Master Gardeners Donate $1,000 to GRUB Farm
At the January Board Meeting, Master Gardeners presented a $1,000 check to the South Plains Food Bank GRUB Farm. The Farm was burglarized this past fall, and all of the tools, computers, and other equipment were stolen. The donation, to help in rebuilding, came from individual Master Gardeners and was supplemented by funds from the treasury. Pictured above, left to right, are: Ann Polk, Immediate Past President; Jennifer Smith, Farm and Garden Manager at the South Plains Food Bank; Certification Secretary Jean Ann Stratton, President Kristin Bingham, and Extension Advisor Christina Reid.
The GRUB Farm (Growing Recruits for Urban Business) provides training and job opportunities for at risk youth who grow and market vegetables and sell them at the Farmers’ Market and through community shares. Master Gardeners have volunteered with the GRUB Farm for many years, helping the GRUB kids with planting and harvesting. If you enjoy helping young people who are trying to make life better for themselves, volunteering at the GRUB Farm is a great way to earn some volunteer hours.
From Our Extension Advisor: Events and Volunteer Opportunities in February
article by Christina Reid
The 2019 Master Gardener Intern Class will officially begin Thursday, February 7th from 9:00- 3:00 at the Lubbock Garden and Arts Center and run for 10 weeks. The interns would love to meet you and learn from you! If you are interested in making a presentation (topic of your choice!) to the intern class, please contact Christina Reid CEA ([email protected]) for dates/times. If you are interested in becoming a mentor or aiding this class in other ways, please contact Empress Terrell.
New School Garden Project is underway. Are you looking for a new way to get involved this year? The Garden Projects Committee has just the solution for you- become a Garden Project Manager! Frenship ISD has just applied for a Garden Project Manager at each of their (8) elementary schools! The 2nd grade teachers have already purchased the Literature in the Garden JMG curriculum and need the Garden Project Managers for support, guidance and correspondence. There will be NO manual labor or frequent visits needed of the Garden Project Managers. If you are interested or need more information, please contact Marcia Abbott or Christina Reid CEA ([email protected]).
Project Highlight The Slaton Community Garden Series kicked off with its first meeting Saturday, January 12th from 11:00-1:00 at Slaton Junior High School. Dee Dee Odorizzi, LMGA, and Christina Reid, CEA, presented information on garden planning, plant biology, warm season vs. cool season crops, and aided attendees with picking out the garden’s geographic location and design. The program was well attended by community members of all ages and everyone had a great time! The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 9th from 11:00-1:00 at Slaton Junior High School with topics including starting from seeds, how to read a seed packet, and soil basics.
Want to get involved? Contact Christina Reid CEA ([email protected])
“From December to March, there are for many of
us three gardens:
the garden outdoors,
the garden of pots and bowls in the house,
and the garden of the mind’s eye.”
– Katherine S. White
Commercial Turf and Ornamental Workshop
February 15, 2019 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Registration begins at 8:30
Lubbock County AgriLife Extension Office, 916 Main Street, 79401
First Floor Meeting Room
Cost: $35 with pre-registration by February 1, 2019; $45 at the door. Lunch Included. Call Lubbock County AgriLife Extension office at 806-775-1740 to register.
5 CEU’s
Agenda
8:30 – 9:00: Registration
9:00 -10:00 : Managing Rose Rosette Disease in the Landscape Christina Reid, Lubbock County Horticulture Agent, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
10:00 – 11:00 Turf Grass Management for West Texas Dr. Joey Young, Assistant Professor of Turfgrass Science, Texas Tech University
11:00 – 11:15 Break
11:15 – 12:15: New Spray Laws and Regulations Debbie Slocum, Texas Department of Agriculture
12:15 – 1:00: Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 Managing Entomosporium Leaf Spot Christina Reid, Lubbock County Horticulture Agent, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
2:00 – 3:00 Managing Herbicide Resistant Weeds Dr. Peter Dotray, Professor and Extension Weed Science Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Twelve Days of Christmas at the Dallas Arboretum
article and photos by Judith Hardin
This past Christmas was spent as a Hardin family gathering with all of our adult children and grandchildren in Plano, Texas. Many activities were offered in advance and voted on. One unanimous choice was a nighttime visit to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. None of us had ever been 
before, but we were drawn to the special annual 12 Days of Christmas outdoor exhibit. So, with enthusiasm we bundled up and made our way to what Southern Living Magazine describes as one of “The South’s Best Holiday Experiences.”
