Volume 32, Issue #9 – September 2022
Fall is coming. And finally, we have rain! This past summer has shown us, if nothing else, what plants can really survive: prolonged, extreme temperatures with only the tiniest sprinkles of rain. Cooler weather is in our future, and you know what that means … It’s time to get back into the garden!
The Bexar County Master Gardeners have some exceptional programs lined up this September starting with our semi-annual Cultivate! Cultivate is a free, online seminar that features a variety of topics taught by experts. It runs from Friday, September 9th through Saturday, September 10th, 9:00am – 1:00pm. The range of topics include among others, Fall Gardening Tasks, Growing Christmas Oranges, and Ethnobotany. Pick the ones that interest you the most or attend them all. You can earn up to 6 WaterSaver Rewards Points and have a chance to win some very nice prizes. Learn More & Register Here for Cultivate!
If you like vegetable gardening, you will not want to miss our September Lunch & Learn topic Fall Vegetable Gardening on Sept 16th (registration required) and Cool Weather Vegetables with David Rodriquez on September 10th. Do you love herbs? Don’t miss our Home Grown Lecture on All About Mint.
Master Gardeners, we have just 3 months to complete our recertification requirements to continue in the program in 2023. All requirements should be completed and entered in VMS by Nov 30th and annual dues must be paid by Dec 31st. If you have questions about your membership or are experiencing difficulties completing your certification, please email Nora Fellows.
You can now print or download Member Articles to your computer. Just click the Blue Button beneath the article you wish to save, and a pdf version of the article will pop up on your screen. From there, you can print or download using the indicators at the top right of your screen.
Please check out the many FREE classes and webinars listed in this issue.
Scion Index
- This Month’s Presentation– New and Underutilized Plants for the Texas Hill Country by Jessica Robertson
- Wise Water Words by Anna Vogler
- Superstar Spotlight – Plumbago Cape Plumbago
- In the Garden Articles
- September in The Garden
- The Carrion Plant by Rebecca Mendez
- How to Collect and Store your own Zinnia Seeds by Candy Roach
- The Perfect Storm by Bill Swantner
- Gardening Education Opportunities
- BCMG Facebook
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Happenings!
- WOAI 1200 AM – Lawn and Garden Show
- Ask a Master Gardener Hotline
- Can You Help? – Join Amazon Smile
The BCMG office is closed to Walk-ins. If you would like to set up an appointment to visit the office, please email [email protected].
Hello, Fellow Gardeners.
I hope everyone is doing well and staying cool. Hopefully cooler temperatures and more rain are on their way to us.
This month I would like to promote our twice-annual educational seminar, CULTIVATE!, which will be on Friday, September 9, and Saturday, September 10. This will be our 10th seminar and we are very excited to offer several new topics. For your convenience, these classes will be online and you can learn from the comfort of your own home.
This event is free to attend and for SAWS WaterSaver Rewards members, worth one SAWS WaterSaver Reward point for each workshop attended. If you are a SAWS customer but not a WaterSaver Rewards member yet, you might still have time to sign up and receive credit. For more details and to sign up, visit https://www.gardenstylesanantonio.com/watersaver-rewards/.
We have four exciting door prizes we will give away after our seminar is over. Everyone who attends will have their name put in the virtual hat once for each class they attend for a chance to win a prize. If you attend 1 class, your name will be entered once. If you attend all 6, your name will be entered six times for the prizes explained below.
A huge THANK YOU to the San Antonio Botanical Garden for providing us with a free annual membership to raffle off for one very lucky attendee to our seminar. This membership is the Friend Membership, value of $150, and is a wonderful way to enjoy the SA Botanical Garden as many times as you want all year long. More about this and other membership benefits is available at this link: https://www.sabot.org/membership/. Thank you for your generosity, SA Botanical Garden!
Another huge THANK YOU to Rainbow Gardens for providing three $50 gift certificates to give away as well. Rainbow Gardens has two nurseries in the San Antonio area and often invite Master Gardeners to give presentations on a range of horticultural topics. You can find their schedules and more details here: https://www.rainbowgardens.biz/events-classes/. Both locations have a large selection of plants that we recommend for our region. Thanks for helping BCMG in our educational outreach, Rainbow Gardens!
