Texas Tough Plants for Austin

These past couple of years have been especially hard on our landscapes. The extreme cold and summer droughts have left gaping holes in many of our yards, and it’s hard to know which plants should be chosen as replacements. Help is on the way!

Webinar Series Focused on Plant Selection

Travis County Texas A&M AgriLife will be hosting several programs in 2024 to help Austin area gardeners be more successful. Topics range from native landscapes to container gardening. The program features experts from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Travis County Master Gardeners, and the City of Austin. 

Register Here to Learn About Texas Tough Plants

Register for 6 D’s of Container Gardening Success with Kirk Walden

Not everyone has a yard or plot to garden in. Plant selection is just as important if you grow plants in containers. Kirk Walden, Travis County Master Gardener, will be our final session May 8th at 10 am.

Kirk will cover the major considerations and decisions that lead to gardening success – from design and soil to irrigation and sunlight. Participants will come away with a list of recommended plants and resources suitable for Central Texas.

Watch Native & Adapted Plants for Central Texas

Skip Richter and Denise Delaney started the series on February 21st. Their topics were Native & Adapted Plants for Central Texas and Wild About Plants, respectively. Click this link to watch the recording.

Skip Richter, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Horticulturist (retired) and host of GardenLine on KTRH 740 AM, will discuss some of the best native and adapted plants for creating a beautiful landscape in central Texas. It is important to select plants that are pest and disease resistant, thrive in local soil conditions, are drought resilient, and can tolerate extremes of heat and cold to build a Texas tough landscape. Denise Delaney, the City of Austin Watershed Protection Department’s Acting Education Program Manager, will finish up with “Wild About Plants”, an overview of the Grow Green program.

Watch Native Landscapes for Wildlife with John Davis

On March 20th John Davis, Conservation Program Coordinator with the Austin Parks and Recreation Department gave an excellent presentation on why and how to make our gardens more beneficial for wildlife.

John covers the aspects of wildlife habitat and how we can create them in our yards. He discussed wildlife-safe ways to provide food, water, and shelter. John placed a special focus on the value of native plants to provide food and shelter.

Webinar Details

Due to technological constraints, the live webinars are limited to the first 100 attendees. However, an unlimited number of people can register to view the recorded webinars. Those who register but are not among the first 100 attendees or who miss the webinar for any reason will be able to view it later.

Watch: Trees: Your Landscape Legacy with Yvonne Schneider

Yvonne Schneider, Travis County Master Gardener and Advanced Master Gardener – Tree Care, is our featured speaker on April 10th at 10 am.

Yvonne explores the many benefits that trees provide for your personal property as well as the general environment. She shares tips on choosing the right tree for your area. This includes selecting trees that are well-suited to our local climate and soil conditions.

After they register, participants will be provided a link for the live session, and then will be sent a link to the recording and list of resources recommended by the speaker.

Attendees can submit questions during the webinar and get answers live as time allows. Afterward, questions that don’t make it to the webinar will receive emailed answers. Viewers of the recorded sessions can send their questions to the Travis County Master Gardener help desk at travismg@ag.tamu.edu.

Past Webinars

For a list of past webinar recordings and many other related resouces, please visit Our Favorite Gardening Resources for Austin and Travis County.