COME TO THE GARDENS! Here’s why we are proud of the VEG program
December 21, 2024
by Mark David/Victoria County Master Gardener 2025 President
Summer Camp /PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VCMGA
The pond waterfall/PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VCMGA
Bush Morning Glory in Bloom/PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY VCMGA
Hello Crossroads residents. My name is Mark David and I want to introduce myself as the President of Victoria County Master Gardener Association (VCMGA) for 2025. My wife, Barbara and I have been Crossroads residents for 11 ½ years with 6 ½ in Victoria.
My wife retired 4 years before I did and enjoys being a Master Gardener. When I retired in 2021, I found myself with too much free time and as you know, vegetable gardening only takes so much time. I found myself in front of the TV way too much.
Three weeks after retiring I joined the Victoria County Master Gardener training class. After completing the 16-week course, I helped at Victoria Educational Gardens (aka VEG) and found lots of things to do. Also, I met many wonderful master gardeners, who are now my friends.
The over-arching goal of the Master Gardener program is education. We take it seriously. Some the programs we offer include:
• School tours of VEG for area schools. Garden clubs and other adult groups can reserve time for private tours.
• “Lunch and Learn,” one-hour programs for the public are scheduled seven times a year. These noontime programs are taught by our master gardeners, who cover a wide variety of horticultural topics. Check the VCMGA Facebook page for more information about dates and topics.
• The VCMGA Speaker’s Bureau has many Master Gardeners volunteering to speak to different community groups.
• An annual week-long Summer Camp for kids ages 6-12 is offered at VEG. All the fun activities teach the children about different aspects of gardening and healthy nutrition.
• A one-day Fall Symposium with four excellent professional speakers whose presentations cover varied, new and interesting topics is planned for September 13, 2025.
• In addition to all these events, we have spring and fall plant sales.
Our gardens are at 283 Bachelor Drive, near the airport. We are open from sunup to sundown 365 days a year. Please come, stroll through the gardens and find a place to stop in the shade, the Butterfly Haven or near the pond. You will see beautiful water lilies and other blooming plants.
We are proud of VEG. There are 19 separate garden areas such as the Patriotic, Roses, Vegetable, Wildflower, Daylily and 14 others. All are superbly maintained by master gardeners throughout the year.
Our daylily garden will undergo a makeover in 2025, with an emphasis on education. The project, which began in October 2024, will more than double the number of daylily cultivars. The daylily group is planning special areas to highlight innovations in flower form, colors and disease resistance.
One new daylily bed will be devoted to cultivars bred by Texas hybridizers. The registered cultivar ‘Bridey Greeson’ named for a Victoria gardener will be included.
The jewel of our gardens is our connected ponds. The sight of the waterfall cascading down the rocks is awesome. Many goldfish are swimming amidst the water lilies that are beautiful in the spring, summer and fall.
Master gardeners work at VEG on Mondays and Thursdays from 9-12 noon and can give a brief tour and answer questions. We can show you the greenhouse, compost area, butterfly haven, secret garden, native area, sensory area, children’s garden, Texas Superstars and much more.
If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, please come to the “Meet and Greet” on Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 10 a.m. to noon. Master Gardeners will welcome you and provide you with more information about the process of becoming a Master Gardener. This event will be held at the Pavilion, 283 Bachelor Drive, right across from the Victoria Airport control tower.
You will find your time spent in the gardens very rewarding, I hope to meet you at VEG in 2025.