We usually have anywhere from 150-200 people who attend the CULTIVATE! Workshops. In an effort to ensure participants are ready for the classes at the allotted time, we open the webinars 8-10 minutes early. Our Master Gardeners have created ‘pre-reels’ with upcoming events and other interesting information to share with you while you wait, so please plan to sign in a few minutes early.
Registration can be found here: https://bexarmg.org/cer/. A description of each of these classes can be found on our website. Here is the schedule of workshops we are offering for our fall CULTIVATE!:
Friday, September 9
9:00-10:00am Ethnobotany-Native Plants with Maeve Bassett (SA Botanical Garden)
10:30-11:30am Native Pollinators with Molly Keck (Texas A&M AgriLife)
12:00-1:00pm Growing Christmas Oranges with David Rodriguez (Texas A&M AgriLife)
Saturday, September 10
9:00-10:00am Basic Tree Care with Marybeth Parsons (BCMG)
10:30-11:30am Rain Gardens for Wildlife and Water Quality with Lee Marlowe (SA River Authority)
12:00-1:00pm Fall Gardening Tasks with Lynn Cox and Anna Vogler (BCMG)
Please feel free to share this information with any friends or family who you think might be interested in attending our fall educational seminar. I hope to see you all at CULTIVATE! on September 9 &10.
Conservationally yours,
Anna Vogler
Water Conservation Coordinator
9-September-in-the-Garden
Carrion-Plant_Rebecca-Mendez
Zinnia-Seeds_Candy-Roach
Perfect-Storm_Bill-Swantner
Gardening Education Opportunities
Home Grown Lecture Series 2022 – All About Mint – Free
September 1 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am ONLINE
Presented by Brandi Keller, County Extension Agent – Horticulture as part of the monthly Home Grown Lecture Series.
Offices Closed: Labor Day
September 5
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Bexar County Master Gardeners offices are closed today.
Fall Vegetable Gardening
September 6 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Northeast Community Learning Center, 8750 Tesoro Dr
San Antonio, TX 78217
Presented by David Rodriguez, Horticulturist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and hosted by NEISD Community Education Northeast Course Fee: $20
CULTIVATE! Earth Friendly Gardening & Landscaping Seminars – Free
September 9 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm & September 10 @ 9:00 am – 1:00 pm ONLINE (Both Sessions)
This exciting educational seminar allows participants to attend up to 6 different sessions over 2 days. Sign up for one or all of the sessions.
Cool Weather Vegetables (Part II) – Free
September 10 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Milberger’s Landscaping & Nursery , 3920 North Loop 1604
San Antonio, TX 78247
Presented by David Rodriguez, Horticulturist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
Fall Into Winter Veggies
September 10 @ 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Rainbow Gardens, 8516 Bandera Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78250
Presented by Karen Gardner, Bexar County Master Gardeners and hosted by Rainbow Gardens. Tickets – $12.50.
Bugs Every Gardener Should Know
September 14 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Rainbow Gardens, 8516 Bandera Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78250
Presented by Molly Keck, Entomologist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Tickets – $12.50.
Fall Gardening Tasks
September 14 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place
San Antonio, TX 78209
Presented by Bexar County Master Gardeners Lynn Cox and Anna Vogler. The calendar says it’s nearly fall, but temperatures may not feel like it. How do you determine when it’s actually fall in Texas? Topics include preparing landscapes for winter, maintenance, soil improvement, fall planting, and best timing/techniques for perennial plant division. Master Gardeners will be available at the end of the workshop to answer gardening questions. This seminar is WaterSaver Rewards Eligible. Tickets – $10.
BCMG September Monthly Meeting – New and Underutilized Plants for the Texas Hill Country – Free
September 15 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
San Antonio Botanical Garden – Culinary Garden Education Center, 555 Funston Place
San Antonio, 78209
Presented by Jessica Robertson, Greenleaf Nursery Co. and hosted by Bexar County Master Gardeners. Jessica will be presenting information on new plant breeding and upcoming introductions from Greenleaf Nursery Co. She will also touch on her personal favorites that are underutilized in the Texas Hill Country landscape.
