am

ONLINE – Bug-Friendly Yards

Jun 21
9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Lubbock County – Home Garden Tours

Jun 23
June 23 @ 8:30 am - June 27 @ 12:00 pm

Waller County – Junior Master Gardener Camp

Jun 24
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

ONLINE: Tarrant County – Fall Garden Prep

View Calendar

Web Links

  • Aggie Horticulture
  • State/Province Extension Master Gardener Listings
  • Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service
  • Texas A&M Forest Service – Trees of Texas
  • Volunteer Management System (VMS)

Resources

  • Horticulture One-Pagers
  • Growing and Nurturing Garden Course
  • Aggie Horticulture – Problem Solver
    • Earth-Kind®
    • Resources
      • Fruit and Nut
    • Tomatoes
    • Vegetable Variety Selector
    • Watermelons
  • Dr. Bill Welch
  • Earth-Kind Roses
  • Earth-Kind Landscaping
  • Home Lawn & Garden Resources
  • Insects in the City
  • Our Gardening Guides
  • Pollinators
    • The Secret Life of Bumblebees
    • The Trouble with Bees
  • Texas Superstar Plants
    • Tycoon Tomato named Texas Superstar

Admin Only

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Texas A&M University System Member
  • Compact with Texans
  • Privacy and Security
  • Accessibility Policy
  • State Link Policy
  • Statewide Search
  • Veterans Benefits
  • Military Families
  • Risk, Fraud & Misconduct Hotline
  • Texas Homeland Security
  • Texas Veterans Portal
  • Equal Opportunity
  • Open Records/Public Information