Her thirteen-year tenure was filled with work on many projects, leadership in project design, and full-hearted participation in Denton County Master Gardener public events.
Phyllis began her experience with Denton County Master Gardeners (DCMGA) in 2010. She quickly became involved in multiple projects, highlighted by her work on the Garden Tour, Cool Shade for the Third Grade, Redbud Festival, Plant Sale, and the Fruit, Veggie, Flower & Herb Show. Her commitment to the Garden Tour grew and her home was on the Tour in 2014. She helped with organizing work days, ticket sales, and educating the public at Tour Gardens. Keeping her work on her original projects, in 2015 she added The Fall Garden Fest where she helped educate participants on Texas natives. She also became involved in the Gardenscapers. She applied what she learned in her public education and her garden, often opening it up to members to learn more about native plants and how to care for them.
In 2017, Phyllis joined the Garden Tour leadership committee while becoming active in the Speakers Bureau teaching native plant selection and care. Later that year her contacts led her to the Denton Library where she and a librarian began the Denton Seed Library with another Master Gardener. This project later expanded to create the Flower Mound Seed Library. Her local connections also led to interest in Monarch Waystations from which she integrated the need for pollinator gardens into her public speaking and advocacy efforts. She also became a member of the DCMGA Garden Consulting Team, helping organizations and individuals develop sustainable native landscaping.
In 2020, most DCMGA projects shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Community gardens remained open and Phyllis joined ranks with the Shiloh Gardens, the largest community food garden in the country, where she worked to provide food to food banks during the pandemic. Once the pandemic eased and projects reopened, she remained loyal to Shiloh Gardens, and in 2021, she joined Community Garden Consulting to help advocate for and expand the impact of a growing number of community gardens providing food to food banks. All while remaining active on the Garden Tour, Speakers Bureau, and Gardenscapers. In 2022, Phyllis spent the majority of her volunteer time helping Shiloh Gardens, the Garden Tour, and Plant Sale.
Wherever Phyllis volunteered she brought energy and commitment. Her influence motivated others to learn and become involved in community and pollinator gardens and sustainable landscapes. She was an engaging force until her retirement in 2023.