Lunch & Learn with a Bexar County Master Gardener – Fall Vegetables – Free
September 16 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Bexar County Master Gardeners, 3355 Cherry Ridge, Ste. 208
San Antonio, TX 78230
Presented by Karen Gardner, Bexar County Master Gardener. Bring your favorite lunch and learn from one of our Bexar County Master Gardeners at this free seminar. Seating is limited to the first 25 respondents and walk-ins will not be accepted, so please make your reservation in advance. Others will be waitlisted and notified in the event of a cancellation. Although not required at this time, masks are highly recommended.
All About Fall Edibles – Free
September 17 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Rainbow Gardens, 8516 Bandera Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78250
Presented by David Rodriguez, Horticulturist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. David will be talking all about fall edibles in this FREE seminar! Bring a pen and some paper because David will offer so many great gardening tips. He takes the time to answer questions and gives practical advice in an easy-to-follow-no-mistakes-about-it way!
Landscape Design School, Series 27, Course 1
September 26 – September 27
George H. W. Bush Presidential Library, 1000 George Bush Dr W
College Station, TX 77845
Presented by the Landscape Design School, Series 27, Course 1 September 26-27, 2022 in College Station TX with a cost of $145. This Landscape Design School is open to anyone wishing to add to their knowledge of landscape design. After completing 4 courses, they will receive the Landscape Design Steward certification.
Beekeeping 101: In-Person (Sept. 30) or Online (early Oct.)
September 30 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service – Bexar County, 3355 Cherry Ridge, Ste. 208
San Antonio, TX 78230
If you have ever wondered what it takes to be a beekeeper, we have the class to teach you all about it! Geared for those who have little to absolutely no experience with beekeeping, we cover all the basics. What to buy, how to use the tools, what an apiary looks like, how to set up hives, how to purchase bees, how to manage them, feed them, and so much more! Learn in person or in live, online sessions, with the ability to interact with the instructor. Field Days will also be provided so you can suit up, open up a hive, hold frames, find queens, and get the hands-on experience of beekeeping. Fee: $45.
Frequently check the BCMG Calendar, as that is where all the new, upcoming programs will be posted. Click Here
BCMG Facebook
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Happenings!
Texas A&M AgriLife expands offerings at nursery/landscaping expo
Horticultural educational, service opportunities and ‘Texas Superstar’ selections featured
AUGUST 16, 2022
This year, Texas A&M AgriLife further expanded its educational, service and outreach presence at the Texas Nursery and Landscaping Association’s Nursery/Landscape Expo in San Antonio…
CHECK OUT AGRILIFE TODAY TO LEARN MORE….
Past webinars are posted on YouTube for your viewing (or reviewing) pleasure! Check often for new postings! Click here for the list.
Call in to Live Radio on Saturday mornings, with your gardening questions for David.
Call in: 210-737-1200 or 1-800-383-9624 on Saturdays from 7 am to 10pm
Or just listen to the show, and learn from everyone else’s questions!
WOAI 1200 AM – Lawn and Garden Show
Host: David Rodriguez, Bexar County AgriLife Extension Horticulturist.
Past shows are archived here, for easy listening on your computer, tablet or phone, anytime! Listen on your phone while you drive!
Ask a Master Gardener
Master Gardeners are available to help you with your gardening questions. We provide unbiased, research-based, locally relevant gardening information. Free service. You can reach us:
By phone: 210-631-0400 (Ask to speak to a Master Gardener)
Mon-Fri 9 am – Noon, 1-4 pm (Closed on county holidays)
The phones and the Hotline are being operated from Master Gardener home telephones; hotline calls are being directed by the AgriLife Extension receptionist.
What is AmazonSmile?
An easy, convenient way for you to support BCMG every time you shop, at no cost to you.
Available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones.
Amazon smile has the same prices, selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com
How to Sign Up
Simply go to smile.amazon.com on your web browser or activate AmazonSmile in the Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone within the Settings or Programs & Features menu
On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization to receive donations from your future eligible AmazonSmile purchases.
Use the Search feature to Select: Bexar County Master Gardeners
That’s it! AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to Bexar County Master Gardeners.
On your web browser, you can add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start shopping with AmazonSmile.
Use your existing Amazon user name and password to sign on to Amazon Smile. No need to create another Amazon account.
Note: Amazon will remember your selected charity. You do not have to select BCMG each time you purchase from smile.amazon.com. We are grateful for all you do and all you give to Bexar County Master Gardeners.