The Arboretum itself covers 66 acres, while the 12 extravagantly decorated gazebos are along a .75 mile walk lined with flower beds containing winter flowering plants such as violas, pansies, and azaleas as far as the eye can see. There is a parking garage that leads underground to the entry gate and grounds that accommodated the several thousand visitors each night.
As families went from one lavishly decorated 25 foot gazebo to the next, the many beautifully cared for 
shrubs, trees, waterfalls, and ponds were illuminated with 500,000 Christmas lights. It takes two months, with the help of the Dallas Fire Department, to construct, assemble, and decorate the displays. As we began with “A Partridge in a Pear Tree” and went to the next gazebo, we anticipated how it would be artfully designed. We were always surprised and impressed with each display!
A visit to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden will continue to be on our activities “to do” list any time of the year when we are in the Dallas area. There is a full year’s list of events, as well as more information about costs, and photography regulations at http:// www.dallasarbortetum.org .
Texas Alliance for Water Conservation 5th Annual Water College
article by Jean Ann Stratton
Local farmer Kelly Ketner
The Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC) hosted its 5th Annual Water College January 17th at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center. The speakers presented the most current information about how we can better use our Ogallala Aquifer.
Based at Texas Tech and funded by a grant from the Texas Water Development Board, TAWC is a partnership of producers, technology firms, universities and government agencies working to extend the life of the largest subterranean aquifer in the United States.
Brian Bledsoe, Chief Meteorologist and Climatologist, Colorado Springs presented my favorite class— Upcoming Weather Patterns.
I received 7.5 CEU’s at this seminar, enjoyed the classes, and had a tasty breakfast and lunch all at no cost. I’m sharing this information to encourage you to put the 6th Annual Water College on your calendar for January 2020.
Tess Trost took this picture at a wildlife center in South Carolina this past fall. She and her husband were there to add some birds to their life list. Note the cypress trees in the water.
A Lifetime of Dedication…David Austin Sr. 1926-2018
by Jean Anne Stratton
On December 21, 2018, I received an email from David J.C. Austin informing me that his father, David C.H. Austin, had passed away peacefully at his home in Shropshire surrounded by his family, age 92. For over 75 years David Austin Senior’s dedication to roses brought fragrance and beauty to gardens all over the world, including mine.
Though Austin’s roses are not officially recognized as a separate class of roses they are nonetheless commonly referred to as “English Roses.” His emphasis was on breeding roses with the character and fragrance of old garden roses but with the repeat-flowering ability and wide color range of modern roses.
Even though Austin came from a farming background, his interest and passion for plants began as a schoolboy in the school library when he discovered a magazine called Gardens Illustrated. His teacher encouraged him and he decided to pursue his newfound passion. I hope you will take this information to heart when you share your horticultural experience with your children, grandchildren and others’ children as you garden with them or volunteer at a school garden.
Last spring I planted a David Austin Rose named for Susan Williams-Ellis. Susan Williams-Ellis was an English pottery designer, who was best known for co-founding Portmeirion Pottery. This rose selection was inspired by fondness for her pottery designs (that’s another story).
If you would like to read more about his remarkable life, please visit https://www.davidaustinroses.com/us/about-us/david-c-h-austin.
Winter garden pictures taken by Lilla Jones ( left) and Marcia Abbott, after our snowfall on December 8th.
